John Mara Discusses New York Giants on WFAN

– © USA TODAY Sports ImagesJohn Mara

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JOHN MARA ON WFAN…
The audio of Tuesday’s WFAN Radio interview with New York Giants President/CEO John Mara is available on CBS New York’s website. Some points made by Mara:

• Firing General Manager Jerry Reese is not in the team’s best interest. He is the right guy to turn the team around. Mara believes Reese will prove critics wrong.
• The Giants will be interviewing a number of head coaching candidates. No decisions have yet been made.
• He would like to have both Offensive Coordinator Ben McAdoo and Defensive Steve Spagnuolo back, but that will be the decision of the new head coach. Both of them will also interview for the head coaching position.
• Giants will not rule out candidates without head coaching experience.
• Mara and Reese will conduct the interviews.
• McAdoo was not brought to the Giants with the idea that he would definitely be the next head coach.
• QB Eli Manning’s comfort level with the current offense will be a factor but not the overriding factor in coaching decisions.
• The Giants would be willing to trade draft picks for the right coach if the asking price was reasonable.
• Mara would like Tom Coughlin to brainstorm about what kind of role he might serve with the Giants moving forward.
• Coughlin realized it was time to move on. Mara said he was not 100 percent sure Coughlin really wanted to remain the head coach of the Giants. Coughlin did not fail, the organization has failed to put enough good players on the field.
• The Giants had three bad drafts, partly due to injury but also simply missing on too many players. He feels better about the last two draft classes.
• The Giants had been in bad salary cap shape for 5-6 years. This year they are in the best salary cap condition ever.
• The team is discussing if changes need to be made in personnel department.
• The Giants would like DE Jason Pierre-Paul back, but at the right price. They are hoping additional surgery may help him to evolve beyond a one-handed player.
• WR Odell Beckham is too emotional on the field, but he is not a bad person. Other teams will use his emotions against him.
• The foundation has slipped on defense. An inability to rush the passer killed the Giants. The Giants also need to run the ball better by improving the offensive line. Games are won and lost on the defensive line.
• A college coach with no NFL experience would work against a potential candidate, but the team would not discount him.
• Mara does not want to be too quick in hiring the next coach. The most important thing is to get the right guy.

SHANE VEREEN ON WFAN…
The audio of Tuesday’s WFAN Radio interview with New York Giants running back Shane Vereen is available on CBS New York’s website.

ARTICLES…

• Giants GM Jerry Reese refuses to own up to his failures by Steve Politi for NJ.com
• The Giants aren’t changing GMs, basically because they don’t by Dan Graziano of ESPN.com
• This is last time Jerry Reese can try to shift Giants blame by Steve Serby of The New York Post