New York Giants general manager Jerry Reese quietly made some changes to roster building that have paid off handsomely for the team in 2016.

About a year ago, there was little doubt about what New York Giants team owner John Mara was feeling after having witnessed his franchise flounder for a fourth straight year without a playoff berth, and a third straight year without a wining record.

“Jerry knows this is on him,” Mara said of his team’s general manager, Jerry Reese. “I’ve had that discussion. You can’t hide from the record. It’s up to you now to get it fixed because the last three years are just not acceptable.”

Despite his simmering anger, Mara, who said the Giants “need to make changes in personnel,” was intent on sticking with Reese. As it turns out, that was whole-heartedly the right decision.

A year later, Reese and the personnel department have indeed changed some of their ways. While not everything has gone exactly accounting to plan—more on that in the postscript—here’s a look at some areas where Reese altered the organization’s approach, and how those changes have helped get the Giants back on track.