GM Joe Schoen & Coach Brian Daboll Preview 2024 Training Camp

[MightyGiants]

General Manager Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll address the media before the start of training camp

[MightyGiants]

General Manager Joe Schoen & Head Coach Brian Daboll

2024 Training Camp

July 24, 2024

JOE SCHOEN: Hopefully everybody had a good summer. I'd like to start off by congratulating the Staten Island Giants, the 18U girls that won the NFL Flag (Football) Championship in Canton, Ohio this weekend. It was a really cool event. I actually got to go over there. My son played in the tournament, too. What the league's doing with flag football and seeing the boys and girls and the excitement that was in Canton was pretty cool. But I just want to start off by congratulating them on their championship. With that, we will open it up to questions.

Q: How have all of those PUP conversations with the players, coming from your perspective, and how they handled that narrative?

JOE SCHOEN: Those are pretty easy ones because typically they're going to be coming back sooner than later, a lot of those, and they understand if they're on PUP, typically they're not ready to practice. So those conversations are pretty easy, and we communicate that with the player and then work through the trainers and what the process will be to get them back on the field.

Q: How do you look at (Offensive Tackle) Evan Neal's future here now that obviously he is on PUP and you've talked in the past of how he needed to get on the field?

JOE SCHOEN: He's got to get healthy. Then we'll determine and all those other things will take care of itself. Right now, we're focused on him day by day. He'll be off to the side. The training staff is going to ease him back in there. How he plays and his contribution to the team will take care of itself from there.

Q: How far away is (Offensive Tackle) Evan (Neal)?

A: He's not far. He's not far. He's been working hard all summer. Yeah, he's been working hard all summer. He's been doing everything he can to get back on the field. And, again, we're going to communicate with our trainers and strength staff. When he's ready to go, then he'll be out there.

Q: Is the intention to give him the first crack at that right tackle spot?

JOE SCHOEN: Right now, the focus is on getting him on the field, and then we'll see where we are once he's healthy and able to practice. Then those things will take care of themselves.

Q: Did he have a setback in the spring? Is that why you guys dialed him back at little bit?

JOE SCHOEN: I'm not going to get into the specifics of the injury. He was working hard this spring and he's going to continue to do that. He's not far off from being out there. So, he's going to do everything he can, and he has been doing everything he can to get back on the field.

Q: Would you consider working him at guard and looking at both guard and tackle?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'd say right now, right tackle. So today you'll see we are going to put (Offensive Tackle) (Jermaine) Eluemunor out at right tackle.

Q: Today?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, today. Actually, for the next however long it takes (Offensive Tackle) Evan (Neal) to get back, and then we will revisit the situation.

Q: What about (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones)? Has he been fully cleared for contact, for 11-on-11?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, he's ready to go.

Q: What's your plan for him this summer? Is he full go, 100%?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think we'll take it as we go. He's getting all the reps today. He'll get them with the ones every day. If we need to pull him back for whatever reason, maintenance, then we'll talk about that after every practice. But right now, he will be in there every snap that the ones are in.

JOE SCHOEN: And, we have to see how the body reacts. We don't know. In spring he did not do team drills. He's eight months off of it. So we're going to work with him and he's got to communicate with us on how his body feels, how the knee feels. That will determine how much he does moving forward. But the plan is to be a full go.

Q: You mentioned that (Offensive Tackle) Jermaine (Eluemunor) is going to play right tackle until (Offensive Tackle) Evan (Neal) comes back, is there a chance that he performs well enough that the job is his?

BRIAN DABOLL: I'd say it's day by day. So he's going to go in there. If he plays well and keeps playing well, we'll see. We will revisit it when Evan (Neal) gets healthy. I don't want to make a decision the first day of training camp. He's (Jermaine Eluemunor) played well at right tackle when he was at Las Vegas. He'll get in there and we thought that would be the good move to go ahead and push him over to right tackle. He took a ton of reps, obviously in OTAs. The big thing with the offensive line is, we've shuffled guys in and out the last few years for the competition part. If we can get five guys as quickly as we can going, that's what we'd like to do.

