NFL Giants President & CEO John Mara said the search for a GM and coach “starts right away,” with former GM Ernie Accorsi serving as a consultant to the process, according to Pat Leonard of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. Mara "hopes to have his GM in place before the head coach in an 'ideal scenario.'" He admitted firing GM Jerry Reese and coach Ben McAdoo now is "somewhat of a tactical advantage” so the team can start looking at candidates immediately ahead of likely high pick in April's NFL Draft. Mara said of the regime change, "We’ve kind of been spiraling out of control. I just felt like we needed a complete overhaul. I don’t think there was any one event or one final act to precipitate that" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/4). ESPN's Adam Schefter said Accorsi is "close friends" with former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman, who spent many years in the Giants front office ("Monday Night Countdown," ESPN, 12/4). NFL Network's Peter Schrager said Mara is "going to lean heavily on Accorsi" during the search for a new GM and coach. NFL Net's Ian Rapoport notes moving now "gives the organization a jump on any other team who may want to fire a head coach or a GM" after the season. Rapoport: "This is one of the most coveted jobs in sports. Essentially, anyone the Giants would want to interview would likely be interested" ("Good Morning Football," NFL Net, 12/5).
BROTHERLY LOVE: In Newark, Dan Duggan notes Mara "dropped a few hints that the front-office changes may not be quite as 'wholesale' as first indicated." It is "obvious that Mara's brother, Chris, who has been" the Senior VP/Player Personnel since '11, will "remain in the front office." But Mara said that his brother is "not in the running to replace Reese." Mara: "He does not want to be a candidate, I don't think, for the full-time position. His input is certainly going to be something that is very crucial to the final decision." Assistant GM Kevin Abrams, who has "worked in the Giants' front office for 16 years," was named interim GM (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 12/5).
WHO'S NEXT? PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Florio wrote hiring Accorsi as a consultant likely "means that the Giants eventually will be hiring a friend, crony, colleague, etc. of Accorsi to be the GM." The new GM may be "inclined to recommend someone who will be sufficiently grateful so as to accept and heed any armchair advice from Accorsi." That still "may be better" than whatever Mara and Chair Steve Tisch would do on their own (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 12/4). In N.Y., Bill Pennington notes the Giants traditionally have kept their GM and coaching roles "separated, rather than a setup that gives the coach more power to make roster decisions." But Mara "indicated that he might be willing to be flexible for the right coach." That "immediately seems to open the door to coaching candidates who might conceivably expect more personnel influence," such as Alabama's Nick Saban, Notre Dame's Brian Kelly, or former Steelers coach Bill Cowher (N.Y. TIMES, 12/5). SNY.tv's Ralph Vacchiano wrote Abrams "might not just be a temporary fix." He is "expected to be a serious candidate" for GM. He "won't be the only candidate, of course, but Giants owners are known to have a great respect for Abrams." He is "absolutely viewed around the league as a potential future general manager" (SNY.tv, 12/4). In N.Y., Gary Myers lists five candidates for Giants GM (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/5). ESPN.com's Mike Sando also lists potential replacements at coach and GM (ESPN.com, 12/4).
DWINDLING NUMBERS: THE UNDEFEATED's Martenzie Johnson noted Reese’s firing "leaves five black" GMs in the NFL -- Rick Smith (Texans), Ozzie Newsome (Ravens), Sashi Brown (Browns), Reggie McKenzie (Raiders) and Chris Grier (Dolphins). At the end of the '16 season, there "were seven" black GMs, but the Bills fired Doug Whaley on April 30. African-Americans make up 16% of NFL GMs, a league in which 70% of the players are black (THEUNDEFEATED.com, 12/4).
