Joe Schoen, New York Giants General Manager

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Thanks, I appreciate it. I'm at the Jets this weekend, so I have some co-workers in town that I may meet up with on Saturday night. Where does Joe Shane go for a meal these days? What's the popular spot that you like to eat at? The place I like to go is a place called Chart House. It's down on the water. I guess it would be Hoboken, I think might be the address down there, but really nice. It's right on the river, beautiful views of the city.

It's a good spot. After a win, do you go there and you're kind of like day balls? Like spark up a victory cigar and eat a steak or something like that? No, no, I try to get home after the games.

I try to get home as quick as I can. And again, the hours you work, the chance to be home and on your couch by 4.30, 5 o'clock and watch some other football. That's enticing to me. So we were talking before the start of the season. You said you would come on during the bye week. So I do appreciate you honoring that commitment. But to be at 6 and 2 right now, in those messages that we exchanged before the season, if I were to tell you that you'd be at 6 and 2, head into the bye, what would you have said?

Sign me up. Yeah, no, it's been great. Again, the guys are doing things the right way. We've got a really good group of guys on this football team, good coaching staff. They're doing a really good job with preparing the guys, executing. We're not beating ourselves for the most part.

We did a little bit on Sunday against Seattle. But a big reason we're 6 and 2 is the players are preparing like pros, good weeks of practice, good preparation, and the results are speaking for themselves on Sundays. What has surprised you the most about this team? You know, I said it early on, I really think it takes four to five weeks or four to five games to really figure out who you're going to be, what the identity of your team is going to be. And I think what I'm most proud of that you don't really know until you get into these games is, you know, our guys are really resilient, they're tough, they're competitive. And, you know, Daniel Jones has five fourth-quarter comebacks right now. We're scratching and clawing and fighting 60 minutes of these games and a couple of our games have come down to the last play.

And, you know, I'm just proud of the way the guys fight, the way they prepare. And like I said earlier, like the results are showing us because of, you know, the makeup of the team and in their competitiveness. Now, since you've seen eight games of this, how good can this team continue to be down the stretch?

Yeah, it's not going to be easy. I think, you know, going before the Seattle game, our average margin of victory was like 2.8 points a game. So it's going to be close.

It's going to be a dogfight. Again, if we keep doing what we're doing, I think, you know, we're going to give ourself a good chance each Sunday. You know, again, we just we don't have a big margin for error in terms of beating ourself and turning the ball over penalties. And, you know, we've been able to avoid that stuff, you know, through much of the season. How would you describe this first year pretty much and just how the culture has really changed? I know you don't necessarily or all that familiar necessarily with what happened day to day in the past, but the culture in this building right now with you and Brian Dable is what? Yeah, there's only one way to do it for us that we knew.

So, yeah, however it was before, you know, I wasn't here, so can't speak on it. But I think I feel like the guys enjoy coming to work every day. We don't have a lot of rules for the players.

It's very simple. One of our mantras around the building is be a pro. And, you know, everybody knows exactly what that means. And again, the guys like being around each other. They like playing for each other.

They hold each other accountable. And, you know, again, it's fun to come to work every day, whether it's the coaching staff, the personnel staff, the players, a lot of good people in this building, a lot of people that are very good at their jobs, the people that are in the right seats. And, you know, I think that's part of what the, you know, when you speak of the culture of what Brian and I want it to be, you know, we're kind of seeing that come to fruition. And, you know, the positive thing is there's positive results early.

And then, you know, Brian and I being here that the positive results, you know, kind of show that the process is working. We know alignment is so big in the NFL. And clearly, you have that alignment with your head coach and Brian Dable. You guys work together in Buffalo. You also work together in Miami. Take me back to the first time you remember meeting Brian Dable.

And how did you guys really hit it off? My first exposure to Brian Dable, it would have been 2011. So he came to Miami as the offensive coordinator. And I was a national scout at the time living in Dallas. So it would have been our, you know, February meetings, pre-combine. You know, we flew in for meetings and, you know, he had basically evaluated, you know, all the offensive players on our board. And his knowledge of the draft, his ability to evaluate, not just, you know, some of these guys can only evaluate the positions they've coached, but O-line, tight ends, receivers, quarterbacks. Like he could evaluate all positions across the offensive side of the ball. And one of the players that sticks out to me was Charles Clay.

