Owner expresses confidence in team brain trust after step backward in 2023

ORLANDO, Fla. — How much confidence? Unwavering, it sounds like. For those who want to fashion a hot seat for the futures of Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, the franchise’s primary decision-maker is constructing something entirely different.

Trust.

“Certainly last season was a huge disappointment to me, especially coming off of a playoff year,’’ coowner John Mara said Monday afternoon at the NFL’s annual league meeting. “I still believe we’re headed in the right direction and I have all the confidence in Joe and his staff and in Brian Daboll and his staff. I think the communication is terrific, I think the process they go through is great and I do think we’re headed in the right direction. Obviously, until we start winning games not everyone’s gonna buy into that, but I happen to believe it.’’

The buy-in was far easier to sell at this time a year ago.

The last time Mara spoke with the media in a public forum was at these meetings one year ago in Phoenix and the tone of the conversation was quite different. The Giants were coming off a 9-7-1 season and their first playoff victory in 11 years. Daboll had recently been named the NFL’s Coach of the Year and he and Schoen were heaped with praise for the turnaround they achieved in their first year in their jobs.

It felt as if the arrow for the franchise was pointing up.

We all know what transpired and how that arrow got bent backwards as the Giants slumped to 6-11.

Just like that, the first-year wonders were second-year stumblers.

Mara is not into issuing votes of confidence but he gave no indication whatsoever that he is assigning blame to the brain trust he hired to fix what had been a decade-long spate of losing.

“I think you always have to give them positive reinforcement from time to time and I think I have done that,’’ Mara said. “Have I made them any guarantees? No, I haven’t. But I think they both know that I believe in them.’’

The season’s aftermath was turbulent for Daboll. He fired two of his three coordinators. Wink Martindale’s departure after two years running the defense was particularly distasteful, with Martindale cursing out Daboll as he

stormed out of the office.

Daboll’s comportment on the sideline and the way he treats his coaching staff came into question as the losses piled up last season and hints of unrest in the ranks bubbled to the surface.

“There are times where I wish he would tone it down a little bit, but I’m also in the team meetings and I see how he acts around people and his coaches in the office,’’ Mara said. “He always maintains his cool there. Does he get excitable during the games sometimes? Yeah. So do I. I don’t think it’s a major issue.’’

If he saw signs it was turning into a major issue?

“I want him to be himself, at the end of the day,’’ Mara said. “If I ever get to the point where I think he’s acting irrationally and it’s affecting his performance, I certainly would have a word with him about it. But I have not seen that.’’

Mara, who is in the building and watches practice every day, said he believes the Daboll-Martindale friction was “overblown’’ in terms of how they interacted during the season.

“I mean, were there times when they had some disagreements?’’ Mara said. “Yeah, but not to the point where it became an issue. After the season did it blow up? Absolutely it did, as you know. But I never felt it was a big issue during the season at all.’’

Mara went on to say, “I still very firmly believe Brian is the right guy for us going forward.’’