An argument can be made for New York's G-Men. Greg Gabriel
The Giants won their fourth Super Bowl championship since 1987 on Sunday. They have been in five Super Bowls in that period with the only loss being to Baltimore in January 2001. Why are the Giants so consistently good? Because in my opinion they are without a doubt the best organization in the NFL.
I worked for the Giants from January 1985 until June 2001 and was fortunate enough to be part of three of those Super Bowl appearances. I can honestly say it was the best time I had while working in the NFL. What I saw was an organization that was well run and cared about its employees. It started at the top with the Mara family. The have owned the Giants since their inception back in 1925. The Maras have a hands-on approach. It was that way when Wellington Mara was alive and it’s the same now with Wellington’s oldest son John running the club as President and Co-Owner with Steve Tisch. They are and always have been very close to the people who work for them. To tell you a little story, in May 1986 I had been with the Giants for only 17 months. My father died that month, and shortly after my mother received a handwritten note from Wellington Mara expressing his condolences. My mother had never met Wellington and I worked for him but for a short time yet he took the time to write that note. It had a lot of meaning to me and my family. Those are the type of people the Maras are. They care.
ICONTom Coughlin won his second Super Bowl this past Sunday.
One of the keys to success in the NFL is continuity. The Giants have that. In the last 30 years they have only had five head coaches (Bill Parcells, Ray Handley, Dan Reeves, Jim Fassel and Tom Coughlin). In that same period there have been only three General Managers (George Young, Ernie Accorsi and Jerry Reese). Three of those five coaches got to Super Bowls and all three of the General Managers got to the big game.
When I said that the Giants take care of their employees, it’s an understatement. Many of the people who worked their when I started in 1985 are still there now. Their scouting staff probably has had more continuity than any other staff in the league, and all are excellent scouts. Jerry Shay, who was the Director of College Scouting when I was there, is said to be retiring after April’s draft. He has spent most of his adult life with the club. He played for the Giants for a few years and has been scouting for well over 30 years. Scouts like Steve Verderosa and Jerry Davis all have better than 20 years with the Giants and executive scout Joe Collins is a relative newcomer to the organization being there just 10 years, but he has been in scouting with other clubs in the league for close to 35 years. There are at least four other scouts that have been with the club for over 10 years. With that continuity you can’t help but be successful.
The same can be said in other areas. VP of Medical Services Ronnie Barnes, VP of Administration Jim Phelan and Administrative Assistant to the General Manager Rita Giordanetti all have better than 30 years with the Giants. You could go through the media guide and find many similar stories. When so many people stay with an organization that long it tells you something...they are the best!
One thing can be said about the Maras. They don’t make rash decisions based on media or fan opinion. A year ago the New York media was calling for head coach Tom Coughlin’s head. John Mara refused to listen because he knew what kind of coach he had. Not giving in to opinion led to their current championship. I worked with Coughlin for three years when he was on Bill Parcells' staff and have followed his career as a head coach with Boston College, Jacksonville and New York, and I have no doubt that he is one of the most underrated coaches in the NFL. Few get their teams as ready to play in big games as Coughlin. By the time he is ready to retire he will go down as one of the all-time great coaches in NFL history.
The Giants have won 8 NFL championships, third behind Green Bay with 13 and Chicago with 9. I’m sure there will be many more because of the way they do business. They truly are the Flagship Franchise in the National Football League.
the things you're praising the giants for doing are hardly unique- the same things could be said of the steelers, the patriots, the packers . . . they all have long time members of their staffs that will tell you with absolute belief that they work for the best team in the NFL.
Congrats to the giants on the SB win, but it's not like they invented the idea of running an organization competently.
And the Giants have John Mara's daughter, Rooney Mara, starring in "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo." Hubba hubba. A real talent!
Bearmarket,
Rooney Mara is not John Mara's daughter, it's his neice. She is the daughter of Chris Mara
Thanks for the correction, Greg. And of course you know, the first name, Rooney, is from the Rooney family. Pretty cool.
the team is great and has a great history, just like the steelers and the packers , great super bowl win
Bears fan are happy for you and jealous too, as we are strapped with the McCaskets.
