New York Giants: Dave Gettleman drops legendary line, more in press conference

General manager Dave Gettleman spoke with the media in a virtual press conference today to discuss his team, the New York Giants, or as he likes to call them, “The Fighting Joe Judges.” This is one of the highlight quotes from Gettleman’s press conference today.

The regular season kicks off in just under two weeks now. New York, along with the other NFL teams, has an important week of practices ahead of them as they trim down their rosters. Final rosters are due at the end of this week.

It has been a while since the media has met with Dave Gettleman, so they asked him questions on a variety of topics.

Dave Gettleman on Daniel Jones

Dave Gettleman’s defining draft pick of his career will be the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft: Daniel Jones. Gettleman had never been tasked with finding a team’s franchise quarterback until last year’s offseason. So far, Gettleman is “confident” in the decision he made, selecting Daniel Jones out of Duke.

Dave Gettleman said “I’m comfortable and confident with him right now,” referring to Jones. Gettleman thinks Jones is “Gonna be a fine NFL QB,” and showed real excitement when discussing his regular season. The general manager did mention Daniel’s fumbling issues in his rookie season, but Gettleman thinks the fumbles are “overshadowing” a season where Daniel Jones “did things no other rookie quarterback has ever done.”

Dave Gettleman on Aldrick Rosas and DeAndre Baker

The Giants had two key players get into serious legal trouble this offseason. Starting kicker Aldrick Rosas and starting cornerback DeAndre Baker were both arrested for different incidents. Gettleman was asked about these players today.

“There was nothing in Aldrick’s background, nothing in DeAndre’s background that would suggest these things would happen. It’s disappointing.” – Dave Gettleman on Aldrick Rosas and DeAndre Baker

For Gettleman to say there was nothing to suggest that these things would happen is a bit controversial. Aldrick Rosas was arrested in the past for driving under the influence, which seems like a good indicator that he could have problems driving again in the future. Gettleman responded to that, saying he “didn’t know [about Rosas’s previous arres] because I wasn’t here.”

DeAndre Baker is now on the NFL’s commissioner’s exempt list. This means he is on the Giants’ roster but he is not allowed to join their team activities. Gettleman said the Giants are “still in conversations” about whether or not they will cut DeAndre Baker.

Dave Gettleman on the Offensive Line

Since Dave Gettleman joined the New York Giants in 2018, he has made it a priority to rebuild the offensive line. When asked about his progress on that, Dave sounded pretty hopeful for the line’s future. Gettleman said this is the “closest we’ve ever been” to obtaining the offensive line that he envisioned for this team.

Dave Gettleman is confident that the Giants have “the right guys” on the offensive line. Gettleman said “they just gotta learn to play together,” but he is confident in his new offensive line.

Dave Gettleman on Logan Ryan

The New York Giants made a splash this week signing free agent cornerback Logan Ryan to a one-year deal worth $7.5 million. Ryan is a huge addition to the Giants’ secondary and will step in as one of the best players on the team instantly. When asked about his role in the Giants’ defense, Gettleman said he expects Ryan to play “well above 75-80 percent” of the team’s defensive snaps.

Dave Gettleman on the Future of the New York Giants

The Giants have lost a lot of games since Dave Gettleman took over in 2018. New York is 9-23 over the last two seasons. But Gettleman is now hopeful for the future and the direction of this team. He thinks they are headed in the right direction, thanks to three years of roster development. Gettleman also cited the team’s quarterback, “a heck of an RB,” and some pieces on both the offensive and defensive lines as reasons for optimism.

We’re getting there. – Dave Gettleman on the state of the 2020 New York Giants