We took him in the sixth round out of Tulsa. Dave's basically identified, this is the type of player I'm looking for. These are the jobs he needs to do. And this is how I'm going to utilize him. And he clearly defined that to our staff so we could go identify four to five players that fit that mold.

Charles Clay was one of those players. He went on to have a very good career. So I think that's one of Dave's strengths is, you know, one evaluating, being able to articulate what he wants. And then also taking the pieces that he has and developing an offense around those pieces.

So that was my first exposure and some of the strengths that I saw early on in our relationship back in 2011. So it didn't surprise you that this guy ended up becoming a head coach in this league is what you're telling me. No, no, not at all.

Not at all. When he was at Alabama and he was the offensive coordinator that one year, you know, we were in contact, obviously going through there. They had a lot of good players and, you know, going over, you know, what his thoughts were on some of the Alabama players. And then, you know, there was a chance that we would have an offensive coordinator position open in Buffalo and we stayed in contact. And him and Coach McDermott had actually crossed paths at William and Mary a long time ago.

So that a previous relationship, but he didn't know Brandon Bean at the time. And, you know, once their season was over and we moved on from our offensive coordinator, you know, he came in and interviewed and knocked it out of the park. Joe Shane, the first year general manager of the Giants here with us on the Zach Gelb show. I know you touched on this briefly with the way that Daniel Jones has been finishing games, but give me your overall evaluation so far in your quarterback. Yeah, he's done a good job. He's done a good job for us. Again, a big reason we're six and two.

And, you know, I said this yesterday in my press conference. Like, got to have it moments. You know, a lot of times that's a good ear marker for quarterbacks. And, you know, those fourth quarters, when you got to have drives, you need points. He's led us down the field five times. He's done that well. He's done a good job on third down for us when we need it. And he's taken care of the football. So, you know, I think he's had a through eight games.

We still have nine. So, you know, getting the evaluation is ongoing. But through eight games, I'm pleased with where Daniel is. I always wonder what people say on how they describe what a franchise quarterback is. For me, the two things I look for is just when I'm watching a game on third and whatever, do I feel like my quarterback can complete that? And then the final two minutes of games, can you go march down the field and either get a field goal or a touchdown?

How do you define what is a franchise quarterback? Yeah, a lot of what you just said. I mean, that's part of it is, you know, again, when everybody in the building knows you're going to throw it, can you throw it? You know, it's like, you know, can you do you have confidence at the end of the half for him to take you down the field and get points or into the game?

You know, can you add lib? Can you make plays, you know, when things aren't perfect? So, there's a lot of things that go into it, not just what you see on film, but off the field, you know, off the field as well in terms of leadership, personality, approach to your profession. And, you know, Daniel checks a lot of those boxes from, you know, his off-field habits, his work ethic, his preparation, his communication leadership, you know, all those are positives. It made 110% sense why you guys didn't pick up his fifth-year option, but is it safe to say that this year he's exceeded your expectations?

Yeah, I wouldn't say he's exceeded my expectations. Before I took the job, I knew he had physical tools. You saw that. And then, you know, once I got around the kid the spring and summer, then you saw how his approach to the game was. And, you know, I think, again, he just, you know, was taking care of the football, which is, you know, was maybe a knock on him in the past.

He always had a physical ability. So, I think he's playing, you know, probably at my expectations. Is it safe to say that you plan to have him on the roster right now when you review this team at the bye week next year? Yeah, there's a lot of stuff that goes into that. You know, I'm not going to commit one way or the other. It's an ongoing evaluation. There's contracts involved.

There's a lot of things that go into that. That's an ongoing evaluation that, you know, we'll have, you know, probably those discussions this offseason. Joe Shane here with us, the giant general manager for a few more minutes.

It is the Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio. Saquon Barkley, we always knew he had the talent. It was just a matter of staying healthy. How about your evaluation so far and your running back, who's just been really the heartbeat of your team? Yeah, he's, again, he's a great kid.

