Giants' John Mara not optimistic about having fans at MetLife Stadium this season

There was a point, in the depths of the pandemic, when John Mara had doubts whether the 2020 NFL season would even be played.

He’s still not sure all 256 regular-season games will happen, but he said on Thursday — one week ahead of the league’s regular-season kickoff game — that the NFL will play a relatively full schedule.

“I am definitely more confident now,” he said after a month of training camps and low positive test results throughout the league. “Given the way the protocols have worked so far and given the very low rate of positive tests, I think we’ve got a good chance to play a full season. Obviously there are going to be some setbacks during the season we’ll have to deal with, but I think we have the protocols and process in place to be able to, if it means postponing a game here or there, we’ll be able to do that. Time will tell, but I think the players and staffs have done a great job of being responsible and our testing results so far have been terrific. I never would have believed that we would get back so few positive tests. I hope I’m not jinxing it by saying that, but it has worked very well so far.”

Having players on the field is one thing. Having fans in the stands is another. The Giants are one of the league’s teams that will not have any for their home games.

“I’m hopeful at some point we can have them back in,” Mara said, “but I have to say I’m not overly optimistic about that.”

He said he has had conversations with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy about the possibility of opening MetLife Stadium to the public later this season.

“We’re very supportive of what he has been doing so far,” Mara said. “The most important thing is the health and safety of our players and our staff and the fans entering the building, too. If we get to a point where the state believes we can do this safely, then we’ll consider letting fans in the building, but I’m not sure we’re at that point now. We just have to be supportive of what the governor is trying to do.”

Of course the Giants will play in front of some fans . . . on the road. Other teams — most notably the Dallas Cowboys — will have crowds at their games. Mara would not deny that such a circumstance can be a competitive advantage. But he said there is very little that can be done to balance that out.

“That’s just the way it’s going to be,” he said. “We just have to accept the fact that this is going to be an unusual year. It’s not necessarily going to be competitively fair in the sense that some teams are going to have fans in the building and some teams are not. But that’s just the way it is and we just have to deal with it. Certain areas of the country are going to be a little more liberal about letting people in the building. That’s just something we have to accept and move forward.”

The pandemic may also affect the number of games each team plays. It could create a situation where one team wins more games than another but misses out on a playoff spot because of winning percentages.

“If that’s the case then so be it,” Mara said. “It’s just something we’re going to have to accept. We may not like it if it happens, but we’re dealing with such unusual circumstances we just have to be reasonable about it.”

MARA ON BAKER: DIDN’T SEE IT COMING

Mara said the four felony armed robbery charges against DeAndre Baker in Florida are an “embarrassment” to the Giants and indicated that the team will cut ties with him “sooner rather than later.” Baker is currently on the commissioner’s exempt list and it is expected the Giants will release him before the regular season begins.

But Mara vehemently denied that the Giants should have known Baker was headed toward such a situation when they drafted him with a first-round pick last year.

“That was something we did not see coming,” Mara said. “I read some stories saying there were red flags about him, but not in the sense that you are concerned about criminal conduct at all. Obviously it’s something that has embarrassed the organization and it’s something we’re going to have to deal with. It happens from time to time. Fortunately 99.9% of our players are good citizens and this was one that we didn’t see coming and it’s something we’re going to have to deal with.”

NEXT STEP FOR JONES

Mara likes what he has seen from Daniel Jones, both as a rookie in 2019 and in this training camp. Now he wants to see more.

“I’d like to see him take the next step this year and I am confident he will do that,” Mara said.

The last time the Giants had a potential franchise quarterback in his second NFL season, Eli Manning guided the 2005 Giants to an NFC East title. That may not be the next step Mara is holding Jones to, but he clearly has high expectations.

“The thing that is gratifying to me is I know the coaching staff is very high on him,” Mara said. “Guys who have been around a lot of successful quarterbacks in the past, they think he has what it takes to get us to the next level. Every indication so far is that he has what it takes.

“I feel good about where Daniel is right now,” Mara added. “I think he did a good job last year. He had the issue with the turnovers but he showed a lot of grit and a lot of promise and made a lot of big plays and I think with the right supporting cast around him, the sky is the limit for him.”

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.