GO WITH THE FLO?
For Giants, Flores could be too much like Joe; Harbaugh might be ready for NFL return
The NFL is teeming with juicy information as GMs, coaches, agents and organizations play musical chairs for coveted jobs. The Giants are smack dab in the middle. Here are the headlines of what Daily News sources have dished on the past week:
FROM JOE TO FLO?
Brian Flores has eyes for the Giants.
That’s on good authority from several trusted sources, although 1) Flores has interviewed with the Bears and Texans and 2) other sources insist Flores sees New York as an attractive fit but has no preference.
Flores, 40, has several strong ties to the Giants and New York. He grew up in Brooklyn. He and John Mara both graduated from Boston College. And Flores and Mara’s nephew, Tim McDonnell, have a Notre Dame connection:
McDonnell worked in Notre Dame’s football program for eight years before joining the Giants. Flores attended Brooklyn’s Poly Prep on a Jordan Scholarship funded by billionaire Jay Jordan, a Notre Dame graduate, trustee and donor, and a close friend. Flores played at Poly Prep with Jordan’s son, JW Jordan, who works in personnel for the L.A. Rams.
It’s fair to question if Flores would be the right fit for the Giants coming off Joe Judge. Flores is a no-nonsense Bill Belichick disciple who makes players run laps, too, with an even more in-your-face reputation than Judge.
Word is Flores got fired by the Dolphins for overplaying his hand in trying to wrest full control of what he viewed as Miami’s unsatisfactory personnel process, including GM Chris Grier and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
The Giants are talking like they want a GM who has full control over the coach. So going “from Joe to Flo” might be a stretch.
Still, Flores nearly finished .500 (24-25) in three seasons with the Dolphins, winning eight of his last nine. He knows defense. His players played hard. And he knows talent: he was a staunch advocate for acquiring Texans QB Deshaun Watson, who may be available in a trade this spring.
Expect Flores to interview for the Giants’ job regardless of which GM gets hired to run the show.
‘GO BLUE’ OR ‘BIG BLUE?’
When I first heard Jim Harbaugh’s name being bandied about during this hiring cycle, I thought it was a leverage play by Harbaugh to squeeze Michigan for more money coming off a College Football Playoff berth.
But I was extremely interested to learn from reliable sources that 1) Harbaugh’s NFL interest is genuine and that 2) the Giants’ vacancy intrigues him and he’d pick up the phone if they called.
Harbaugh, 58, has a great job at his alma mater, so he’d need to be convinced that the situation he was leaving for was stable and ripe for success. But the opportunity to chase a Super Bowl would be attractive, having fallen just short with the 49ers in Feb. 2013.
And while Harbaugh is known as a strong personality, sources familiar with his thinking do not believe Harbaugh would try to control the organization he joined. He would simply prioritize and value stability in the owners’ and GM’s suites to let him do his job on the field.
And the Raiders and Bears organizations present no more favorably in those areas than the Giants.
Harbaugh’s record speaks for itself: 90-45 in college and 44-19-1 in the pros. Could he go from Go Blue to Big Blue? You have to admit: it doesn’t stretch the imagination too far to picture Harbaugh strutting up and down the MetLife Stadium sidelines in his trademark khaki pants.
