E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat
writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995. He is the author of 26 books
and he is one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls.
Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.
GETTLEMAN INSISTS ANY DECISION WILL BE MADE BY THE TEAM AND NOT ON HIS OWN
By Dave Klein Giants'
general manager Dave Gettleman, complete with his New England accent, conducted
a question and answer production Friday with the media, and naturally the subject
was next Thursday's first round of the NFL draft.
There were 42 invitees on the line when Gettleman joined, along with Chris Petit,
the team's director of college scouting - a position he has held for two years
but has 15 years of service to the team.
Gettleman dominated the proceedings, as might be expected, and another absolute
certainty was that he wasn't about to give away any secrets. Question: "Do
you guys have an idea of who your first-round pick is going to be, even if you
don't tell us? Answer: "We are still discussing that."
The content of the questions seemed to focus on offensive tackles and the possibility
of the Giants trading down in the first round. There are teams close to the Giants'
fourth overall position in the round, who are desperate for quarterbacks and,
at the same time, terrified that the ones fitting of being selected that high
will be gone when their turn comes.
Two of them are Miami and the L.A. Chargers, positioned in the fifth and sixth
spots, and both of them need a quality quarterback.
If the Giants make such a trade, they will still be able to draft according to
their needs (offensive tackle, edge rusher) and get the bonus of additional draft
picks for the accommodation. "I
think whatever happens, if anything happens, it will be on draft day," Gettleman
said. "I plan to make calls, and if a team wants to move up into our position,
we'll discuss terms." And apparently
he'll do so without the various "charts" teams apply to place point
values on specific draft choices. "If both sides like the deal, then it's
done," he said. "If you are happy with what you paid for a new car,
for instance, then what does it matter of somebody else paid less for the same
kind of car?" In terms of whether
an offensive tackle will be the Giants' first choice, Gettleman again remained
vague. "There are offensive tackles throughout this draft," he said,
"and as I said before, we are still discussing how to spend our first-round
pick." Which led, as it should
have, to the question of authority. What if, for instance, the coaching staff
wanted a tackle and Gettleman decided that at the time, the best choice was a
linebacker? Who has the authority to pull the trigger and shut down the discussion?
"It's a New York Giants' decision,"
he said. "We'll discuss it and we'll all agree on a player." A
safe bet might be to assume Gettleman will make that decision. He is, after all,
in charge of all this, and despite other moves that might have brought him criticism,
he has had brilliant drafts since joining the Giants.
Anyway, back to the first-round selection. "I'm gonna make calls and anybody
who wants to move up, I'll listen," he continued. "Then I'll say hey,
we don't have much time, we can't fool around, and I'd like to get the parameters
on the deal in place before we get on the clock. That would be the best thing."
He also mentioned that the NFL will
conduct a "mock draft" on Monday, because of the new version that will
be aired next Thursday. "It's going to be interesting," he said. The
biggest piece of this project is to make sure we, the Giants, are coordinated
in how we're gonna approach the trade process [on-line in ‘zoom rooms,', and each
party being separated]. There will be two veterans [IT guys] on it."
And for this year, that is how the draft will work. The teams are only concerned
with the efficiency of the operation. Mark
Koncz, director of player personnel, and Ken Sternfeld, director of pro personnel,
will apparently have a larger role in the team's draft this year. Koncz is in
his second year with the Giants, having worked under Gettleman when both were
in Carolina, while Sternfeld is in his eighth year with the Giants, having spent
the previous 21 years with the New England Patriots.
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