Post columnist Steve Serby fired some questions at Giants co-owner John Mara in a training camp Q&A:
Q: George Steinbrenner once said: “Winning is the most important thing in my life after breathing.” Are you at that point?
A: [Laugh] I would say I agree with George on that.
Q: You’re at that point now?
A: Yes, I am at that point. 2011 was a long time ago.
Q: In your season-ending press conference, you said it wouldn’t be unfair to call this a win-or-else year.
A: I would stand by that statement, but I’m not walking into people’s offices threatening them with their jobs if we don’t win. But again, people are aware of what our expectations are.
Q: Do you hope or expect an Eli Manning extension to be done or announced when the team reports Thursday?
A: I would doubt that that would happen in that quick a time frame. We would hope to have it done at some point before the season. But if not, it’ll hopefully get done at some point after that.
Q: Have they told you they want it done before the season?
A: I don’t believe that anybody’s put any deadlines on it.
Q: Explain why you want Eli to be a Giant for life.
A: Well, we still believe that he can play at a very high level and win a championship for us. He looked like a new man in the spring, his arm was very live, and he’s moving around very well. His play in 2014 was significantly better than it was in 2013, so I think the arrow is still up for him.
Q: Would you say you’re optimistic that a new deal could be reached before the season?
A: I would hate to put a time limit on it, but I’m optimistic that we will get something done at some point as soon as his agent [Tom Condon] comes to his senses [laugh].
Q: Eli not missing a start is a luxury for you.
A: That has been a luxury. His toughness, his competitiveness — that’s what we were hoping for when we made that deal back in 2004 to go up and get him.
Q: He didn’t make the top 100 in an NFL Network poll.
A: I was made aware of that, but I don’t pay attention to those things. I just know that he’s won two Super Bowls for us and played at a high level for a lot of years.
Q: Victor Cruz’s health?
A: We really haven’t seen him in pads yet, but running around the field in shorts, he looks like he hasn’t lost a step, but we’re not going to know that until we get into games. But I’m very optimistic about him. I think he is too.
Q: What do you think about when you envision a healthy Victor and Odell Beckham Jr. on the field together?
A: That could be an exciting tandem. And I think Rueben Randle made some strides last year also. I’d love to see the three of them on the field together, I think that would give us the potential for an exciting offense. Plus you throw Larry Donnell in there. We have three solid running backs as well. I think we have a chance to be very good on offense.
Q: Donnell’s health?
A: We believe that he’s going to be ready to go right from the first day of training camp.
Q: What can Odell Beckham Jr. do for an encore?
A: Well, hopefully he stays healthy for 16 games, but I’m not sure how he can top what he did last year individually, but hopefully he can help us win some more games than we won last year.
Q: Do you think success will spoil him?
A: I don’t think it will spoil him because the one thing that everybody says about him is he loves to play football and to compete. As long as he has that competitive drive, I think the other things will take care of themselves.
Q: You said the last time you were excited about a rookie the way you were about Odell was Lawrence Taylor. What does he bring that Lawrence brought?
A: When he steps onto the field, the other team has to account for him. He can make a game-changing play at any second, and that’s an exciting element to add to your team. He brings you that star quality, and he’s that player that puts a lump in the throat of opposing defensive coordinators, and there are not many of those guys out there.
Q: Will the offense have to carry the defense if Jason Pierre-Paul is out?
A: They’re both going to have to do their share. Damontre Moore, it’ll be a big year for him now. Kerry Wynn came on at the end of last season and showed that he’s got some potential. Robert Ayers, if he can stay healthy, has a chance to really contribute too. And we drafted a young kid from UCLA [Owamagbe Odighizuwa]. The silver lining is it gives some of those guys a chance to get more reps in practice and in the preseason games.
Q: But as of right now, you do not have an elite pass rusher.
A: Certainly nobody of JPP’s caliber.
Q: Sum up defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
A: He’s really one of the more decent human beings that we’ve ever had in this building. He’s just somebody that everybody likes. He is extremely dedicated, a great communicator, somebody that the players like and respect, and somebody who knows his football and knows how to put together a winning defense. I think there’s a certain amount of trust that they have for him, and I think that’s what will enable him to be successful.
Q: Is it asking too much of him to be a miracle worker?
A: He said that very early on, “Listen, I’m no miracle worker.” We understand that. If we have healthy players out there, then I think our defense has a chance to be pretty good. He’s got to solve some issues at safety, and some of those defensive linemen are going to have to step up, and fill whatever void is left by JPP not being able to play.
Q: Ben McAdoo?
A: I think our offense definitely took a step forward last year, and we expect them to be even better this year again, provided we stay healthy. Getting Victor Cruz back will help. Geoff Schwartz coming back on the offensive line. Our No. 1 pick [Ereck Flowers] at left tackle will go through some growing pains. We think he’s going to be a very good player in this league for many years. What we love about that young man is he is very competitive, he wants to win, and he’s a very physical player. I think with some of the additions that we made there, a Shane Vereen coming in, I certainly expect us to be better on offense also. I like what I’ve seen out of Ben McAdoo so far, but now it’s time to take the next step.
