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PALM BEACH, Fla. - Sean Payton coached Russell Wilson in Denver and Jameis Winston in New Orleans, so his intimate knowledge of the two quarterbacks currently at the top of the New York Giants' depth chart is beyond reproach.
The current head coach of the Denver Broncos has his own history with the Giants, of course, and during an interview session Monday morning here at the NFL Annual Meeting, I asked Payton for his thoughts on Wilson and Winston now being together in the same room this season in the Big Apple.
It's not solely what Payton said, but the way he reacted in providing the answer screamed all we need to know.
Payton raised his eyebrows while taking a sip of his iced coffee, seemingly letting flashbacks of his times with Wilson and Winston come back to the surface. He later took extended pauses as if to contemplate what it's going to be like for Giants coach Brian Daboll to get the best out of the two veterans, who Payton promised would co-exist well - even if they come from opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of personality and approach.
"They’re different type of players and personalities," Payton said, fighting back a smirk. "Shoot, that’ll be interesting."
Interesting for sure, undoubtedly entertaining for the rest of us.
As one league source recently told NorthJersey.com and The Record when asked about the anticipated personality shift within the Giants' quarterback room: "They went from milquetoast to Fireball [whiskey]."
Will that be enough for Daboll and the Giants to win again? That's the most important thing here, and it's not lost on me when writing this. The real purpose of this column: revealing why the Giants did what they did at the position - what's to come - and why general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll have completely remade their QB room.
Well, for one, they essentially had no choice. Tommy DeVito was a one-man depth chart, and truth be told, even his presence was not guaranteed until he signed his exclusive rights free agent contract.
A year ago, the Giants seemingly accepted their fate at quarterback.
They tried to trade up in the NFL Draft for Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye - as much as they could with teams that had no desire to move - but to no avail. They wanted Tyrod Taylor back in free agency, but instead got Drew Lock.
They did not entirely believe in Daniel Jones, yet because of the money they had already invested in him, their Hail Mary of a choice involved giving Jones one final chance to bounce back. He did not, was benched and then released at his request in early November.
Hope is not a plan, as team brass learned the hard way last season.
The Giants used three different quarterbacks in Daboll's second season and four last season en route to a three-win campaign. This is about giving themselves options, and from the moment the offseason began, the Giants were engaged. They were deep into trade (and extension) discussions with Matthew Stafford and the Rams, only to have the quarterback decide to go back to Los Angeles, which the Giants knew was always an option.
The Aaron Rodgers waiting game lasted much longer than anticipated, but the Giants were ready and willing - at least until they agreed to terms with Winston and Wilson in a four-day span.
Only time will tell if it'll all work. What matters most is what comes next.
"Obviously, Jameis is someone who’s infectious," Payton added. "A lot of times you hear him before you see him, it’s not a bad thing. And Russ is someone who’s internally driven, someone – you see the work ethic. And so, I think those guys – it’ll be a good room."
No coach has spent more time with Wilson, experiencing the highest of highs in MetLife Stadium, the place he will now call home, than Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll.
"He’s such a committed competitor. He’ll go in there with a really clear vision of what he hopes to do and add to the program," Carroll said of Wilson. They spent the first 10 years of Wilson's career together in Seattle. "He’ll be receptive to the new coaching. Brian’s gonna do a great job with him, I would think. And I hope, I don’t know, but for Russ’s sake, I hope it’s gonna be a really competitive opportunity, it’s wide open, and they’re gonna have to deal with another guy, too. They might get a young kid coming in right out of college. Russ has no problem competing. He’ll take it on with character, a vision for himself and how he can handle it. It’s a great place to go. Going to New York, it’s a great challenge and he’ll be ready for it."
As Schoen promised here Monday, "We're not done. We still want to upgrade [the roster]. We have five picks in the top 105. We could go any position, so we're not ruling any position out."
The Giants believe they have improved their secondary with Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. Their defensive front should take another step forward with Chauncey Golston providing versatility at edge and the interior.
It's a bit of a leap of faith with the offensive line, and some of that comes with how the Giants played up front with a healthy Andrew Thomas at left tackle. There is still work to do with growth and development an integral part of whatever plan will ultimately prove Schoen and Daboll are poised to take this in the right direction.
Now the attention turns to the NFL Draft.
The Giants will have their first draft meetings as a staff post-Combine on Wednesday morning in East Rutherford. Then I would expect a contingent to head to Boulder for Colorado Pro Day featuring Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
"We'll take all the new information we have from meetings and pro days or extra film, whatever it may be," Schoen said. "And now the board will really start to take shape."
Sitting at No. 3, with the additions of Wilson and Winston, what does that mean for the prospects of taking a quarterback there? Sources have told NorthJersey.com and The Record that those two signings will not alter the plan, and that if they believe in Sanders or another quarterback in that spot, the presence of Wilson and Winston will not prevent a selection.
The Giants must leave next month's NFL Draft with a quarterback of the future. They may end up taking a non-QB there - the likeliest being Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter or two-way Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado - but those with knowledge of the Giants' plans have told NorthJersey.com and The Record that Sanders is "absolutely" in play. Team brass believed doubling up at QB with veterans Wilson and Jameis Winston was necessary with the way things have broken down in the room the last two years.
"Going into it, we can go any which direction and we can go play a game right now," Schoen said. "It doesn't force you into a corner or force you to have to take something based on need. It gives us optionality to go in many different directions."
The Giants needed a reboot at quarterback, there's no debate about that. Wilson and Winston certainly represent a personality implant of epic proportions. How that'll play on the field remains to be seen.
And if and when a rookie quarterback joins them, he will ultimately hold the future of the Giants - not to mention the fates of Schoen and Daboll - in his hands.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Giants: Inside 'milquetoast to Fireball' personality shift at QB
Continue reading...
