Right from the very start of a 28-minute thrust-and-parry session where no blood was spilled but plenty of angst was released, Dave Gettleman acknowledged what so many Giants fans are thinking:
Why didn’t you get fired along with coach Pat Shurmur?
“Just to be clear, there was substantive discussion between myself and ownership regarding my job performance and vision moving forwards,” Gettleman said Tuesday. “John [Mara] and Steve [Tisch] made their decisions and here I stand.”
Gettleman continues to stand as the general manager of a franchise coming off a 4-12 season and is 9-23 in Gettleman’s two years on the job. He is back because ownership believes more time is needed for Gettleman to implement the many changes he has overseen, while it took only two years for ownership to determine Shurmur was not the right man to coach their team.
Gettleman stands, but he realizes he is not on the surest of footing.
Asked to grade his work on the job, Gettleman said “Over the last two years? Not good enough. It hasn’t been good enough. It will get better.”
And this: “There are many reasons why the New York football Giants are in their current state and I take my share of culpability. I have had misses.”
With that, Gettleman launched into an account of how things have changed behind the scenes since his arrival in December of 2017. He has been widely criticized for the Giants using a Neanderthal approach to finding players, dismissing and ignoring analytics and for a reluctance to update their mode of operations. Gettleman stoked these fires when he made anti-analytics cracks after he selected Saquon Barkley in the 2018 NFL Draft and for pretending to type on an old-fashioned keyboard.
“I did that kidding around,” Gettleman said. “You turn around and learn very quickly there’s no throwaway lines here. In terms of the analytics and devaluing the running back, Saquon’s special. That’s what I should have said. He’s an outlier. We are committed to being forward thinking, committed to being the best in every area.”
A source with knowledge of the situation told The Post Gettleman has done more with analytics in the past two years than his predecessor, Jerry Reese, did in his last 10 years running the football operation. Another source previously told The Post the way the Giants scout college players and designate them on the draft board is markedly different than in the past.
“I know this may sound crazy but I met recently with a big analytics guy – I’m gonna learn from my mistakes,” Gettleman said. “I never stop asking myself the question, what can we have done differently? What can we have done better?
“I’ve got to talk to other GMs, inside and outside the industry and continue to grow.”
Clearly, the message was hammered home: Clean up the mess.
“We’re in the process of hiring four computer folks,” Gettleman said. “We’ve hired a full-time clinician. In terms of being forward thinking, the last two years we’ve been ramping up the analytic and technology piece.
“I know sometimes it’s difficult, the instant gratification piece. I feel good with the direction we’re headed.”
Of course, Gettleman had to answer for the lousy record and some moves that he has yet to discuss publicly. The trade of two draft picks to the Jets for defensive tackle Leonard Williams makes no sense – unless the Giants re-sign him.
“He was in my office (Monday) and told me he wants to be here,” Gettleman said.
As far as establishing an expectation when the Giants can become contenders, Gettleman said “It all depends on how quickly the puppies come along” and reiterated a familiar Shurmur line that the Giants were one of the youngest teams in the league.
Gettleman had not spoken with the media since early July in training camp and he admitted at times he felt “guilty” seeing Shurmur taking the heat in public week after week, but he did not step in as he maintains most of the general managers in the league speak once, if at all during the season.
Still, the lack of public accountability from Gettleman was glaring.
“Yeah, I’m concerned about that, very much,” Gettleman said. “That’s why we’re gonna address it.”
Gettleman and Mara will lead the coaching search — Gettleman said Shurmur “is as fine a man as I’ve ever worked with” — amid speculation that some candidates might not want to work with him, thinking his ways are outdated.
“I don’t understand the notion that I’m tough to work with,” he said. “I think it would be from people that don’t know me.”
A new coach will be hired, and how much time he is given is up for conjecture, considering Gettleman is on the hot seat.
“This is frustrating for all of us,” Gettleman said. “I’m not happy about this. Ownership’s not happy, we’re all frustrated. But unfortunately it takes time.”