EAST RUTHERFORD,NJ(SMI-SPORTS, 01.31.22)-The New York Giants Football Club(NYGiants) held a press-conference Today, Monday January 31,  to introduce the team's new head coach, Brian Daboll with President and CEO John K. Mara, and new hired General Manager Joe Schoen in attendance at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
 
The press conference took place at 10 O'clock this morning where Brian Daboll, Giant's President & CEO John k. Mara and Joe Schoen addressed the media during  Q&A session with numerous members of the press organization in attendance.
 
Find below the transcript John K. Mara(NYGiants' President & CEO) at the Brian Daboll's introductory press conference as the new head coach of the NYGiants.

​

Note: Transcript provided by NYGiants

 

Q: Now that you’ve got your staff assembled, what do you think of the group?

 

A: Well, we don’t have staff assembled yet. We’ve got the head coach and the general manager. They’ve got to assemble the rest of the staff, but they’re off to a good start. Their communication is very natural, and they like each other. They know each other’s philosophies. They have a similar vision going forward, so I think we’re off to a good start with both of these guys.

 

Q: We know about the ability of (Head Coach Brian) Daboll as an offensive coordinator, but what do you think of him as a man, a leader, a communicator?

​

A: Well, I think you saw a little bit of that in that press conference there. He’s very genuine, down to earth. He believes in having relationships with people and he’s a people person and I think he’s going to fit very well in the building. I think he’s very inspirational, too. I think he’ll get the guys to perform to the best of their abilities.

 

Q: This is obviously the second straight time you’ve hired a (Patriots Head Coach) Bill Belichick disciple. They haven’t a lot of success as NFL head coaches. What makes you think that Brian will be different?

​

A: Well, I think his background, his ability to work with (General Manager) Joe (Schoen). I think what he did with (Bills Quarterback) Josh Allen and that entire Buffalo offense. I think his presence, which I think you saw as he was up on that stage. I think all those things combine to give him the best chance at having success. Obviously, you never know until they get in and they start playing games and stuff, but we like what we’ve seen so far.

 

Q: You brought up the Josh Allen piece right there, his ability to work with him. How much was that sort of the differentiator with him or did that kind of play into your thinking?

​

A: It was a factor, for sure. That’s his job here. We have a quarterback that we have a lot of confidence in, who has had some issues here, mostly due to the way we’ve handled him. A big part of Brian’s job is going to be to try to get the most out of (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) and put us in a position where we can make a fair evaluation of him. We haven’t been able to do that so far because of the way we’ve handled him.

 

Q: Do you believe you’ve given the fans reason to hope and reason to believe that there’s good things ahead?

​

A: I think so, but that only lasts until we start playing games, but the reaction obviously has been positive so far, but that only goes so far. I think we’re off to a good start, but that’ll go away quickly if we don’t get off to a good start during the season. I think we’ve got the right guys in place now and it’s up to us to make it work.

 

Q: Does it put you at ease knowing that they’ve had a past relationship the past four years and even going back to 2011?

​

A: It certainly was a factor, yes. You have to have a general manager and a head coach that can communicate with one another, that respect one another and that are going to collaborate on all of the important decisions of the day. I have a lot of confidence that that will be the case with these two.

 

Q: I know you thought that maybe (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator) Patrick Graham would leave after last year and you valued him. The fact that he likely will be back, how important is that to you?

​

A: That’s very important. He’s very well-respected in this building. The players have a lot of respect for him, as do I. He’s a terrific defensive coordinator. Look, for his own sake, I hope he gets a head coaching job. As Brian said, selfishly, we’d be very happy if he stayed.

 

Q: How much pressure is it for you guys to get this right, both general manager and head coach, and turn this situation around?

​

A: I feel a lot of pressure to do that. I always feel pressure going into every season and given our recent history, probably more so than ever do I feel that right now. I think we have the right guys in place. Now, we just have to give them the resources to let them do their jobs.

 

Q: Why do you think the Bills’ rebuild was so successful so quickly and what are you hoping that Joe and Brian can do?

​

A: I think they have the right combination of a head coach and a general manager, and they made the right selection at quarterback. I think we have the right combination of head coach and general manager. I also think we have the right quarterback, and hopefully they’ll be able to get the most out of him.

 

Q: In your approach to hiring Daboll, what stood out about him that maybe was different than your last few hires or really convinced you that he could be the person to change things?

A: I think you saw a little bit of that during the press conference. He’s very down to earth, natural, gets along with people, believes in building relationships. I think he had a great vision for where he wants to take us and I think the fact that he and Joe, first off, are comfortable together, have similar philosophies. I think that’s probably what sold us.

 

Q: Where do you view your program right now? You have a four-win season, tough cap situation. Do you have to tear it down or can you turn it around quick?

​

A: We’re in last place. There’s no place to go but up.

 

Q: We’ve asked you a lot about Daniel Jones as he relates to Brian and to Joe. We haven’t asked about his health yet. Are you convinced he will be healthy enough to play next year and in camp and all the rest of it?

​

A: Yeah, so our medical people are very confident that the neck injury will be a non-factor.

 

Q: Can Brian Daboll succeed here if Daniel does not? In other words, if he tries to work with him and it doesn’t pan out, is there still patience and intent on building something long-term past Daniel with Brian?

​

A: I would say yes. Daniel will get a chance next year and we’ll hopefully be able to get a fair evaluation of him and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll go to plan B. But we have a lot of confidence that it will work out.