The current head coach of the Denver Broncos has his own history with the Giants, of course, and during an interview session Monday morning here at the NFL Annual Meeting, I asked Payton for his thoughts on Wilson and Winston now being together in the same room this season in the Big Apple.
It's not solely what Payton said, but the way he reacted in providing the answer screamed all we need to know.
Payton raised his eyebrows while taking a sip of his iced coffee, seemingly letting flashbacks of his times with Wilson and Winston come back to the surface. He later took extended pauses as if to contemplate what it's going to be like for Giants coach Brian Daboll to get the best out of the two veterans, who Payton promised would co-exist well - even if they come from opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of personality and approach.
"They’re different type of players and personalities," Payton said, fighting back a smirk. "Shoot, that’ll be interesting."
Interesting for sure, undoubtedly entertaining for the rest of us.
As one league source recently told NorthJersey.com and The Record when asked about the anticipated personality shift within the Giants' quarterback room: "They went from milquetoast to Fireball [whiskey]."
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Will that be enough for Daboll and the Giants to win again? That's the most important thing here, and it's not lost on me when writing this. The real purpose of this column: revealing why the Giants did what they did at the position - what's to come - and why general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll have completely remade their QB room.
Well, for one, they essentially had no choice. Tommy DeVito was a one-man depth chart, and truth be told, even his presence was not guaranteed until he signed his exclusive rights free agent contract.
A year ago, the Giants seemingly accepted their fate at quarterback.
They tried to trade up in the NFL Draft for Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye - as much as they could with teams that had no desire to move - but to no avail. They wanted Tyrod Taylor back in free agency, but instead got Drew Lock.
They did not entirely believe in Daniel Jones, yet because of the money they had already invested in him, their Hail Mary of a choice involved giving Jones one final chance to bounce back. He did not, was benched and then released at his request in early November.
Hope is not a plan, as team brass learned the hard way last season.
The Giants used three different quarterbacks in Daboll's second season and four last season en route to a three-win campaign. This is about giving themselves options, and from the moment the offseason began, the Giants were engaged. They were deep into trade (and extension) discussions with Matthew Stafford and the Rams, only to have the quarterback decide to go back to Los Angeles, which the Giants knew was always an option.
The Aaron Rodgers waiting game lasted much longer than anticipated, but the Giants were ready and willing - at least until they agreed to terms with Winston and Wilson in a four-day span.
Only time will tell if it'll all work. What matters most is what comes next.
"Obviously, Jameis is someone who’s infectious," Payton added. "A lot of times you hear him before you see him, it’s not a bad thing. And Russ is someone who’s internally driven, someone – you see the work ethic. And so, I think those guys – it’ll be a good room."
No coach has spent more time with Wilson, experiencing the highest of highs in MetLife Stadium, the place he will now call home, than Las Vegas Raiders coach Pete Carroll.
"He’s such a committed competitor. He’ll go in there with a really clear vision of what he hopes to do and add to the program," Carroll said of Wilson. They spent the first 10 years of Wilson's career together in Seattle. "He’ll be receptive to the new coaching. Brian’s gonna do a great job with him, I would think. And I hope, I don’t know, but for Russ’s sake, I hope it’s gonna be a really competitive opportunity, it’s wide open, and they’re gonna have to deal with another guy, too. They might get a young kid coming in right out of college. Russ has no problem competing. He’ll take it on with character, a vision for himself and how he can handle it. It’s a great place to go. Going to New York, it’s a great challenge and he’ll be ready for it."
As Schoen promised here Monday, "We're not done. We still want to upgrade [the roster]. We have five picks in the top 105. We could go any position, so we're not ruling any position out."
The Giants believe they have improved their secondary with Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland. Their defensive front should take another step forward with Chauncey Golston providing versatility at edge and the interior.
It's a bit of a leap of faith with the offensive line, and some of that comes with how the Giants played up front with a healthy Andrew Thomas at left tackle. There is still work to do with growth and development an integral part of whatever plan will ultimately prove Schoen and Daboll are poised to take this in the right direction.
Now the attention turns to the NFL Draft.
The Giants will have their first draft meetings as a staff post-Combine on Wednesday morning in East Rutherford. Then I would expect a contingent to head to Boulder for Colorado Pro Day featuring Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter.
"We'll take all the new information we have from meetings and pro days or extra film, whatever it may be," Schoen said. "And now the board will really start to take shape."
Sitting at No. 3, with the additions of Wilson and Winston, what does that mean for the prospects of taking a quarterback there? Sources have told NorthJersey.com and The Record that those two signings will not alter the plan, and that if they believe in Sanders or another quarterback in that spot, the presence of Wilson and Winston will not prevent a selection.
The Giants must leave next month's NFL Draft with a quarterback of the future. They may end up taking a non-QB there - the likeliest being Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter or two-way Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter of Colorado - but those with knowledge of the Giants' plans have told NorthJersey.com and The Record that Sanders is "absolutely" in play. Team brass believed doubling up at QB with veterans Wilson and Jameis Winston was necessary with the way things have broken down in the room the last two years.
"Going into it, we can go any which direction and we can go play a game right now," Schoen said. "It doesn't force you into a corner or force you to have to take something based on need. It gives us optionality to go in many different directions."
The Giants needed a reboot at quarterback, there's no debate about that. Wilson and Winston certainly represent a personality implant of epic proportions. How that'll play on the field remains to be seen.
And if and when a rookie quarterback joins them, he will ultimately hold the future of the Giants - not to mention the fates of Schoen and Daboll - in his hands.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Giants: Inside 'milquetoast to Fireball' personality shift at QB
Continue reading...
