Quotables: John Mara avoids making predictions for Giants’ season
John Mara missed the mark with his predictions last year, so he’s staying quiet about the New York Giants’ chances this time around.
Jim O’Connor-USA TODAY Sports
-John Mara, New York Giants owner
New York Giants owner John Mara thinks the team got better this offseason, and believes it will improve on the 7-9 record from last year. He will not, however, make any grand predictions as to the team’s success, given how badly he missed last season. Mara said the Giants would field the best team they’d had in years last season and that ... wasn’t exactly true.
“I was the same idiot who said last year it was the best team we’d had in years, and look what happened,” Mara said, via Tom Rock of Newsday. He then added that the Giants “have the pieces in place,” but that it’s “hard to tell.” New York has definitely been one of those more inconsistent teams when it comes to regular season wins, but once it makes it to the playoffs, it’s a different story. But going 7-9 again won’t get them there.
“I think I’m on the backburner just because of the option. That’s fine with me.”
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is a big fan of Andy Dalton, and the feeling is mutual. The quarterback-receiver duo entered the league together and they've both enjoyed a decent amount of success together. But both of them will need a new contract, and soon. Dalton's contract is up after this season, and the Bengals are likely hesitant to pay him like a top quarterback due to his struggles in the playoffs.
Green, on the other hand, has not struggled at all. He’s one of the most prolific receivers in the NFL, but he thinks that his contract is on the backburner. That’s because he’s got a fifth-year option that has already been exercised. “I think I’m on the backburner just because of the option,” Green said, via the official website, “That’s fine with me.” Green will make $10.5 million in 2015.
“That will be it, pretty much. Unless something big comes up.”
-Mike Holmgren
Former NFL head coach Mike Holmgren was the subject of a long, interesting piece over at the MMQB. Holmgren is officially retired, but he did refer to it as “semi-retired” in the piece. It talks a lot about what he does now that he’s technically out of football, and how much he misses it. He definitely comes off as a man conflicted with where he’s at.
Most recently, Holmgren was the president of the Cleveland Browns, a team that has been mired in so much coaching turnover that it wasn't shocking in the least when the new regime wanted to replace him. It was definitely not a great way to go out if you had the career highs that Holmgren had. At the end of the piece, he says that, once that contract is officially up, "That will be it, pretty much. Unless something big comes up."
"And if you're looking for a player for whom the Broncos have cleared the way to shine most, it's Montee Ball."
-Jeff Legwold, ESPN
The Denver Broncos are a pass-first team. That much is not going to change so long as Peyton Manning is still the quarterback. Despite a record-breaking pass offense, the Broncos still fielded a very solid rushing attack last season, with 117.1 rushing yards per game on average, good for No. 15 in the league. But the Broncos are embracing youth at the running back position, which could mean big things for Montee Ball.
Ball was the No. 2 back last season, carrying the ball 120 times for 559 yards and four touchdowns. But ESPN beat writer Jeff Legwold thinks this could be the time for Ball to shine. Legwold says the Broncos have “cleared the way” for Ball to shine, and he’ll get every opportunity to be the feature back in this offense next season.
See More:
