Giants President & CEO John Mara yesterday announced his intention to "stick by" GM Jerry Reese, even if he is "partly responsible for where the Giants are," according to Matthew Oshinsky of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Mara during a press conference announcing coach Tom Coughlin's resignation, said, "We’ve had three losing years in a row. A lot of that is due to some personnel decisions that have been made. But I still believe that Jerry Reese is the right guy to lead us going forward." Oshinsky notes Reese "defended his tenure" as GM, which began in '07. Reese: "You always miss on some draft picks. I take full responsibility for every player that’s been on this roster from the time I’ve been director of player personnel until right now, so I’ll take full responsibility -- even though everybody’s involved with the grading players" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/6). Mara said of Reese, "Jerry knows this is on him. I’ve had that discussion. You can’t hide from the record. It’s up to you now to get it fixed because the last three years are just not acceptable.” Mara added that Reese would "be part of the interviewing for a new coach, a process that Mara called pivotal." Mara: “Let’s be honest: We’ve lost some credibility as an organization. When you have three losing years in a row like that, you face a lot of criticism" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/6). NFL.com's Judy Battista said Mara "definitely sort of fired a warning shot" at Reese yesterday ("Inside the NFL," Showtime, 1/5).
TRYING TO STAY CONSISTENT: In N.Y., Steve Serby writes Reese is "squarely and deservedly on the hot seat." Reese is staying because the Giants are an organization "virtually obsessed with stability and continuity, and sweeping regime change is viewed as an unwanted earthquake when a reluctant tremor is better" (N.Y. POST, 1/6). ESPN N.Y.'s Dan Graziano noted the Giants have "changed GMs twice in the past 37 years." George Young "got the job" in '79 and ceded it in '98 to Ernie Accorsi, who held it until Reese took over in '07. The Giants' GMs come from "within the family, from within the organizational structure." It is "not a position they view as one they seek to change." Mara: "That's part of our philosophy. If you still believe that the person has what it takes to build a winning team, you have to stay with him. You have to ride through the highs and lows and give him a chance. And he's going to have that opportunity" (ESPNNY.com, 1/5).
BLAME GAME: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Stu Woo writes for everything Mara "explained, he didn’t quite illuminate one thing agitating many fans," which is why Coughlin is gone but Reese is staying. In fact, Mara "only raised more questions with his answers" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/6). In N.Y., Ralph Vacchiano writes Mara's words yesterday "sure did ring hollow" considering Coughlin was "the one packing up his things." Vacchiano: "The truth is Reese deserves just as much of the blame for the Giants’ current mess, which begs this question: If Coughlin is gone, why is Reese still here?" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/6). SNY's Eamon McAnaney said this "puts a bigger spotlight” on Mara, as fans are "going to find out what kind of decision maker he truly is" after keeping Reese this offseason ("Loud Mouths," SNY, 1/5). Also in N.Y., Mike Vaccaro writes it is "hard to believe Mara was any more confident in where his team is headed when he went to bed than he was when his alarm clock went off in the morning." After both Coughlin and Mara had "drawn up blueprints for precisely how to handle a day like this one, Reese took a Zippo lighter out of his pocket and torched those plans." Vaccaro: "Made you wonder if the franchise’s credibility might not actually be on a long, extended sabbatical" (N.Y. POST, 1/6). In Newark. Steve Politi writes of all the "potential strategies to take for his meet-the-press moment, it is hard to imagine that Reese thought being defiant and defensive was the best way to go" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 1/6).
