Who Should be the Giants Next Head Coach?

0:00Welcome to the Ringer NFL show. I'm your host, Sheil Kapadia. We had a coach firing on Monday, the New York Giants ending the Brian Dayball era, but they are sticking with GM Joe Shane. So much to address here. Is this an appealing job? What kind of coach should they be looking for? Are we sure that Joe Shane should be leading the search? To talk about it all, we've got the Riggers resident Giants fan and expert. We can call him an expert. Danny Heifetz. I came up with a list of five potential Giants head coaches, didn't tell Heifetz before the pod, sprung them on him, and he was absolutely appalled by one of them.

0:39He had his own ideas there. So I didn't think my picks were that bad, but you can tell me what you think. So we'll get to all of it. Let's take a break. We come right back with Danny Heifetz. This is the Ringer NFL Show presented by FanDuel, the best place to bet the NFL all season long. FanDuel's got it all. Same game parlays. quick bets for jumping in live and your way so you can build the bet that fits your play. And Missouri, get excited because FanDuel is coming your way December 1st. Download the FanDuel.com slash RingerNFL to get started. Must be 21 plus and present in select states and 18 plus in DC, Kentucky, and Wyoming.

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2:15All right, we are back on the Ringer NFL show, my friend. Danny Heifetz is here. I don't mean to only call you when something happens with the Giants, Heifetz, But the people want to know, how are you feeling today? Brian Dayball out. But I don't want to just know about that. Joe Shane remains the GM of the Giants. What have your emotions been on this festive day for some? Festive. I mean, it's I mean, it's bad, Sheel.

2:42Danny Heifetz:The Giants are two and eight for the third straight year. The Giants have the I believe the Giants and the Jets both have the worst record in the last 10 years. in the last five years, the Giants are out of the playoffs for basically the 10th time before Thanksgiving in the last 11 years. But it's fine. Yeah, I don't know. It's full. Just call me whenever the Giants suck. I get it. It's totally, it's fine. You don't mean to do it. It just happens to happen all the time. It's fine. It just happens to happen. They've had a newsy season. Here's where I'm at. I can't believe they're screwing this up again.

3:07I, you know, they fire Brian Dayball, but then the immediate news comes out that they're going to keep Joe Shane to hire, help hire their next head coach. I don't understand how they can be this stupid. I mean, there is no clear example of a team needing to just make a clean break and they're not doing it. It's like they are a puppy lost in the wilderness. They are 20-40-1 under Joe Shane. A couple of their best players on the team were there before he got there. What is he responsible for? You know, hitting on a couple top five, top 10 picks. They screwed up the Daniel Jones contract. They screwed up the Saquon Barkley contract.

3:43why on earth would I want this guy directing my head coaching search that was my immediate reaction

3:50Danny Heifetz:honestly so I will quibble with some of the things you said in the middle about the specifics but bookend I agree with you in that Dable and Shane came together from Buffalo like they're guys they're boys and you brought them in together because the idea that generally speaking you need a great GM head coach partnership to be able to work and if you get less Steve and Sean McVay cool but in reality most of the time unless you get a Shanahan Lynch situation it's hard for a coach and a GM to come together and work together Dan Dugan at the Athletic noted that the Giants have done this like two or three other times so they fired the coach kept the GM and the GM never lasts more than two years it's usually just kind of a bad way to get into the next era so I agree in the net where probably should clean house I also just it's hard for me to just advocate for cleaning house all the time because it's the easiest thing to say fire people but then you're just a team that keeps firing people and that's also bad we can get into some of the specifics with shane if you want or talk table whatever but i i see i'm not going to sit here and argue it's a great idea to keep shane but i also i mean you don't want to become the cleveland browns listen it's one of my coaching rules though heifetz is that when you hire a coach who is tied to the gm you sit them down together in a room and you say if one of you succeeds you're both going to succeed if one of you fails you both fails because because then you avoid all the backstabbing and no it's his fault no the roster's good no the roster's not good no daniel jones look at what he's doing there this coach you avoid all that stuff and they didn't avoid that because they might have been voiced before but you saw the headlines you saw the rumor start circulating last week that it was like wait a minute there are reports surfacing here that maybe not both of them will be gone here.

5:32I just don't know why. Explain to me why I should have any confidence that Joe Shane, after this four-year run, is the right man to help find a new head coach who can lead them into a winning era.