Q: So you're saying that (Offensive Tackle) Evan (Neal) is not far off, but you're also saying you are putting (Offensive Tackle) Jermaine (Eluemunor), who spent all spring at left guard, at right tackle?

BRIAN DABOLL: Well, he played right tackle all year last year.

Q: It just seems like a drastic change in the plan.

BRIAN DABOLL: I can't tell you. It could be sooner, it could be later, for (Offensive Tackle) Evan (Neal). But he (Jermaine Eluemunor) played well, and we thought that was the right move to make. We'll move him over at right tackle and we'll see how it goes.

Q: What about the plan for guard now that you're moving (Offensive Tackle) Jermaine (Eluemunor) over to right tackle? Are you going to move (Guard) Jon (Runyan Jr.) over to left guard? Or are you going to just rotate guys in there and figure it out?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, so (Guard) (Aaron) Stinnie will be in there with (Guard) (Jon) Runyan. Obviously, (Offensive Tackle) A.T. (Andrew Thomas) and (Center) John Michael (Schmitz) and that's how we'll go at the start of training camp. And, we'll revisit this daily. But the more you can get the guys playing. We have a new offensive line coach. Feel good about the guys we have.

Q: Is that the same process with the secondary? Make sure these guys are able to communicate as one as you move forward?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, but there's competition. It's training camp. So you're not getting ready to play next Sunday. You let the process play out. You compete it out and then you make a decision on who you're going to play.

Q: We saw you on Hard Knocks last night recapping your conversation with (Senior Player Personnel Executive) Chris Mara that you had with (Quarterback) Daniel Jones. Going through the process, which is what you said you told Daniel (Jones), is a little different than trying to actively trade up on draft day for the number two or three pick. Buffalo or Cincinnati, those teams go through the process of evaluating quarterbacks without actually being aggressive about trying to get one. So what do you say to Daniel (Jones) now about your confidence in him as you're obviously trying to make a move?

JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, I understand your question. I think they did a good job last night. That's legit, the conversation I had with Daniel (Jones). So, I think we communicated with Daniel (Jones) throughout the process, and you go through the process, and we went through that process not knowing Daniel (Jones) was going to be here today and full go 100%. You are trying to make decisions and you don't have all the answers. We didn't know that he was going to be healthy today, and we don't know what it's going to look like tomorrow. He's eight months off an ACL. So you go through the process, and we had a thorough process, which I think they did a good job of showing. If you're comfortable making a move and it made sense at the time, then that's what we would do. Whatever's best for the organization, which we talked about several times in there.

Q: I think it was the first episode you said, 'This is the year we need to find out if he's the guy.' Is it disconcerting at all after you guaranteed him $82 million a year ago?

JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, I think the context of that conversation was coming off of – again, these are small snippets in thousands of conversations. So, within the context of that situation and the way the contract is structured, and the way last year went, yeah, I think that's a fair assessment that we need better in 2024.

Q: One of the first decisions you made when you were hired was to not give (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) the fifth year option. That put him on edge maybe, or it was certainly a 'prove it' year for him. So for both of you, do you think Daniel (Jones), knowing what could happen next year as far as contractually, knowing his health, knowing that the team did try to explore trading up, that he will have more of an incentive or edge more so than he usually does this year knowing it is another prove it year for him?

JOE SCHOEN: These are professional athletes. So, I think, this extra motivation or quotes or bulletin board material, I'm not necessarily buying into that all the time. I think these guys have gotten where they've gotten in their careers as athletes because they're competitive, they're self-motivated, they're driven. And I think Daniel (Jones) is all of those things. And I think of all the guys on the team, he probably does the best job tuning out the noise. I think he's wired for the position in terms of those strengths that I just said and tuning out the noise. He's been busting his tail and doing everything he can do to get back on the football field. He's a great teammate. He's a leader. And, I'm excited to how things go this year if he can stay healthy.

