New York Giants: One Major Positive Dave Gettleman Has Brought to the Giants

New York Giants, John Mara, Dave Gettleman
May 11, 2018; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants owner John Mara (left) and general manager Dave Gettleman on the field during rookie minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center on Friday. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY SPORTS

While the Odell Beckham Jr. and Eli Apple antics are a thing of the past, the New York Giants are still weeding out the bad “apples” from the bunch.

General manager Dave Gettleman was hired to do one thing – clean house and start fresh. He surely made an immediate impact trading away half of the team and releasing the rest in his first year. He turned over the defense entirely and rebuilt the offensive line from left to right tackle. Every decision has been calculated, while others have been forced.

ESPN recently reported that edge rusher Olivier Vernon had a run-in with head coach Pat Shurmur:

“Vernon had a run-in with Shurmur during a team meeting last season when he took offense to the coach’s public criticism; it occurred in front of the entire team,” Raanan said.

What has Dave Gettleman brought to the New York Giants?

Gettleman’s major influence has been establishing a success-driven locker room culture. The new GM is a no-BS type of businessman, seeking clear-cut production and positive reinforcement.

Bringing in players like Alec Ogletree, Jonathan Stewart, Conor Barwin, Michael Thomas, Nate Solder, and even Saquon Barkley assisted in the changing of the culture. It’s one of those intangible factors that’s often overlooked, but it’s a necessity when it comes to building a winning team.

Remember when the locker room was falling apart at the seams with Apple and Landon Collins getting in weekly fights? That’s unacceptable.

Only 14 faces remain from the previous regime that lost the battle at Metlife to retain their jobs in 2017. Beckham is gone along with Vernon, Collins, Jason Pierre-Paul, Damon Harrison, and the ever annoying Apple.

Some quality players, others were perennial Pro Bowlers. Cleaning house isn’t an easy task to finish – it requires plenty of difficult decisions that provide other opportunities by means of draft picks or players in return. There’s no clear-cut blueprint to turning over a franchise and coming out on the other side.

Gettleman has made several questionable calls, but at the end of the day, the team has begun to fill in the holes left behind from the Jerry Reese and Marc Ross era. There’s still plenty more to do, but the Giants are on the right track, so it seems.