Dave Gettleman has no vision for what the New York Giants need to be this time next year. He either has no ability or no desire to evaluate what headaches are worth enduring in pursuit of a greater goal.
He has two core beliefs. First, he knows games are won and lost in the trenches, so he will never pass up a chance to add talent to either of his lines. Second, he just wants things to be as easy as possible. That means anyone that asks him about his longterm plan is going to be met with an eye roll and be treated like they are a pain in the ass.
That was on full display when Gettleman met with the media after using the sixth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Duke quarterback Daniel Jones. It was a controversial pick that warranted answers. Fans wanted to know what it meant for Eli Manning’s future. They wanted to know why Jones and not Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, whose stats and predraft evaluation were both considerably better.
Gettleman seemed to have no answers and got annoyed at the reporters that were trying to get him to clarify his vision for how Jones will eventually be moved into the starting role. He just kept repeating the phrase “we may use the Green Bay model” over and over.
Look, I don’t really care whether or not Dave Gettleman has a plans for the Giants. He could trade the whole roster for a can of Beefaroni and burn MetLife Stadium to the ground for all I care. It’s not a team that I have much of a feeling about one way or the other.
What I do care about is that PDs and GMs look at Dave Gettleman and instantly recognize that he is not something they can afford to be. You have to have a plan to replace aging talent. You have to have a plan for dealing with difficult talent. Most of all, when questioned, you have to be able to articulate your plan for taking the station from where it is to where you believe it needs to be.
Dave Gettleman knows he has to replace Eli Manning eventually. Rather than approach that job with what would be best for the Giants in mind, he seems to be prioritizing what Eli wants.
Look, Eli Manning won two Super Bowls for the Giants. He deserves some deference, but in a management role, your job is to protect the brand and make sure it stays healthy even when the current star is gone. It doesn’t seem like Gettleman is prioritizing the Giants in this process and it makes him look weak and clueless.
When he was the GM of the Carolina Panthers, Dave Gettleman chose to release Josh Norman after the defensive back turned in the very best season of his career. Why? Because contract negotiations broke down and for whatever reason Gettleman saw using the Franchise Tag as letting Norman win their standoff and letting Norman win would have been unacceptable.
He traded Odell Beckham Jr, the best receiver in Giants’ franchise history for two draft picks. Why? Because Beckham was too much of a diva and that’s not something Gettleman is willing to put up with.
Look, my colleague Brian Noe writes a lot about the need to be a good teammate and lift up the performance of those around you. I don’t disagree with him. Being a good teammate is a good professional quality to have, but if you’re a bad teammate and still deliver where it counts, who cares if you’re everyone’s buddy, right?
When you’re in charge, you have to make some difficult decisions. That means sometimes people that are popular in the hallways have to be let go and sometimes you have to put a package together to convince someone a little more standoffish to stay. As long as you can look your staff in the eyes and tell them with conviction that the decisions you’ve made are the best ones to achieve long term success, they may not agree with you but they will be more likely to trust you.
That is Gettleman’s greatest failing. When he had the opportunity to clearly explain why he took Daniel Jones with the 6th pick and what that says about his long term plans for Eli Manning, he figuratively punted. Rather than send a message that there is a quality plan for future success in New York, he instead sent a message that he doesn’t trust his own plan or worse, there is no plan at all.
Gettleman is getting roasted by fans and the media. That isn’t ideal, but it isn’t really a problem either. What will be a problem is the way these comments are met in the Giants’ locker room and coaches’ offices.
Does Pat Shurmer really believe sixth-round pick Darius Slayton is an adequate replacement for Odell Beckham Jr? Do guys like Saquon Barkley and Evan Engram have faith that their primes will not be wasted by a QB that can’t be benched no matter how bad he plays because he is a franchise legend?
Your team has to trust you and they won’t if you cannot look them in the eye and articulate your vision for the station. They won’t trust that you can achieve that vision if you cannot figure out a way to work with your best performer even if the two of you don’t always get along.
I don’t know how to help Dave Gettleman, and for all I know he may not need anyone’s help. He could have this all figured out, but the point is that without being able to articulate his vision, there’s no way he can get his team to buy into it. If your team doesn’t buy into your vision, you aren’t really much of a leader.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
