Not everything Joe Schoen said Tuesday was about quarterbacks
New York Giants GM Joe Schoen answered a lot of questions about quarterbacks on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. There was, however, some other ground to cover. Here are a few of the other newsworthy topics Schoen covered.
‘We’ve got to be better’
Schoen knows another 3-14 season is not going to cut it.
“We’ve got to be better. We’re a three-win team,” he said. “Where we are financially, from a salary capital standpoint, we’re in good shape. We have premium draft capital, so not suffocating. We have the resources to improve the roster.
“Again, we made some decisions after that first year when we won, and they didn’t work out. Again, we’re where we are.”
Super Saquon
Schoen was asked his reaction to Saquon Barkley helping the Philadelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl.
“I’m happy for Saquon,” Schoen said. “He obviously went on to win the Super Bowl and wish him nothing but the best. Always going to evaluate all the decisions you make, and we were in a different place in our build.”
Moving up in the draft
Schoen said he was “open to everything” at No. 3.
“We haven’t had any of those conversations yet,” he said. “This week there will be a lot of that going on.
“I’ll talk to all 31 general managers or whoever the head of the personnel department is if they don’t have a general manager here. It’s not just trades for the draft. It’s any cap casualties they may have, any trade candidates.”
QBs not working out
Schoen said he was “OK” with quarterbacks not throwing at the Combine.
“I’m never going to downgrade them for not throwing,” Schoen said. “Then if they don’t have a great throwing session, I’m not going to downgrade them for that either because I’ve never thrown at these guys.
“It’s timing. It’s anticipation. It’s the type of routes that guys run, their ability to run certain routes. I think that’s important as a quarterback when you’re throwing at these guys. If a guy decides he doesn’t want to throw and he wants to throw at his pro day, I’m okay with that. My staff’s done a lot of work on the quarterback. We’ve seen all these guys throw multiple times, whether it’s practice, games. That’s up to the individual, their decision and how they feel about that, and I’m okay with that.”
‘Hard Knocks’ lessons
Schoen was asked if he would change anything about the team’s processes based on how the organization was perceived in ‘Hard Knocks’.
“I wouldn’t say that. Again, our free agency class, I was happy with the guys that we brought in. Yeah, it is what it is. It’s over. There’s nothing we can do about it now,” Schoen said. “You’re always evaluating yourself, and we’ve got to do a better job.I was happy with the free agency class that we brought in last year. I’m happy with the way the draft turned out.”
Chris Snee’s impact
The former Giant offensive lineman is now part of the team’s scouting staff, focused on offensive and defensive linemen.
“Chris has been awesome. He’s been a really good addition,” Schoen said. “He’s done a lot of work. He has a unique perspective on it, having played the offensive line at a high level on some really good teams. So yeah, he’s been a tremendous resource for us.”
Evan Neal’s future
Schoen did not say Neal would move to guard. He did not say Neal wouldn’t move to guard.
“We’ll talk about that once we get through free agency and we see where we are and what we have. We’ll talk about how do we get our best five,” Schoen said. “Depending on what we do on the offensive line, we’ll make those decisions before they come back in April.”
Schoen, though, did indicate he was happy with Jermaine Eluemunor’s play at right tackle last season.
Health updates
Stars Dexter Lawrence (elbow) and Andrew Thomas (Lisfranc) finished the season on IR. Lawrence took part in the Pro Bowl Games.
“He can play tug of war, so he looks good,” Schoen said.
Thomas is also progressing well.
“No boot on the foot or anything. He’s moving well,” Schoen said. “I mean, he looks humongous right now.”