Hard Knocks episode two is better than episode one

[Bill Brown]

That's good because I learned very little from one.

Did you know that JS enjoys p&j sandwiches when he drives?      

Bill

[Ed Vette]

Did you know that JS enjoys p&j sandwiches when he drives?      

Bill

Well, there is that.

[kingm56]

Well, there is that.

There are some fans trying to glean too much and draw conclusions from what's effectively a reality tv show.

[Ed Vette]

There are some fans trying to glean too much and draw conclusions from what's effectively a reality tv show.

Bing!

[AZGiantFan]

In fairness, @Philosophers is not wrong when he suggested most owners will share their views with their GM.  I don't think I would want a GM who couldn't handle the owner making suggestions.

Considering how outdated Mara's views on football are, I would prefer he not put his thumb on the scale by making suggests or sharing what he would do, but compared to other owners, Mara is not considered a meddler.

I'd also suggest that if Tim McDonnell wasn't a family member there's no way he'd be Director of Player Personnel.  There are different ways of meddling.

[MightyGiants]

I'd also suggest that if Tim McDonnell wasn't a family member there's no way he'd be Director of Player Personnel.  There are different ways of meddling.

That is a fair point

[Philosophers]

https://x.com/art_stapleton/status/1808488692543029449

Rich - how were you able to view the Episode 2 ahead of its release date?

[MightyGiants]

Rich - how were you able to view the Episode 2 ahead of its release date?

I didn't, but Art did (I assume the press got an advanced preview with guidelines of what they could and couldn't say.

[Philosophers]

I didn't, but Art did (I assume the press got an advanced preview with guidelines of what they could and couldn't say.

My bad. Sorry.

[4 Aces]

I just wasn't all that impressed with what I did see.

As someone who's been concerned about the football operations behind closed doors the last 12 years, that peek under the kimono did nothing to alleviate concerns. If anything, it was worse than I thought. The interactions looked obvious and a bit sophomoric.

If this was a cutting edge front office, I guess I missed it.

[DaveBrown74]

I just wasn't all that impressed with what I did see.

As someone who's been concerned about the football operations behind closed doors the last 12 years, that peek under the kimono did nothing to alleviate concerns. If anything, it was worse than I thought. The interactions looked obvious and a bit sophomoric.

If this was a cutting edge front office, I guess I missed it.

I have to agree. I saw very little, if anything at all, that made me feel like the Giants' front office has any sort of edge over other teams. Brandon Brown did reinforce my view that he is a sharp mind who is additive, and I did like Rosetti (although it's not like I was completely blown away), but overall the interactions were not that impressive. Tim McConnell seemed like a bit of a dud, and it's concerning that he's in such a prominent role.

With all that said, I am more than cognizant that all we got in a single episode was a glimpse. I'm not going to make sweeping statements based on that small sliver of evidence. Going against that though, I'm also aware that the Giants had some control over what was presented to the public, so the idea that it might have been even duller and less impressive than that had they not gotten their hands on the footage before it was packaged for release is a bit troubling.

I can close this out by saying the usual cliche that all that matters at the end of the day is what happens on the field. That is of course true, but when I consider what actually has happened on the field for the past decade, and then I see this episode, it's just not a great overall feeling.

[BluesCruz]

It makes me wonder what the Philly, SFO, and KC front offices look like

[MightyGiants]

I just wasn't all that impressed with what I did see.

As someone who's been concerned about the football operations behind closed doors the last 12 years, that peek under the kimono did nothing to alleviate concerns. If anything, it was worse than I thought. The interactions looked obvious and a bit sophomoric.

If this was a cutting edge front office, I guess I missed it.

@DaveBrown74


I heard a couple of former NFL types talk about the show.  Their take was that some of the talk seemed staged for TV, but they both said the types of conversations witnessed are the types that take place in NFL offices.

[DaveBrown74]

@DaveBrown74


I heard a couple of former NFL types talk about the show.  Their take was that some of the talk seemed staged for TV, but they both said the types of conversations witnessed are the types that take place in NFL offices.

I have no problem believing that. I have had a similar reaction when I have watched other meetings on various teams on Hard Knocks, including more recently successful teams like the Cowboys and Lions. The only team in recent memory where I felt like I was consistently watching people operating at a higher level than the rest of the league was the Rams.

The reality is you don't need to sound like a Mensa Group member in order to be good at things like differentiating between middling and top level talent at the college level or at coaching guys up on cut blocking or inside swim moves of the edge.

Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't mildly disappointed with the level of some of the interactions I witnessed in that first episode.

[MightyGiants]

I have no problem believing that. I have had a similar reaction when I have watched other meetings on various teams on Hard Knocks, including more recently successful teams like the Cowboys and Lions. The only team in recent memory where I felt like I was consistently watching people operating at a higher level than the rest of the league was the Rams.

The reality is you don't need to sound like a Mensa Group member in order to be good at things like differentiating between middling and top level talent at the college level or at coaching guys up on cut blocking or inside swim moves of the edge.

Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't mildly disappointed with the level of some of the interactions I witnessed in that first episode.

For me, the only interaction that seemed ham-handed and blatantly staged was Daboll pulling Schoen aside to tell him he was offering the DC job to Bowen. 

One thing that struck me was when Brandon Brown talked about swallowing $5 or $6 million dollars to get a fifth-rounder (in a potential tag and trade deal for Barkley).  The casual nature of how Brown was tossing around the idea of spending $5 or $6 million like it was a minor issue.  That is still a hell of a lot of money, and not many people's professional careers involve those large sums of money (especially as a relatively minor issue).