Q: Do you think, as the coach of the player, do you think with a guy with a little bit of an edge can be helpful?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think it depends on the player. So I think you'd have to ask DJ (Daniel Jones). But he is intrinsically motivated. You know, we meet every day. He'll be ready to go.

Q: I know it's day one of camp. We won't talk again for a long time. We've seen around the league the past couple years where injury guarantees factored into a quarterback's playing time. Is that something with (Quarterback) Daniel (Jones) that would enter the equation for you at any point?

JOE SCHOEN: A little bit like what Dabs (Head Coach Brian Daboll) said with (Offensive Tackle) (Jermaine) Eleumunor. We are going to go day by day. We've got to see how this knee is going to react. He hasn't been full go. So, those are conversations way down the road. We're just going to go out and see how he does today and how it reacts each day. And, hopefully he can stay healthy. I'm rooting for the kid. He's done everything he could possibly do to get back on the field and put himself in this position today, eight months off of surgery. So, we'll take it day by day with him and see how the body reacts.

Q: Do you intend to practice any differently than you did last year as far as how you prepare the team for the season whether it's when you put them in pads, how much people play in the preseason?

BRIAN DABOLL: We switched quite a bit in the OTAs. There will be some differences throughout this training camp. You lay out the plan, you schedule it all the way through. But, just like we talked about with the players, and things like that, you have to adjust based on who's injured, who's ready to go, how much pad work we do. We'll talk about the preseason when we get, obviously, closer to the preseason. We have an idea, but we'll sit down as a staff, we'll talk about it. But certainly there's changes every year. There's changes from year one to year two. There will be changes from year two to year three. You just do what you think the team needs.

Q: It looks like you have a lot of three days on, a day off. What's your thought process behind doing that more often?

BRIAN DABOLL: When we sit down and we develop an initial plan for training camp, there's multiple people involved. You know, (Executive Director of Player Performance) Aaron Wellman has just come in. He's done a fantastic job of kind of overseeing in the area of the practice and some of the stuff sports conditioning-wise. So, it was a collective effort, listened to the advice of some of the medical people. There's been a lot of research done, too, in terms of drills from the NFL and getting injury data. So, we just sat down, we ironed it out, and then we put together a plan, and then you adjust the plan based on how it's going.

Q: Have you made a decision regarding play calling?

BRIAN DABOLL: Still working through that. But, I'll be doing the same thing that I did in spring. I want to go through the whole process of a training camp and a preseason game and things like that. But, I'll be signaling into the quarterbacks with the walkie-talkie.

Q: As we begin camp, what are you most excited about in regard to your running back group?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, there's a lot of young players. Obviously, Motor (Running Back Devin Singletary) knows the system. He's been with me for a while. And there's a lot of competition in terms of who that next guy is going to be or the next guy or what role they can carve out for themselves. I know they're hungry. They work really hard at trying to pick up everything and excited to see these young guys battle it out.

Q: I know it's kind of two different timelines. It's what we're in now, but also what's unveiled Tuesday nights with Hard Knocks months ago. But I wanted to ask you about the (Outside Linebacker Brian) Burns acquisition as we've seen more details about that play out last week. When that was going on, is that really the first time you have had to deal with not only the trade negotiation but also there was the contract added to it. How did that play out over the 24 to 48 hours and did it play out in real time the way we saw it, that you did not know something was going to get done until you got that phone call?