He fits our culture as well. He's a captain. He's done everything we've asked him to do, and then the play speaks for itself. He's off to a hot start here for us, and, you know, again, you know, that's a team deal. You know, the offensive line's done a good job. The receiver's blocking for him.

They've done a good job, and, you know, Saquon's back to, you know, he looks like he did his rookie year, you know, when he was before the knee injury, and he's been a pleasure to work with. I watched your press conference yesterday, and you said that you had one team call you about a player, and it was a quick no. Was it Saquon Barkley?

It was not. I have one more guess. No, that's it. You only get one.

That's it. All right, well, I'm going to give you another guess anyway. Dexter Lawrence. It was not Saquon.

Wow. Oh, so how about Dexter then? It was not Saquon. How about your evaluation of Dexter Lawrence, because he looks like he's going to be in line for a long-term extension soon. Yeah, he's, I love Dex. He's a great guy. He's done a really good job for us. He cracks me up. Yeah, he's a matchup guy. When you go play the Giants, you got to know where 97 is, because he's playing at a high level right now. You know, big, strong, tough, physical, and plays a lot of snaps. So I love Dex. He's a good guy, and yeah, he's definitely a culture fit and a guy we're going to want around here for a long time.

Joe Shane here with us. You've been through these trade deadline days numerous times in the weeks leading up to them, but now being in the GM chair and being the point person, what was that experience when you look back on it? Yeah, it was no different than the kind of what I was doing in Buffalo. You know, you're always making these phone calls, and I said it yesterday in my press conference, all the way back to August. You know, some of the players that were identified or traded, you know, where the media was reporting were available. You know, those are calls we've had, you know, we continue to have throughout the season, just trying to find teams that have an appetite to move players. And, you know, if the value matches up to where we see the player, then, you know, we were open to do it a deal, just nothing transpired this year, but we were definitely active in our phone calls, and it wasn't just, you know, a lot of people were on the receiver thing, but it was several different positions, you know, that we were interested in, and, you know, the value just didn't work out. Especially with, specifically with Kedarius Tony, why was it in the best interest of the Giants to trade him now? It was just in the best interest for us.

I mean, Dave's and I talked about it. For the organization, it was the best move for us at this time. In terms of confidence, I know he's got to get healthy, but where's your confidence that Kenny Gallo today could be a productive piece for this team down the stretch? Yeah, we need him to be. I want him to be. So we're looking forward to him coming back. He's been busting his butt to get back. He's done everything we've asked him to do since the day we got here. So we need him to perform well, and he's working towards that. So hopefully we can get him back soon. He can help us.

Joe Shane here with us. I know you didn't slam the door shut. You left it pretty open yesterday for a potential reunion with Odell Beckham. Have you guys had conversations with Odell's reps yet?

Yeah, we have. Again, he's a free agent. We've talked to, again, there's several veteran free agents that are still on the market at different positions, too. We're in constant contact with, you know, we call it injured, but tracking list, guys that are injured, that we're tracking when they're going to be back, you know, guys that are on the street.

So, yeah, he checks the box of a guy that's a free agent this time that just needs to get healthy, and we're monitoring his health status and when he'll be back to, you know, football. Have you had any interactions with him in the past? I have not.

I have not. So if he's considering the Giants, and let's say he asks you because he wants a better understanding of you and Brian Dayball, why should he be interested in returning? What would you say to him? Yeah, he can visit us. So, like, he can go on visits. He can do that whenever he wants. So, again, we'll work through that when the time comes.

I'll prepare my free agent speech if I need to before he gets here, but when that time comes, we'll sit down with him. It's got to, you know, it's like a marriage. It's got to work for both parties. It can't be a one-way street.

You know, we've got to make sure it's a good fit for us and a good fit for him if we ever get to that point. What have you learned about yourself in this first year so far? Oh, what have I learned about myself?

That's a good question. Um, oh, wow. Well, I know this. I'll say this isn't really about myself, but working with Brandon Bean and with the Buffalo Bills probably prepared me more for this job than I would have been in other sense. And what I mean by that is the general manager position is truly, generally managing a lot of things. And when I came up through, you know, the NFL, you're doing the personnel stuff and you're at colleges and you're watching film or you're watching pro or you're making suggestions, but you're not dealing with trainers. You're not dealing with the strength coach. You're not dealing with PR.