THE LIFE OF BRIAN
As expected when this process began, some sources say the Giants are very interested in Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, the Belichick disciple who has gotten the best out of quarterback Josh Allen in Buffalo. The Buffalo ticket of GM Joe Schoen and head coach Daboll certainly is an intriguing one. Schoen, who interviewed in Chicago, too, is considered as ready as any of the Giants’ nine candidates to take the big chair. And Daboll as an offensive coach could tackle the team’s worst side of the ball … One league source said Schoen would be a great GM because he is a great communicator and listener with complete command of a room and a scouting staff … Another league source said of Chiefs executive director of player personnel Ryan Poles, a Giants GM candidate: “He’s ready.” …
Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz, who interviewed Saturday, is also viewed as an extremely strong candidate, a lynchpin of one the most respected front offices in the league. The Giants have sought to copy Belichick’s Patriot Way in recent years, but they’re also aware that Baltimore is at the forefront of the NFL’s evolution. Judge, in fact, brought something closer to a Ravens-like understanding of draft capital to the conversation the past two years, since both the Patriots and Ravens understand that no one is flawless at evaluating players. It’s about managing assets intelligently to acquire more kicks at the can and build roster depth … Former Eagles Super Bowl-winning coach Doug Pederson and 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel are two other names to keep an eye on once the coaching interviews start … Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is among the hottest names in this year’s cycle and is expected to land one of the jobs … Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is the name nobody is talking about but should be talking about for other openings… The eight full-time head coach vacancies are the Giants, Broncos, Jaguars, Bears, Vikings, Texans, Dolphins, and Raiders … The Giants, Bears and Vikings need GMs. And many people believe the Raiders will eventually, too.
BIG ON BROWN
San Francisco 49ers director of player personnel Ran Carthon is interviewing for the Giants’ GM job on Monday, and the Daily News has learned of one head coaching candidate Carthon likely would bring in for an interview: L.A. Rams RBs coach/assistant head coach Thomas Brown.
The two young risers have a good working relationship and share a mutual respect and understanding of what a strong culture looks like.
Brown, 35, has elicited
comparisons to a young Mike Tomlin. The Miami Dolphins were the first team to put in an interview request for him on Friday.
He’s a valued branch on the coveted Sean McVay coaching tree. He was the Miami Hurricanes’ offensive coordinator for two years prior to making the jump to the pros. And he played his college ball at Georgia, one of the Giants’ favorite feeder programs.
Carthon is the son of former Giants fullback Maurice Carthon. Brown would be the first black head coach in Giants history.
Carthon and the 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters are the Giants’ final interviews of their nine originally scheduled. The other seven are Schoen, Poles, Hortiz, Adrian Wilson (Cardinals), Quentin Harris (Cardinals), Ryan Cowden (Titans) and Monti Ossenfort (Titans).
GIANT SHIFTS
Judge, 40, the Giants’ recently fired head coach, should have several options for his next job once he regroups. Belichick and Nick Saban coaches often find a safe rebound in New England or Alabama if need be. And several of Judge’s former Patriots colleagues could land head coaching jobs elsewhere, including Daboll, McDaniels, Flores and Jerod Mayo. Texans GM Nick Caserio seems poised to hire one of them, so Houston could end up being Judge’s NFL landing spot … Quarterback Daniel Jones, wide receiver David Sills and safety Logan Ryan stopped by Wednesday night’s “Irish Wake” at Judge’s house with coaches and their families after the staff’s firing, sources confirmed. Many players already are out of town, but the starting QB showed class by stopping by… The Giants granted the Panthers permission to interview special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey for Carolina’s vacancy in the same role, a source confirmed. McGaughey, 48, had been in Carolina (2016-17) prior to working on both Pat Shurmur’s Giants staff and Judge’s. You won’t find a player who doesn’t like playing for him … Anthony Blevins, 45, the Giants’ assistant linebackers coach and special teams assistant, is a riser that sources expect to land something bigger. Blevins has a wide range of experience coaching DBs, LBs and special teams. He could fill the Los Angeles Chargers’ special teams coordinator vacancy or make the jump to coaching inside/outside LBs full time. Blevins would be a logical asset on staffs with Bucs coordinators Byron Leftwich or Todd Bowles – both of whom he worked with in Arizona – or with Jim Caldwell, the Colts’ head coach when Blevins interned.
THEY SAID IT
“It is an understatement to say John [Mara] and I are disappointed by the lack of success we have had on the field.” — Steve Tisch, Giants’ co-owner, in a written statement. Tisch hasn’t done a sanctioned team interview in more than two years