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. DAVE
GETTLEMAN CHOSEN TO REPLACE REESE AS GIANTS' NEW GENERAL MANAGER
By Dave Klein They
only interviewed four candidates when at least seven were prominently named, and
they reached a decision before the end of the season, but nevertheless, the Giants
have a new general manager. His name
is Dave Gettleman and he has been here before.
In fact, he spent 15 years with the Giants in a previous stint, first in 1998
as assistant to pro personnel director Tim Rooney. Then in 1969 to replace Rooney,
and he spent the next 13 years in that position, scouting the team's upcoming
opponent and developing a strong knowledge of every player in the NFL.
In 2012, he was the team's senior pro personnel analyst.
But then, in 2013, he accepted the job of general manager of the Carolina Panthers,
which he kept for four seasons. In those years, the Panthers amassed a record
of 40-23-1 and won three consecutive NFC South championships.
In 2015, Gettleman was named NFL Executive of the Year by The Sporting News after
the Panthers established an NFL-best 15-1 record and advanced to Super Bowl 50.
But on July 17 of this about-to-end-year, his constant squabbling with franchise
owner Jerry Richardson resulted in his firing. Gettleman,
66, was chosen ahead of the team's assistant general manager/capologist and current
interim GM Kevin Abrams, the team's vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross
and former NFL personnel executive and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick. Gettleman
replaces Jerry Reese, who served as general manager for the past 10 years and
under whom he worked during a portion of his 13 years with the team. During
his time as Carolina's general manager, Gettleman drafted such superstars as linebacker
Luke Kuechly, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, running back Christian McCaffrey,
wide receiver Kevin Funchess, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei and linebacker Shaq
Thompson. Quarterback Cam Newton was
the team's first-round pick in 2011, a year before Gettleman took over.
Team President John Mara and Chairman Steve Tisch released a joint statement,
saying: "Given where we are as a team, we thought it was important to bring
in someone with experience as a general manager and a proven track record. Dave's
experience is unparalleled. He did an outstanding job as general manager in Carolina
and he was vital to our success during his tenure here. Dave is going to bring
his approach to our organization in how we draft and acquire players through free
agency." Gettleman has been associated
with seven Super Bowl teams during the time he worked for the Buffalo Bills, Denver
Broncos, the Giants and the Panthers. Three of the teams emerged as Super Bowl
champions – Denver in 1997 and the Giants in 2007 and 2011. The
current Giants, who are on the brink of finishing with a 2-14 record (their 13
losses are already a franchise low), present a myriad of problems for Gettleman,
but the one thing he probably won't be able to do is eliminate all the injuries
that have plagued the team. There are currently 19 players on Injured Reserve.
Gettleman was interviewed Dec. 20 by
Mara, Tisch and special consultant (and former general manager) Ernie Accorsi.
Mara and Tisch had fired head coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese
on Dec. 4, at which time Mara indicated the search for men to fill both positions
would begin immediately but wasn't expected to come to a conclusion until after
the current season ended. It is expected
that Abrams, who had been serving prior to the Reese firing as assistant general
manager, will retain his position. Check
out Dave's website at E-GIANTS
where you can subscribe to his newsletters which
run much more frequently than what is available here. - Team Giants
NOW
- Send a request to davesklein@aol.com
for a free week's worth of news!
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