Q: What signs of complacency have you seen in Tom Coughlin?
A: [Laugh] Tom is still moaning about the offseason rules and the lack of time on the field and everything else. We try to remind him from time to time that in 2011, there was no offseason program, we had the lockout, we went straight to training camp and we won the Super Bowl [laugh]. So if it was up to me, I think I’d scrap the entire offseason program [laugh].
Q: How critical is this year for him?
A: Nobody was more disappointed than he was over the last two years, and he still has that fire in him, and still wants to win, and will leave no stone unturned to try to bring us back to the level that we can be at. I’m not worried about that at all.
Q: Your worst nightmare would be having another season out of the playoffs and having to ponder a change, correct?
A: We’re not thinking that way right now. Let’s just go one week at a time.
Q: If it’s up to him, he’ll coach until he’s 80, right?
A: I think he’d coach until he was 90 [smile].
Q: Have the expectations been reiterated by you?
A: I don’t think it’s necessary for me to reiterate. They know how I felt about last season, and they were just as disappointed — Tom, Jerry, everybody else. They know that we need to turn this around and get back to playing the kind of football our fans expect and deserve.
Q: And that kind of football is?
A: To be in the playoffs on a more consistent basis. Challenging for and ultimately winning a Super Bowl.
Q: What feeling do you sense in this building?
A: I think it’s a very good attitude, I think some of the changes that we made I think are going to be beneficial. Steve Spagnuolo coming back has brought a whole new energy level I think to our defense. I think getting Victor Cruz back will certainly help our offense. Some changes on the offensive line will help us. The biggest thing that will help us is if guys can just stay healthy more so than they have in the past. We’ve had a ridiculous number of injuries over the last two years. I mean, it HAS to get better, doesn’t it?
Q: You’ve continued to do studies on it this offseason?
A: We have, and Tom has made some tweaks to the scheduling during training camp and going into the season, has consulted a lot with our strength and conditioning coaches, and hopefully this can pay some dividends.
Q: The biggest tweak he’s made?
A: I think he’s going to give them some more down time, more time to rest, and just try to be a little bit smarter about when we give them the heavy workloads in training camp and even during the season.
Q: Are you concerned about the leadership with Antrel Rolle gone?
A: Yes, when you lose somebody like him, that’s tough to replace, and somebody’s going to have to step up and be that leader. I think Jon Beason can do it if he can stay healthy.
Q: How concerned are you about the safety position?
A: It’s an unknown. Until you see them out there, it’s going to be a concern.
Q: How do you see the NFC East?
A: I think it’s going to be stronger than ever, but I probably say that every year. The Cowboys won the division last year, and they’ve had some great additions this year so they’re the favorites going in, but we’re not discounting the other two teams. We’ve had a tough enough time beating the Eagles in the past, and I’m fairly certain that the Redskins are going to be better than they have been.
Q: How badly have you felt for Giants fans the last two years?
A: It’s tough, you drive in here on game day, and you see people in the parking lots wearing their Giants jerseys and flying their banners, you know how badly they want to win, and you don’t want to disappoint them. We ask a lot of our fans here, and they’ve supported us so loyally for SO many years, you hate to disappoint them. I get frustrated sometimes when they accuse us of being complacent because we haven’t turned over the entire staff. To me, I’ve always craved continuity because I think continuity over the long term gives you a better chance at having success than if you’re constantly making changes like that, you just lose any opportunity to do that. I can’t tell you how many times over the past 10 years people have wanted us to change the head coach, or change the general manager. People wanted Tom gone in any number of years prior to this and we stayed with him, and it’s paid off, and I think it’ll pay off again this year.
Q: This is the first training camp you’re going into with your mother not here. What are your emotions about that?
A: Well, it’s not going to be training camp so much as when we start playing games, because she went to nearly every game, home and away. So it will be a strange and very sad experience for us, especially those first few games to not have her here.
Q: What kind of team do Giants fans deserve?
A: A team that is more consistent, that never gives up, and then consistently wins. The talent level in this league is so evenly distributed. It is tough to consistently win. You have to have the right organization in place, and you have to have some degree of luck in that you’re staying healthy. I think we’re due to have a year where we stay healthy.
Q: So what would you say gives you the most hope or the most optimism that this team will be able to match the high expectations you have?
A: We still have a Super Bowl-winning coach, a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, and a lot of players on the team that have had success in the past. I think our talent level is there. Again, it’s a question of doing it on the field and staying healthy. And I think we’re due to have a year [chuckle] that we stay healthy. We’ve had two horrendous years in a row, a lot of which was bad luck. I think we’re ready to have a good season.
Q: Message to Giants fans?
A: We appreciate your support, and please keep coming to the games and giving us that same loyal support because it means a lot to the players on the field and it means a lot to our entire organization, and we’re going to do our best to try not to disappoint you.