MOBILE, Ala. — As he sat at the 25-yard line, about halfway up the stands, Jerry Reese clearly was prepared. He placed a thick white towel on the damp metal bleacher, the only way to keep his bottom dry and keep somewhat warm on a chilly, rainy, overcast afternoon.
He wore a black down-filled winter jacket, with a gray hood underneath, just in case. The only way anyone could tell he was in any way affiliated with the Giants was the distressed red baseball cap with “New York Giants’’ emblazoned in blue.
“Need a roster?’’ he asked, holding up an extra laminated sheet as the North team began going through drills Wednesday as a Senior Bowl practice at no-frills Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Oh, yes, Reese remains affiliated with the Giants, much to the chagrin of charged-up fans out for blood and jobs, not necessarily in that order, after a second consecutive 6-10 season signaled the end of the Tom Coughlin era. If Tom goes, why not Jerry? That was the outcry from so many Giants loyalists who viewed the demise of their team as more a byproduct of bad players than bad coaching.
Reese knows he has been called out by Giants co-owner John Mara, who after the season declared, “Jerry knows it’s on him.’’ The two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach is gone. The two-time Super Bowl-winning general manager returns for a 10th year in the position as chief football administrator, the man ultimately in charge of every player deemed worthy of a contract from the Giants.
Along with his scouts and assistants Marc Ross and Kevin Abrams, Reese, 52, spent several days looking at most of the top seniors who will be available in the NFL Draft. Reese needs to pick out a winner, several of them. If he is feeling any more pressure now than ever before, he is not letting anyone see him sweat.
“I work the same ever since Day 1,’’ Reese told The Post during a relaxed interview in the bleachers. “It’s not harder. I give it my all every day.’’
It appears to be business as usual for the Giants in their search for players. Reese and his crew are here; the coaching staff — per usual — is not. Mara has steadfastly voiced his support — while acknowledging draft lapses that robbed the roster of talent and depth. Mara said a full analysis of the draft operation would be forthcoming to determine, “Are our standards too rigid or are they not rigid enough?’’
It does not sound as if the Giants are altering their approach.
“We’re right in the middle of the process right now, so it’s hard to make a lot of changes,’’ Reese said. “We have guys who’ve watched these guys all year long and know them better than anybody. We always look at the process and see if we can do things differently or better. We’ll continue to do that. Scouting is scouting.’’
Reese took heat following the season when he stressed that finding and deciding on players is a collaborative effort. He has final say and bears the responsibility, he explained, but a player does not come through the doors of the Giants’ facility unless he is signed off on by coaches as well.
“You guys didn’t like that when I said that, said I was trying to duck that, that’s not true at all,’’ Reese said. “Ever since I’ve been here with the Giants, everybody has been part of the process. We come to a consensus on who we like, and ultimately if we don’t pick a guy that works out it’s my fault, it’s the general manager’s fault. But everybody is part of the process, and I’m not going to back off that. It’s the truth.’’
Unlike his predecessors, George Young and Ernie Accorsi, Reese has no interest in holding court with the media, and he knows he gets no benefit of the doubt because of the distance he prefers to keep. If this bothers him, it is a well-kept secret. He is adamant that the Giants’ draft history is not nearly the disaster it has been made out to be.
Unsolicited, Reese explained how risks he took on two players with checkered pasts — defensive tackle Marvin Austin (second round, 2011) and receiver Mario Manningham (third round, 2008) — produced a bust and a player who helped the Giants win a Super Bowl.
“One of the favorite guys people like to throw at us is Marvin Austin, a guy everybody says we spent a high pick on and we missed on him,’’ Reese said. “There’s plenty of Marvin Austins around the National Football League. I can give you an example of how we talked about him. Marvin Austin, we’re kind of like, ‘This guy’s going to be a hit or this guy’s going to be a miss.’ We missed on him. We said, ‘It’s probably not going to be anything in between.’ Take Mario Manningham, we said, ‘This guy is going to be a hit or a miss. Nothing in between.’ We hit on him.’’
Reese’s voice rises when running back David Wilson, the first-round pick in 2012, is mentioned as a Giants mistake. A neck injury forced Wilson into premature retirement.
“How can you call a guy a bust when he breaks his neck?’’ Reese asked. “If that sells papers or whatever you guys do, but for you guys to say things like that, it’s not fair. His name gets thrown right into the pot when you guys are trying to say how bulls–t the Giants’ personnel is.’’
Reese scanned the field and jotted down a note.
“One thing for sure, I’m going to give the New York Giants everything I have,’’ he said. “That’s never going to change.’’