Ex-NFL GM Unleashes Fresh Criticism on Giants Management

Former NFL executive Michael Lombardi, now an ESPN analyst, was at it again with his criticism of the New York Giants front office.

Lombardi, appearing on The Pat McAfee Show this week, revisited this past offseason’s edition of Hard Knocks to level fresh criticism at the struggling Giants franchise.

“They never said one time in the entire Hard Knocks, ‘How do we beat Philly? How do we beat Dallas?’” Lombardi said.

Lombardi was also critical of the decision to trade for edge rusher Brian Burns, questioning if the Giants brass considered Burns would be a missing ingredient toward beating Philadelphia and Dallas. 

“That’s the stuff we (general managers) talk about, and it wasn’t there,” he said. “It looks like people were doing their fantasy draft … and that’s offensive to me.”

To be fair, the Giants are 1-11 against Philadelphia and Dallas, who have taken turns winning the NFC East of late, the one win coming against the Eagles. 

But to be fair, Lombardi’s passing judgment on what was or wasn’t said based on a very small sample size shown on Hard Knocks and concluding the team’s state is shortsighted.  

Schoen, in particular, has spoken of the goal of closing the talent gap between the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys. 

And what Lombardi, in his penchant to deny the Giants any credit whatsoever, seems to forget is that the Eagles and Cowboys have not undergone constant turnover at the general manager and head coach spots as the Giants have.

Lombardi also failed to credit the current regime for the offensive line’s much better performance than last year’s historically bad edition, the defense’s light years better performance than a year ago, and Malik NAbers’s difference-maker.

If the Giants could get more consistent play out of quarterback Daniel Jones and if the Giants had won the games against Washington (which they would have had they had a healthy kicker) and Cincinnati, perhaps Lombardi would feel differently about the direction the franchise is headed.

Regardless of what Lombardi thinks, New York Giants co-owner told reporters this week that there are no plans to dismiss general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll this season or in the offseason.

Mara, however, did not want to discuss quarterback Daniel Jones, who has yet to elevate the team around him.  

Daboll said Jones will be the starting quarterback this week against the Steelers and, presumably, for the rest of the season as long as he’s healthy and able to play. 

Jones, however, has a $23 million injury guarantee in his contract next year where if he can’t pass a physical, the team would be on the hook for $23 million next year, that if they decide to move on from the quarterback, would cripple their projected 2025 salary cap space which currently stands at $48.153 million.

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