5:46Danny Heifetz:I don't think it's that complicated to see why you would keep Shane and get rid of Dable. You can disagree with it. So just to go through individual moves, I mean, yeah, I mean, the Giants have whiffed in a bunch of stuff. Deontay Banks is like maybe the worst cornerback in the NFL that plays. Every time he's on the field, something goes wrong. And there was a first-round pick. Kayvon Thibodeau has been underwhelming as a first-run pick. Evan Neal was a disaster as a first-run pick. They swapped Julian Love at safety out to Seattle, and they drafted Tyler Newbin. He has been very good. I mean, it goes on and on and on.

6:12Danny Heifetz:They just can't really fix problems. The offensive line has had Andrew Thomas, who was a Dave Gettleman draft pick at left tackle, and four guys that weren't that good for about five years now. The secondary, the cornerbacks haven't been fixed in about five years. The safety has been revolving to where he let Xavier mckinney leave again like it just they let a lot of talent go the big one obviously being daniel jones and saquon barkley i actually don't think those are joe shane's fault really i at all i don't put either saquon or daniel jones on joe shane i don't know which of those you're more interested in but i i don't think saquon or daniel jones are that big so who is jones on ownership wanted him yeah i think daniel i think that's really simple do you remember that part on hard knocks where joe shane's kids were talking about which quarterback they wanted to replace Daniel Jones with.

6:53How could you forget that iconic?

6:55Danny Heifetz:Do you think that Joe Shane was coming home from work every day saying, I love Daniel Jones so much. I just wish we could keep him. Gosh, darn it. And his kids were like, nah, no. Joe Shane was probably coming home from work every day talking about this freaking Daniel Jones guy sucks. I want Drake May. He's awesome. I want Jen Daniels. He's awesome. I'll take JJ McCarthy. He's awesome. And his kids all picked different ones, wanted to replace him. Chris Mara, who is John Mara's, the Giants. There's Two families on the Giants, Mara's in the tissues. John Mara is the president. His brother, Chris Mara, is in the scouting department.

7:24Danny Heifetz:That's why the Giants have been bad so long as Chris Mara, who is like an owner scout running the department thing, is Joe Shane's boss. They're not going to tell you it is. But Chris Mara was in the job interview when Joe Shane interviewed for the job. So if someone's in your job interview interviewing you and they own the company, do you think they're your boss? I do. So anyway, I think Joe Shane didn't want Daniel Jones. They made the playoffs. in the Buffalo years when they made the playoffs that first year, they freaking they blew the whole thing up anyway. I think Joe Shane wanted to get rid of Daniel Jones and or at least, you know, they should have done the fifth year option.

7:57Danny Heifetz:But anyway, the ownership who scouted him wanted to keep Daniel Jones because he kind of looks like like Eli Manning if you squint. So they kept him. And then that's why they didn't fire Joe Shane last year, because they can't fire the GM who told them not to sign the guy that they cut. That's the Daniel Jones thing. That's my hypothesis. I feel that I'm right. The Saquon Barkley thing, people like you, nerd podcasters like you, if the Giants, what would have happened, Shield? What would you have said? That's true. Very one is more explainable. If the Giants signed Saquon and won five games last year, you would have been like, this is why you don't pay running backs, idiot.

8:31Danny Heifetz:How many times do I have to tell you? God, I'm so mad at you. No, I wouldn't have, you know, gone on national TV where the owner tells me that, you know, if you do this, if he signs with the Eagles, I'm going to be very upset. That was also the owner's fault. Why did you sign up to be the first one through the door on that freaking show? How did they put them in that situation? Well, this is troubling, Heifetz, because there's nothing worse as a sports fan than when you think the reason you're losing is because of bad ownership. And, you know, you paint a very interesting picture, and I know there's been reporting on this.

9:00So that paints a very troubling picture for whether they're going to be able to pave a path forward here towards success. Because ever since, I mean, since the Tom Coughlin thing, you know it better than I do. They have done this over and over again. And to your point, they've been bad now for a decade. So here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to take a break and then I'm going to come back and I'm going to give you a list of five potential head coaching candidates for the Giants. And you're going to give me a yes, a no, or a maybe. And I really try to get in the head of Giants ownership and think, who would they be looking at here?

9:37So let's take a break. We come back. I want to do that. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Having insurance isn't the same as having State Farm. It's like needing the protection of an offensive guard on the football field, but getting an elementary school crossing guard. Sure, they're both guards, but you can only trust one to keep your quarterback safe when the game is on the line. So don't settle for just any insurance when they're State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Are you looking for support in your weight management journey?