JOE SCHOEN: I think they did a good job. (Carolina Panthers General Manager) Dan (Morgan) and I are obviously really good friends and have known each other a long time, worked together. And we had those initial conversations at the Senior Bowl and then the combine. We talked. We had some texts back and forth and things picked up. But basically those cameras in my office, there was somebody, I think it was a tight end room or something, manning the cameras. So I didn't always know when somebody was down there. So what took place was Dan and I had been going back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, like days leading up to that on draft compensation. Probably Sunday night before free agency at 6 p.m., Dan is like, all right, we're close enough on draft compensation and go ahead and call Burns' agent and you guys can start negotiating a contract. So, the cameras weren't around for that. And that's where I give a lot of credit to (Senior Vice President of Football Operations and Strategy) Kevin Abrams and (Director of Football Operations) Ed Triggs because that evening before free agency, I went to bed at 1 a.m. Kevin was up until 3 a.m. trying to hammer out the deal. So when we come in that Monday morning, we've got parameters in place for the contract. We've got that part done. Now we need to shift back to Dan. Okay, we're good with the contract on Burns. Now we need to come up with what's the draft compensation and the goalposts were moving a little bit from what they were the night before. So that's why it went on into the day. But I wish, you know, the one thing out of the show I wish it could have shown a little bit is the work that Kevin and Ed do and the negotiations with the agent and how that goes down and the hard work that they put in to bring those deals to the finish line. They did a really good job. And, Kevin did a great job on that Burns contract.

Q: What are you hoping to see from (Wide Receiver) Malik (Nabers) this training camp?

BRIAN DABOLL: We're going to use him in a variety of spots. Keep learning and growing in the offense. Do what he needs to do each day in practice. Do the things he needs to do outside of the building. Compete his tail off, which I know he will. Looking forward to watching him.

Q: Can I go back to Evan (Neal) just for a second?

A: Sure, can (laughs).

Q: Thank you. These guys have a lot at their disposal, in terms of care, ability to train, and everything else. How are you still in a position where this guy can't even start a season for you when that surgery was, I believe, still when snow was still on the ground?

BRIAN DABOLL: Well, I don't work in the medical field, and I think every player reacts to injuries different. So whether it's Evan (Neal) or somebody else that's injured, I couldn't say for certain, like, this is the exact time. I think you can't give a concrete timeline. Daniel (Jones) is eight months on an ACL, and he's playing. Everybody reacts different. But he's doing everything he needs to do, and when he's ready to go, we'll put him out there.

Q: On the top of injuries, with Aaron Robinson, what has been going on with him?

JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, he's still trying to get back. Again, speaking of timelines, like, you don't know. Everybody reacts different. My first year here, I think we had six guys with ACLs, and you guys saw (Wide Receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson) at the end of the year, you know, in that Green Bay game. I think he hit his stride. He didn't play the first couple of games. So every injury and the way the body reacts is different, and the individuals have to deal with the medical, and we don't know how they feel coming off the injuries. But, we're rooting for A-Rob (Aaron Robinson), obviously. You know, started some games early in our tenure here, and we're just waiting for him to hopefully get back.

And back to Evan (Neal), again, like, started 46 games at Alabama. He's still a young kid. He's 23. He'll be 24 coming up. He had the sprained knee his first year here. Came back early from that. Fought through the foot injury last year. So, you know, I think he's a tough kid, and he's doing everything he can, you know, to come back. And I think it's legitimately something that he needs to continue to work through, and hopefully it'll be good here soon.

Q: Speaking of injuries, (Tight End) Theo Johnson, I think, has a hip issue. And is there anybody else that maybe you'll hold out for the first few days of camp because they're still recovering?

JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, Theo should be back soon. You'll see him on the side. I don't anticipate him being out very long. You know, (Defensive Back) Jalen Mills is in the same boat. (Cornerback) Stantley (Thomas)-Oliver as well. So, none of those guys I anticipate being long-term that I just mentioned.

Q: From your perspective, what do you hope that Hard Knocks shows about you and your process?

