Former Giants GM Dave Gettleman takes shots at media ‘clowns’

During his conversation with Stratton, Gettleman took aim at sports media. He criticized the media’s critical attitude toward NFL teams and even went as far as to call media personalities “clowns” during his tangent:

“I finally broke down and got a subscription to The Athletic,” Gettleman said. “Partly because it was $1 a month. But it’s like anything else. You got this guy giving every team grades, but you’ve got to be kidding me. Who are you? What have you done? When have you put your nuts on the line?

“But sadly, you got owners listening to these clowns, and even GMs listening to these clowns.”

The Giants haven’t received a whole lot of criticism from the media this offseason, however. They have been largely praised for their offseason moves and received high grades for their 2024 draft class. The blockbuster trade to acquire pass-rusher Brian Burns was also universally praised and the media seems high on the team’s current front office.

Granted, the media was rather critical of the team during Gettleman’s tenure, which has probably fueled his dissent toward the media. But the media’s criticisms were valid based on the results that Gettleman’s team delivered across his four seasons.

How did the Giants fare with Gettleman at the helm?

Gettleman’s tenure with the Giants was largely unsuccessful. During his four seasons as general manager, New York never had a winning season. The team went 19–46 (.292) during the Gettleman era and reached .500 only once, during Week 4 of the 2019 season.

Following Gettleman’s departure, the Giants immediately returned to prominence (albeit a brief stint back near the top). They made the playoffs in 2022, Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll’s first season with the organization. They have since struggled to maintain that success, but the Giants are certainly headed in a more encouraging direction under Schoen’s leadership than they were when Gettleman had led the team.