 

Q: In retrospect, you went through all the interviews. Last time we talked to you was before (Former Dolphins Head Coach) Brian Flores. How much did the friction with Brian and (Dolphins General Manager) Chris Grier play into why you didn’t hire him?

​

A: Well, listen, we had five terrific candidates and any one of whom I probably would have been comfortable with at the end of the day. I think what Brian (Daboll) has been able to accomplish up in Buffalo and Brian’s track record with Joe and their level of comfort with one another, I think that’s what tipped the scales at the end of the day.

 

Q: We’ve heard a lot about culture the last two years. How close are those cultures to each other? How much overhaul has to be done with that?

​

A: Well, I think I’m going to let them make that determination. I think they both believe that there are a lot of good pieces in the building, on the team, but that we certainly have some shortcomings that we’re going to have to address. Fortunately, we have some draft capital that will help us do that, but I’m not looking at this as an overnight turnaround. This is going to be a process and however long it takes is going to be up to them.

 

Q: As you walk out of here today, do you walk out of here with your chest pumped out? Do you feel good about the future of this franchise?

​

A: I’m not walking around anywhere with my chest pumped out after the last few seasons we’ve had, but I do feel good about the future of the franchise, yes.

 

Q: You mentioned Brian’s offensive background with Josh (Allen). Why only one offensive coordinator among all the candidates? Everybody else was defensive minded.

​

A: I don’t think we were focused on offensive coordinator per se. We just wanted to get the best person for the job. I think Brian has a lot of qualities that you look for. He has a certain presence about him. He has the leadership skills, people like working with him, his players revere him. So, I think those are the factors. Obviously, the fact that our offense is so challenged right now, I think he brings a certain skillset that will help us.

 

Q: How varied were the opinions on Daniel? You seem pretty sold that ‘OK, we can get this right with Daniel Jones.’ Did you get dissenting opinions to that? Did you get people who were not so sure on it?

​

A: I think we did 10 general manager interviews and five head coach interviews, and every single interview was positive about Daniel. Now, they’re not willing to say that they think he’s going to be the next (Chiefs Quarterback) Patrick Mahomes or anything like that, but they were excited about the potential he has and the possibility of working with him. That, to me, was reassuring because that’s the way we feel as well.

 

Q: When you have a candidate who has never been a head coach, never had the opportunity to command an entire team or room, as an owner, how difficult is it to ascertain that he can do that job?

​

A: It’s the most difficult decision by far that you ever make in this business because you just don’t know. You have to try to get to know the individual as best you can, talk to the people they’ve worked with, try to get an understanding as to whether there’s a presence and the leadership skills and the knowledge of X’s and O’s and then you make your choice and then you live with it. You don’t know until they actually start getting in the building and start building the program.

 

Q: People around the league say Brian’s a really nice guy. Was there ever a concern that he’s too nice of a guy to have this kind of opportunity?

​

A: No, I don’t think that’s a concern. I think he can be tough when he needs to be tough. That’s what we found out about him and certainly Joe has had the experience with him in Buffalo and has seen his command of the room. I think that’s something we’re very comfortable with.

 

Q: It seems like you guys haven’t had a coach with quite his personality, someone who’s as relaxed or as colorful. In the interview process, was that a factor at all?

​

A: It certainly made him likeable right from the beginning. I don’t know that I’d say we’ve never had a coach with that type of personality, but he seems like somebody that will be very easy to work with in the building, that people will respond to and want to work with. That was certainly something we took notice of right away.

 

Q: Would you be surprised if Daniel Jones is not your Week 1 starter in 2022?

A: Yes.

 

Q: Why?

A: Because I would be very surprised.

 

Q: You mentioned last time we talked to you that the coach and the GM still had to do a full evaluation before you committed to him, but now it sounds like you’re fully committed to him. Why is that?

​

A: They’re going to make the final determination. You’re asking me, ‘Would I be surprised if he’s not the starter?’ Yes, I’ll be surprised if he’s not the starter.

 

Q: Was it disappointing or did it catch you off-guard when (Cowboys Defensive Coordinator) Dan Quinn pulled his name out? Would he have been a serious candidate at the end?

​

A: It was disappointing because he was a serious candidate, but at the end of the day, I’m very happy with Brian Daboll.

 

Q: Did you reach out to (Former Saints Head Coach) Sean (Payton) at all?

A: No.

 

Q: Why not?

A: He’s under contract with another team.

 

Q: For you personally, I know you wanted to get this turned around yesterday if you had your druthers, so how hard is it going to be for you to be patient because this is a process?

​

A: It’s going to be hard, but I’m going to have to force myself to do it. I’ve run out of patience over the last few years, but I also understand that this is a long-term project. This is not an overnight thing. I think last season verified that.

 

Q: You and Joe both used the word ‘resources.’ What does that mean in terms of what you’re going to do to help?

​

A: If they want to make changes in the building, get different equipment in here, do something, whatever they need to do. Whenever I get asked about anything like that, my response is, ‘is it going to help us win? Tell me it’s going to help us win and you have it.’ That’s what they’re talking about.

 

Q: Would staff fall into that?

A: Staff as well.

 

Q: In the last three weeks, you’ve hired a GM and a coach. Do you feel like you can finally rest now or how do you feel?

​

A: Well, not really. We still have to hire the rest of the staff and they’re busy working on that right now and then we’re going to have to make some very difficult decisions, or I should say they’re going to have to make some very difficult decisions on getting us under the cap and putting us in a position where we’re going to be in a healthy cap situation going forward. And then we have the draft coming up, so no, there’s no rest. I’m not going to rest until we start winning games.