JOE SCHOEN: I mean, not so much about me, but it's – I think that there's a lot of – I don't think – I know there's a lot of talented people in that building, and whether it's my leadership team and (Assistant General Manager) Brandon Brown and (Director of Pro Scouting) Chris Rossetti and (Assistant Director of Player Personnel) Dennis Hickey and (Director of Player Personnel) Tim McDonnell and (Executive Advisor to the General Manager) Ryan Cowden and Ed Triggs and Kevin Abrams, which I mentioned earlier, there's a lot of talented people in that building, and I don't have all the answers. And my ability to go in and speak with a lot of guys that are very bright and women, (Area Scout) Hannah Burnett, another one of our area scouts that does a phenomenal job, and then having a great relationship with Dabs (Head Coach Brian Daboll) and his coaching staff. And to be able to communicate and collaborate on decisions that we make, because it's not easy. At the end of the day, you saw, those decisions aren't easy and somebody has to make them at the end of the day. But, to get everybody's input, everybody has different experiences, whether it was different teams, you know, Brandon Brown with the (Philadelphia) Eagles or the (Indianapolis) Colts or Chris Rossetti with Miami (Dolphins), whatever it may be, and you lean on some of your experiences. I've been in this situation before, and this is how it played out or this is what we did, maybe we should do it different. These decisions, there's a lot of thought that goes into it. So, I just think, the collaboration amongst the staff and the talent that's in that building, the guys that work for me and the guys that work for Dabs (Brian Daboll), I think it was good for the world to see that.

Q: (Wide Receiver) Darius Slayton said recently that this spring he would've welcomed a trade if he wasn't going to be a, either, bigger part of the offense here or paid like it. Obviously you adjusted the contract. Just wondering as we sit here at camp, have you put that part of the conversation to bed or if he doesn't factor as a primary receiver in the offense, is that a consideration?

JOE SCHOEN: Yeah, when he came in, we had a conversation, and that was never an option. He was a free agent two years ago, and 32 teams had a chance to get his services, and he came back here, and I believe we gave him the best deal at the time, and it was a two-year deal. And, we had a good conversation and he understood where we were and I understood where he was coming from. And, we put it to bed when he showed up in the spring.

Q: A lot of the guys you drafted in the last couple of years are in line for big roles or bigger roles. How important is it going to be for those guys to take the next step and what is your confidence that they will?

JOE SCHOEN: Well, I mean, it's always important to have young guys contribute because, again, the salary cap, which you guys see, and how we spread it around, and some of the players that we are paying, it's important to have those young contributors. And, I think, coaching-wise and staff-wise, the ability to develop young talent is important. So, yeah, those guys are going to have bigger roles, and it's hard to believe that some of the guys in our first draft are going into year three. And, some of those guys are going to have really big roles. You know, (Inside Linebacker) Micah (McFadden), (Wide Receiver) Wan'Dale (Robinson), (Outside Linebacker) Kayvon (Thibodeaux), (Offensive Tackle) Evan (Neal) when he gets back, (Cornerback Cor'Dale) Flott. There are some guys competing for some spots. (Safety) Dane (Belton) is competing for a spot and a lot of playing time. So, I'm excited for those guys to watch them mature and get assimilated into the culture that we wanted to build here. And now they're the flag bearers of how we want to do things when the next class comes in. And they've done a really good job of leading and showing this rookie class how we're going to do things. So, again, that takes time to build that, the way that we want to do things. And, I think that first rookie class that we have has done a really good job of leading, and, they will have a big contribution.

Q: Every time we see you guys talking to Nabers on the show, you are asking about his hot temper, or your scout is saying there is a lot to his personality. Now that you are around him, how much of a concern is the temper on the field and his personality off the field?

BRIAN DABOLL: I don't have any concern with Leak (Wide Receiver Malik Nabers). I like his mindset. Again, he's got a lot to learn. He's a rookie, so he's going to work hard. He did a really good job in the spring. Love him as a person. Love his competitive fire. I'm glad he's on our football team.

JOE SCHOEN: He's still 20. He's still 20 years old (laughs).