I'll add that it was Wellington Mara's vision of competitive balance and revenue sharing that shaped the current NFL into the juggernaut it is. Think about this, if Well had been greedy like some baseball owners, the Steelers in the free agent era might more closely resemble the Pirates. While the Giants and Cowboys would be more like the Yankees and Red Sox. Even worse, with no farm systems, the results would be even more distorted.
Just to further emphasize this point. Right now, Jerry Jones and Dan Snider have been pushing to get teams more independent and less shared revenue. They are trying to get the advantage competitively. John Mara is still in the forefront fighting against this, knowing that he will make less money and win fewer titles.
When you combine that with their success on the field, it shoots them up to the top of the franchises.
@chuck...you need to check your "facts"
Excellent observation Scott. Competitive balance is what puts the NFL head and shoulders above all other pro sports leagues in North America. Kudos to the Mara's for fighting for this. I like that fact that in any given year a Kansas City or Buffalo or Seattle has just as good a chance as a New York or Chicago of being successful. Competitive imbalance is exactly why I have stopped watching MLB and NBA.
I am a huge admirer of the way the Mara's have run the organization since the hiring of George Young (let us remember what a disaster it was when Wellington and Tim Mara were feuding for 15 years and the organization clearly deteriorated), but to call "the best in the NFL" seems over the top. Clearly, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and New England could each claim they deserve as much consideration as the Giants, and, as heretical as it may be for a long time Giants' season ticket holder to say, I think that the Eagles organization (with the exception of the unbalanced team they created this year) has been extremely well run.
I can take the Giants not being the best organization in the NFL compared to others. No problem. I like the fact that Today and as of Last Sunday They are the Best in the NFL. They proved their grit through injuries and unexplained circumstances and when the smoke cleared they are the owners of The Lombardi Trophy. They earned it by beating some great teams. I truly believe that either Atlanta or The Packers or Frisco would have also beaten The Patriots...
As a 53 year G-men fan they are a class organization, but there's no way to prove they are the best. One of the best - sure. As for the Birds being well-run, their last title was 51 years ago. 'nuff said.
The Giants are not only a class organization, they breed class as well. Tom Landry is a good example. Oh, and can't forget a plug for the alma mater....how about Y.A. Tittle? Geaux Tigers! It would be hard, however, to deal in absolutes in this subject. Although the Giants are excellent, I'm with a previous writer in that Green Bay is a prime example of excellence. Although an LSU fan (alma mater) and a Saints fan by DNA, we certainly have had our share of lousy ownership. Saints, that is <grin>. Of course, nothing is worse than Irsay. Just an opinion.
Giants have won more than the Steelers since the season Greg Gabriel began working for them, 1985, which is his whole point: since then, no one has been better. Since 1985 the Giants have won 4 Super Bowls and made it to 5. The Patriots have won 3 in 7 trips, and the 49ers and Cowboys are both 3 for 3. The Steelers are 2 for 4 in that time period. Since the Bears won Super Bowl XX, no team has been better or more consistent than the G-Men. They have not gone more than 3-years in a row (which happened once, 1994-1996) without making the playoffs, and are 9-1 in NFC Championships + Super Bowls.
Giants have won more than the Steelers since the season Greg Gabriel began working for them, 1985, which is his whole point: since then, no one has been better. Since 1985 the Giants have won 4 Super Bowls and made it to 5. The Patriots have won 3 in 7 trips, and the 49ers and Cowboys are both 3 for 3. The Steelers are 2 for 4 in that time period. Since the Bears won Super Bowl XX, no team has been better or more consistent than the G-Men. They have not gone more than 3-years in a row (which happened once, 1994-1996) without making the playoffs, and are 9-1 in NFC Championships + Super Bowls.
Feb 08, 2012
04:41 PM
Steelers are better. only 3 coaches not 5 and all 3 have appered in multiple Super Bowls and won at least 1 Super Bowl. Steelers worst record since 1970 is 5-11, every other NFL team has had at least 1 4 win season. That's consistency and greatness. Steelers blow GIants away in most categories like playoff appearances, division titles, winnning % ans Super BOwl appearances and wins since 1970 merger. Do some research instead of just saying the team you worked for is the best. Great job by Ginats to win the bowl, don't forget they were 9-7. that great organization barley made the playoffs.