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11:20Danny Heifetz:Side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, which can cause dehydration and worsen kidney problems. Talk to your doctor. Call 1-800-545-5979 or visit zepbounce.lily.com. All right, we're back on the Ringer NFL show. Now, listen, I just want to prepare you. This is a mix of realistic content all over the place with this. So I'm going to go five to one and each one, I'm going to give you the case and I want a yes, a no, or a maybe. Is this what I think will happen or what I would do? No, this is what you, if you were on your Giants group chats and this guy was in the news and they said they might hire this guy, would you be advocating for them or would you be going, no way, anyone but this guy?

12:05The first one, you know, this is coming. Bill Belichick. He's going to be stumping for this job big time. It feels like maybe his only last chance to get in the NFL, the Giants could sell it. that, listen, that college, it's the wild, wild west out there with the NIL and the transfer portal. Bill Belichick is an NFL guy. He's still the same guy who coached the Patriots. This is going to work. This is the closing chapter on his storied career. He comes back to New York. He coaches the New York Giants, gets us back on the right path. How do you feel about that? Yeah, of course.

12:44Danny Heifetz:Yes. Yeah. I mean, you said you want a coach and a GM to come together. So Belichick's the coach. Jordan Hudson's the GM. And then they get to run the team together. Lombardi has a weekly spot on WFAN, I would imagine. Okay. No, I'm kidding, obviously. No. How would you actually feel? No. Even a year ago, I was pretty in on Belichick. I think the most cynical views of it were obviously correct. So, no. I mean, obviously, he's too old. It's just clearly he doesn't have – he can't stay awake long enough to do it anymore. Okay. We got a no on Bill Belichick. All right. Number four on my list. Cliff Kingsbury.

13:18Okay. So, they'll say, you know what? he showed he can build a system around a young dual threat quarterback and jaden daniels you know young guy where if it works out hey this guy could be a coach for a very long time in new york he win a little bit everybody's excited handsome guy good looking you know he would be the toast in new york cliff kingsbury he's mentioned as a giants head coaching candidate yes no or maybe

13:44Danny Heifetz:from high fix maybe i think cliff kingsbury is the best quarterback talent evaluator ever and it's kind of and i think yeah i think that because i mean he's just connected to like every quarterback in the NFL i think that he's so good at evaluating talent that he's actually become like a coach and i think it's kind of like how john calipari is really just the best agent but he's good enough for being an agent that he promoted himself to being a coach so he's like john calipari is a bad coach because he's such a good agent i think kingsbury was an overqualified evaluator that became like an underqualified head coach.

14:14Danny Heifetz:I also think he's learned a lot in this Washington perspective. I think you have to talk to Cliff Kingsbury. I don't know if I want to hire him, but it would be silly to not talk to Cliff Kingsbury. I see where you're going with this. But by the way, all the offensive guys that are smart. Yeah. If you don't talk to him, you're stupid. OK. Cliff Kingsbury. Talk to him. It is a weird pool of candidates. I get that gravelly voice to Cliff Kingsbury. It's like a really nice voice. It might play well. Yeah. All right. Number three. This one I could really see. Hype. It's. Steve Spagnuolo. I think, okay, sorry, make the case.

14:45No, go ahead. Go ahead. You're excited.

14:47Danny Heifetz:I think Spagnuolo is the epitome of a defensive coordinator that it's age bias. If Spagnuolo was 44, everyone would be tripping over themselves to hire Steve Spagnuolo. And one of the reasons the Chiefs dynasty has lingered, to me, the most underrated reason the Chiefs became a dynasty is because when they tried to kick the bucket or kick the can down the road and trading Tyree Kill for picks, Steve Spagnuolo developed all the defensive picks they made in a three-year period and made all of the defensive picks contribute to the defense with a mix of bespoke schemes to every round of the playoffs.

15:22Danny Heifetz:He's done such a good job. He happens to be in his mid-60s, so no one wants to hire him. People are like, oh, he was bad with the Rams. That was 15 years ago. Mike McDonald's a great coach for the Seahawks. Was he in college 15 years ago? Sean McVay was literally an undergrad when Steve Spagnuolo was running the Rams. So I think he's a great candidate. I don't want to hire him because I want an offensive coach. But if the Giants had even not found Jackson Dart yet, I would hire Spagnuolo. I think here's the sell job from the Giants because you know how NFL owners work. When you have someone who fails in a very specific way, they go the opposite way.

16:02It's like dating. You have one person who has specific traits and it doesn't work out. And the next person you date, It's the complete opposite of that. That's how NFL owners operate. And I feel like with Spags, they would just be like, we're going, you know, Dayball was a hothead. And, you know, he clashed with assistant coaches. Now he got Spags back. He's buttering up the media. He still knows everybody from his time in New York. He just seems like a genuinely nice guy who everyone likes. Like he'll get there in the interview and the owners will be like, hey, we kind of like this guy. They'll take them back to the glory years when the Giants were winning Super Bowls.