Q: You guys are entering year three of your regime of what you are trying to build here. Where do you consider where you are at this point, and what are your expectations for year three?

BRIAN DABOLL: For us, it's let's get ready for training camp. Look past, look forward. We have those conversations. But our mindset is we're happy that today's here. We get to start our first practice and start competing out to see what our team is going to look like in 2024. Have a lot of confidence in the people in our room and excited about getting started.

Q: What do you think ownership's expectations are for the season?

JOE SCHOEN: I'll echo what (Head Coach) Brian (Daboll) just said. We're just trying to get through day one practice, and there's, I don't know how many practices we have in camp, team building, roles, jobs, scheme that's all going to be developed throughout this year. So, again, the good thing with ownership, we have great communication, we talk every day, and they understand where we are and what we're trying to do. And the focus right now is today. We're going to continue to build this thing. Best 11 on offense, best 11 on defense, what they do well, that's what we'll accentuate and that's what we'll build around.

Q: With what you went through at quarterback, last year, playing three guys and a guy like (Quarterback) Tommy (DeVito), who didn't get first team reps until he was actually the starter. Do you handle the quarterbacks any differently this summer, getting guys ready, getting guys prepared for the worst case scenario?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I would say the fortunate part is, again, it was OTAs, but a guy like (Quarterback) Drew (Lock) and (Quarterback) Tommy (DeVito) got a ton of reps with a lot of different players. The one receivers, the one tight ends, that was valuable for those guys. But you only get so many reps each day, and Daniel (Jones) will get all the reps with the ones. We might throw Drew in there just in case Daniel's shoe falls off and we've got to throw him in there without Drew knowing. But, like last year I talked about, you meet with DeVito from training camp all the way on, just one-on-one meetings because you never know, and sometimes that's how they get their reps: mentally, going through the film, talking through things, reads, intent of the play, protection adjustments, no huddle, formations, leadership in the huddle, play call. You get a feel for, even though he's not out there with the ones, of some of the things that they like because not every quarterback is the same. None of them that I've been around have been the same, and we've always adjusted to the quarterback spot. So, again, valuable for Drew, valuable for Tommy, and now this will be a valuable time for DJ (Daniel Jones) here, getting back out there, feeling the rush a little bit, albeit no pads and things like that right now, which is similar to OTAs for the first couple days based on no pads and things like that. But the juices should be up, and those guys will get the reps with the ones, with the twos, with the threes. Then there's other things you can do walkthrough-wise, again, meeting-wise, communication. It's such an important position to really identify their strengths and some of their weaknesses. And I value the quarterback's input a great deal. The last four quarterbacks I've been around, we've done it a little bit different with all the quarterbacks and then throw in the two guys last year that were the backups. It was all a little bit different, so that's how it will be this year.

Q: How fair is it in year three to be expected to compete with the top teams in your division. The Eagles, I know you beat them at the end of last year, and the Cowboys? And then not just them but also the top teams in the NFC and even the league?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'll just fall back to it. It's first day of training camp. Get out there on the grass and start competing.

Q: Dabs, aside from the football questions, how much lighter are you? Do you have a new set of clothes?

BRIAN DABOLL: I do. I go to this carnival every year back in Buffalo, a town called West Seneca, where I grew up. I've got 30-40 friends. They kind of know my weight history, where it goes up and goes down. There was a season in Cleveland where I lost 112 pounds. I didn't lose nearly that much, but last year I kind of lost a bet with one of my best friends whose got tattoos everywhere, rides motorcycles, didn't graduate from high school. He's taking a trip down to South America on a motorcycle by himself, going all the way to the end and all the way back. He had to kind of take care of things this year because that was the main goal, to beat him. It started with the staff and the weight loss challenge we did, but my buddy Marty. I'm glad he had to take care of the things he had to take care of and not me this year.

[Philosophers]

Glad the one person questioned them harder about Neal.  Also how come they are keeping his injury so secret?