You're not dealing with media or whatever, you know, the ground screw, whatever it may be. And, you know, being around Brandon for five years, really he allowed me to work with those groups across the entire football operations, which made me feel very comfortable in this seat from day one. I've never felt overwhelmed or if it was too much for me. And that was something that was always in the back of my mind.

Are you ever truly prepared to sit in the seat and do that job? And, you know, again, maybe that's a pat on the back to Brandon, but, um, basically I learned about myself. My time with him was very valuable in terms of what I'm doing today and, you know, some of the success that we've had early on with Brian, um, being in lockstep in terms of how we want to build things.

A lot of that's from what I learned from, from Brandon. Well, it's really remarkable what the bills have done because for years that organization has just had to rotate in new people after new people. Now you look at your organization like the Giants, they're trying to be like Buffalo, bring it in you, bring it in.

Brian day ball. It speaks to what they've been able to build in Buffalo. Yeah. No, that they've got a legit roster right now. Um, and again, that's their year six, you know, people forget that again, you know, in today's day and age, everybody wants instant gratification and they're, they're year six of that build. And, um, you know, they've done a good job of it. They've, they started through the draft and they started supplementing with free agency. You know, they had a, they had a year in 2018, some of the, you know, where we are now, they had over 50, 50 million in dead cap money and you kind of had to take the hit and then they came out on the other side and good, uh, financial shape and stack together a couple of drafts. And you know, now again, year six, you look where they are there.

They're going to be a tough team for anybody to beat. I went to college with Dion Dawkins. He's a, he's a close friend of mine and uh, yeah, he's, he's, he's a great guy. You know, he's never changed since the person I met his first day at temple.

Yeah. But early on in like 2018, he, he tweeted this out that you just got to trust and believe because something special is brewing in Buffalo for you. When did you realize that something special was brewing in Buffalo? Um, it was probably once we got out of a 2019 off season, you know, we, we had built a new facility, you know, not where we added on, I should say to, you know, the weight room, the training room.

And then we also had money. So we signed some, some free agents, you know, we had a quarterback on a rookie deal, you know, we had a second draft class come in and um, you knew Josh was going to be a guy and then we were able to surround him with some talent and um, Buffalo is a special city. You know, the fan base is amazing. Uh, Western New York is awesome.

Love living there. And, um, it was probably 2019 when, you know, I could feel the momentum starting to turn and you know, we won 10 games that year and we were up 16 to nothing at Houston at halftime and ended up losing that playoff game. But that's when you knew, you know, they were going to be good for a long time. All right. I started you with food.

I'll end you with food and I'll let you go run and be a dad and enjoy your bi-week. Uh, Buffalo wings. Uh, where do you go to my favorites bar bill in Buffalo?

Bar bill. That's it. That's the one. That's the spot. That was actually close to my house. So we would, we would go there where we, it's hard to get in there sometimes.

So we would order take out there, but that's, that's a great spot. Wait, even tougher you to get into. Yeah. Yeah. I was just trying to, I was nobody. I'm just an assistant GM. I loved it back then. I was, that was discreet.

Nobody. That was nice. Well, I appreciate the time. Thanks so much for carving out some time for us during the bi-week and good luck. The rest of the way.

Appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Throughout the sixties and seventies, what makes your skin crawl? No matter how absurd I want to know.

Tails without fur on them, such as rats or possums. I'm Larry Mullins, the host of a new podcast called your weirdest fears. You send me your fear.

I'm just so weirded out about the texture and how they can just move around and flop. And then I go to the experts to learn how to overcome them. Listen and subscribe to your weirdest fears on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts from football season is here. The new Odyssey app lets you stay connected to your NFL team, your station, your shows, follow your favorite stations and come back again and again. Get real time updates on everything you care about.

Miss your show. Jump back to their awesome rewide feature. The Odyssey app is NFL football live and on demand, wherever you are, whenever you want. And do we mention it's all free?

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