Ralph Vacchiano | Facebook | Twitter | Archive

Change never comes easy to the Giants organization and big changes are historically rare.

But is one of the Giants owners ready to try and force some?

That's what some around the NFL seem to believe. In fact, multiple NFL sources have told SNY that they believe Steve Tisch, the co-owner of the Giants, is "very frustrated" with the current direction of his organization and will push for sweeping changes when he meets with co-owner John Mara after the season finale on Sunday. However, others believe Tisch has just been "venting" privately in the wake of a third straight miserable season and will defer to Mara in the end.

Meanwhile, others think everyone is simply projecting based on Tisch's public comments in early December, when he said he and Mara "have to be very honest with each other about where we see this team going into the 2020 season."

Tisch could not be reached for comment, and is not expected to speak publicly again until after the Giants decide the fates of coach Pat Shurmur and GM Dave Gettleman.

Tisch, of course, has a 50-50 stake in the Giants organization, but Mara has the final say on all football decisions. Still, Tisch's voice obviously carries weight and Mara takes his input seriously, especially when it comes to major decisions like this.

Tisch is the only member of the Giants' braintrust who has spoken publicly about the state of the organization this season. He was at a charity event on Dec. 3 when he spoke of that "very honest" conversation that ownership would have. He did not sound unusually angry or frustrated at the time.

He also did not offer anything close to a vote of confidence for Shurmur or Gettleman.

"It's a multi-step process," he told SNY at that event. "After the season, John Mara and I are going to sit down and have a number of conversations. We're going to look at every situation, every opportunity, every option and we're really going to approach it from 35,000 feet and see really what needs improvement, what we need to do, where we think there are other options.

"The direction we take the team hopefully in 2020 will result in a much better season next year."

It is still unclear if Mara will be receptive to major changes in the Giants' organization, whether Tisch wants them or not. Shurmur, who is 9-22 so far in his two seasons as Giants coach, is thought to be in far more danger than Gettleman, especially since the young players the GM has brought in are beginning to show some promise.

But in the wake of a fifth straight season with double-digit losses in the last six years, everything seems to be on the table, from changes to Shurmur's staff, to a coaching change, to the complete organizational overhaul.

Popular in the Community