The New York Giants almost never took a step without a map. This was often how decision-makers around the NFL framed co-owner John Mara. Known to be thoughtful, patient and levelheaded, he was the statesman amongst NFL billionaires, the man who brought balance to a room full of real estate magnates, retail barons, oil tycoons and all manner of 99.9 percenters. To the men who rarely listened to an outside voice, Mara’s input was universally valued.

That’s why the past 10 months in this franchise make little sense. Mara and the Giants seem to have lost their map. The Giants have fallen into an unfamiliar trench, pushed by the force of the bitter fallout with Tom Coughlin; the massive free-agent splurge; the Odell Beckham Jr. drama; and now, the definitive ugliness of the Josh Brown domestic violence allegations.

View photos Giants co-owner John Mara raised many eyebrows in his team’s handling of the John Brown domestic violence case. (AP) More

The team’s decisions and mistakes make it look like any other fallible franchise. Historically, that’s not this franchise. And it’s certainly not the Mara ownership, which has been known for staking the moral high ground, holding the line on important NFL issues and above all else, avoiding embarrassment.

Yet here we are, 10 months into a cycle that has been chipping away at a fairly pristine reputation. And drawing plenty of eyes around the league.

“Some things have happened [recently] that you’d expect from other places – but not under Mr. Mara,” said a longtime NFL executive. “I don’t like to talk about other organizations, but yeah, there have been some days where I raised an eyebrow and thought, ‘Wow. I did not expect that from [the Giants].’ … Maybe that’s a testament to Mr. Mara – that when things like this happen, it makes you sit up in your seat a little bit because it’s really not part of who they have been.”

Indeed, it’s rare that anyone has questioned who the Giants are. The team and the ownership have been on a consistent axis for decades – mostly known for being a mirror of Mara. At least, until this past 10 months, which has seen a swaying away from the centerline that was sadly punctuated by the Brown revelations. In reality, the Giants have had the NFL grapevine buzzing for a while. Until now, it was over football decisions. Now the mishandling of Brown has taken it to another level.

It started with the firing of Coughlin, the two-time winning Super Bowl coach who so resented Mara’s handling of his departure that he interviewed with and strongly considered coaching the much-hated Philadelphia Eagles. Even now, supporters of Coughlin – and there are many – blame Mara for what they perceive as using Coughlin as a scapegoat for a spate of damaging personnel mistakes by general manager Jerry Reese. And while Coughlin has denied doing a frozen flyby of Mara after his final news conference, the video of the moment will live on as a symbol of a close relationship cratering under the weight of hurt feelings.

Not long after Coughlin was fired, many in the personnel community believed Mara had zeroed in on former Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith as the choice to replace Coughlin. Smith was a measured, experienced choice who had a solid reputation and proven track record of running a straight ship in Atlanta. But to the surprise of some, Mara went with offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, who offered continuity for quarterback Eli Manning but also carried an unproven track record for managing a locker room.

It was head-scratching since the Giants are one of the crown jewel jobs in the NFL, an organization capable of landing almost any candidate when resources are mustered to full capacity. It’s an opening that carries strong league-shaping ownership, the highest-profile city in the country, a storied history, close ties to the league office and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback to boot. Yet without fully exploring all the options on the table, Mara (or someone in the building) zeroed in on McAdoo in what didn’t seem to be a particularly measured or patient process.

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