16:34And how were they doing it with that pass rush? They say, we've invested so much in this pass rush. This defensive line was supposed to be awesome. Why aren't we getting the most out of them? Hey, Spags can do that. And Spags knows Andy Reid. And Spags knows different offensive coaches in the NFL. He can come in and say, here's the coordinator that Andy Reid told me is going to be the next big thing and has a lot of great ideas. So I'm coming to you with this list of coordinators. Hire me. It's going to work out. They should interview Spags.

17:01Danny Heifetz:And to me, he's a B-level candidate. I would hire him over other people. Okay, this next one, I'm interested to hear what you say. Kevin Stefanski. I think as I was going through the coaches who could potentially be fired, he is the one that I think is most likely to get a job right away. You know, he could come in, two-time coach of the year, smart offensive mind. He's just been stuck with that bad Deshaun Watson trade and bad talent in Cleveland. But man, this is a guy, his second stop, he's going to be an excellent head coach if he's got the right infrastructure around him. I mean, definitely.

17:39Danny Heifetz:Like, yeah, if Kevin Stefanski was fired, if he's able to make... The Browns suck. The Browns' ownership and everything there. If you think the Giants' ownership's annoying. Like, yeah, Kevin Stefanski, if he got fired, yeah, absolutely. That's an easy one. I would totally take Stefanski. Although there's two other people you're not mentioning that I actually think are really realistic. All right, well, here's my number one, and then you tell me who I missed. This is a guy I could just see. I could just see him being the toast of New York. And that's Marcus Freeman from Notre Dame. No. I could just see it.

18:09No. No. No.

18:10Danny Heifetz:No. No college coach. No. What are you talking about? Come on. You're baiting me. What are you talking about? No. Why? I love Marcus Freeman. I have friends here who love Notre Dame, go to Notre Dame alumni. My college was in a huge football school, so it's fun to vicariously live through. I don't want to. Marcus Freeman's talent. Incredibly, like incredibly good looking man who has. Incredibly. That can't be understated. Great charisma. he's great in the living room but like i have seen notre dame have 10 people on their defense in their goal line package three weeks in the one month they couldn't get 11 people on the field at goal line three different times in a month okay so like no not even a little like that's a new cycle for stephen a smith and you're above that and i'm actually a little mad at you i disagree I agree.

19:00He's the one.

19:01Danny Heifetz:When I was writing down names. What the fuck is he going to bring? Jackson Dart? I need Jackson Dart to be good. I need Jackson. The only thing I care about is Jackson Dart us to be good. And you're bringing me a defensive coach from Notre Dame who sucks. And by the way, are they even ranked? Well, I don't know what they're doing this year. Last year, they were pretty good. Yeah, they're not playing well. They started. I'm so mad at you. Listen, everybody has a bad ear. Now and then, I think they would look at him and say CEO type head coach. Like, I mean, you can't get over the handsome thing.

19:27You know, a scenario where he's your guy for 10 years. years, face of your franchise after an era of embarrassment, would play great in New York, would be good with the media. Zero chance. Wait, so do you, you are -

19:39Danny Heifetz:You're doing this narratively. Give me some, what's his offensive plan? We hire Marcus Freeman. Cool, I need a coordinator. He's like, I know guys in college. You missed the biggest name. Okay. It's Kubiak from the Seahawks. Oh my gosh, okay. He's the only part of the Shanahan McVay tree that I'm like, that guy's the last one left. He's the last apple that hasn't been picked off this tree. He crushed it in New Orleans last year when the car was healthy. We thought it was a flash. Crushed it? Well, before everyone got it. Two weeks. Wow. Those two weeks. I've never seen a guy live off of two weeks more than Clint Coop.

20:10Danny Heifetz:Me too. I thought the same thing. And then guess what? He goes to Seattle, and guess what? He's doing a great job. What is this? Austin Gale had this stat. He showed me yesterday where the first 10 weeks of a season, if you just look at passing on first and second down, Sam, one fifth of Darnold's early down passes have gone 20 plus yards. Explosives. Yeah. Second is 2004 Peyton Manning when he set the touchdown record. Like if you cross reference that with 10 yards per attempt and a fifth of them explosive, it's just Darnold Peyton Manning. Oh, four and Kurt Warner 2000 greatest 2000 ramps like Kubi.