Former executive blasts Giants after 'Hard Knocks' season debut

Former NFL executive and current analyst Michael Lombardi walked away from watching the first episode of the "Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" show possessing little faith that general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will immediately get the organization back on track following a 6-11 season.

"They don’t know what a Giant player is," Lombardi said during a recent edition of his "Lombardi Line" podcast about individuals within the team's front office, as shared by Joey Chandler of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "To me, that’s the biggest problem I took away from it. What is a Giant player? Like, who are we? What is our identity? You can’t get that from (defensive coordinator) Shane Bowen. You can’t get that from (offensive coordinator) Mike Kafka. You have to have an identity from who you are as a team."

Part of the program's opening episode dealt with the Giants ultimately letting star running back Saquon Barkley reach free agency. In March, Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75M contract that could be worth up to $46.75M with $26M fully guaranteed to join the rival Philadelphia Eagles.

A different part of the episode suggested that Schoen believes quarterback Daniel Jones "didn't have much of a chance this year" playing behind a woeful offensive line. Jones suffered a torn ACL in his right knee on Nov. 5, and the Giants were subsequently linked in stories with North Carolina Tar Heels signal-caller Drake Maye.

Big Blue ultimately spent overall draft pick No. 6 to grab LSU Tigers wide receiver Malik Nabers, while the New England Patriots took Maye with the third selection.

"There was a stronghold that somewhere on some tape that I can’t find that Daniel Jones has played above the line, which I can't find that tape," Lombardi added. "I don’t see it. They act like, 'If (Jones) is healthy, we are going to be really good,' and I am missing that. So for me, that was a hard thing to understand and get my arms around."

Jones is heading into a make-or-break campaign considering the Giants can escape his contract next offseason. If he flops or goes down with another serious injury, he, along with Schoen and Daboll, could be shown the door in early 2025.