New York Giants’ John Mara stands behind Joe Judge, more in press conference

New York Giants, John Mara
Oct 15, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; New York Giants president, CEO, and co-owner John Mara before the game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Giants have had their top coaches conduct press conferences via Zoom over the past few weeks. Now, the higher-ups are being interviewed, too. General manager Dave Gettleman conducted a press conference yesterday, giving plenty of insight into the Giants’ offseason and future. Today, the Giants’ co-owner John Mara had his interview with the New Jersey beat writers.

John Mara on Joe Judge

The Giants’ new head coach, Joe Judge, has had an excellent week in the eyes of the media. He seemed to clearly have his players won over in practice, and he received a ringing endorsement from general manager Dave Gettleman. Now John Mara has also expressed great pleasure with his rookie head coach’s first offseason.

One thing Mara likes about Judge is his “ability to see the big picture.” John will not “blow the whole thing up again” if things do not go according to plan this season, but he will be “very disappointed” if the team is not competitive in December.

Regardless of how well Judge has done this offseason, it will not be enough to satisfy Mara long-term. Mara made it clear that he “just wants to see results. … At the end of the day, it’s about wins and losses.” But Mara does stand behind Joe Judge and has confidence in him heading into the 2020 season.

John Mara on the Future of the New York Giants

Ownership is here to stay. John Mara made that clear today. When asked about speculation regarding a possible sale of the team, Mara said, “No. We’re in this for the long haul.”

Mara is also confident in the direction that the team is heading. He discussed his team’s young quarterback, saying he “feels good” about Daniel Jones and the “amount of work he’s put in, the way he’s worked at camp.”

He continued to say that the Giants’ coaching staff is “very high on” Jones and that “guys who have been around very successful quarterbacks in the past feel he has what it takes to get us to the next level.” Encouraging signs for Danny Dimes as he heads into year two of his career.

Mara is optimistic about his quarterback and his team’s future. However, he is “not all that optimistic” that the Giants will have fans in the stands at MetLife Stadium this season.

John Mara on DeAndre Baker

The New York Giants saw two of their players get into serious legal trouble this offseason. Starters DeAndre Baker (cornerback) and Aldrick Rosas (kicker) were both arrested for different incidents. John Mara finally addressed DeAndre Baker’s arrest and the team’s future plans for the second-year cornerback who is currently on the NFL’s commissioner’s exempt list.

John Mara considered DeAndre Baker’s incident to be a “shock.” He admitted that there were red flags pre-draft, but nothing indicative of future criminal activity. Mara said the situation is “embarrassing for the organization and something we’ll have to deal with,” and that “a decision will be made sooner rather than later.”

John Mara On Players Protesting

John Mara stated that he prefers if everyone stands for the national anthem, but he supports his players if they choose not to stand.

“I support a player’s right to engage in silent protest.” – John Mara

John Mara continued, saying “I understand that’s not going to be popular with certain segments of our fanbase, but I think it’s the right thing to do.”