ALBANY, N.Y. – The Giants' pro personnel department has been restructured at the top.
Ken Sternfeld is the team's new Director of Pro Personnel. He spent the previous 10 seasons as the assistant director. Dave Gettleman, who had been the director since 1999, has moved into the new position of Senior Pro Personnel Analyst.
Sternfeld and pro scouts Matt Shauger and Patrick Hanscomb – with help from longtime department assistant Andrea Wagner – will scout the Giants' opponents. Gettleman will focus on individual NFL players.
"Dave has been a great mentor for myself and Kenny," said general manager Jerry Reese, who was Gettleman's assistant from 1999-2001. "He is a true professional that knows the business and he has the Super Bowl rings to back it up.
"Kenny is well-rounded, a tireless worker and well-prepared to take over as Director of Pro Personnel."
Sternfeld joined the Giants on May 12, 2002 after spending 21 years with the New England Patriots in a variety of capacities, primarily in scouting. Prior to joining the Giants, he served as a college scout assigned to the East Coast region. Sternfeld has more than 20 years of pro and college scouting experience and has contributed to 10 playoff teams and three Super Bowl champions.
"Dave has been a great mentor and leader to me," Sternfeld said. "I've learned a lot about the game from Dave. We've had great success all those years. Dave has such tremendous knowledge of the game and the players in the league, and having him around will be an advantage for me and for the team to retain his knowledge."
The coaching staff relies heavily on the personnel department's weekly scouting reports and Sternfeld is confident his group will maintain the standard for excellence established under Gettleman.
"The advances will be handled by Matt Shauger, Patrick Hanscomb and me," Sternfeld said. "We've all worked well together. These guys are terrific young scouts. They do a thorough job and they are very well-versed in handling many things. The anchor behind everyone is Andrea. She keeps us all in line and she is terrific as far as helping us with everything that needs to be done.
"We have a tremendous amount of confidence in Patrick and Matt and Andrea. They are professionals and they take pride in what they do and they are thorough and enthusiastic. These guys are passionate about what they do. They've worked Super Bowls, NFC Championship Games, playoff games; Matt and Patrick have done a great job under tremendous pressure. We're looking forward to continuing those wins."
Gettleman will no longer travel to scout opponents, but he will remain a vital contributor to the personnel department.
"My role moving forward will be strictly player evaluation," he said. "Once the season begins, my first responsibility will be to get all the practice squad guys (in the NFL) graded. From there we'll start working on unrestricted free agents. It's a little bit of a restructuring in the way the pro personnel department operates. I thought at this point in my career it was time to take a step back and re-evaluate. We've been very successful."
Gettleman brought Sternfeld to the Giants and is certain his protégé will excel in his new role.
"Kenny is ready to be the Director of Pro Personnel," Gettleman said. "I'm excited for him in his new challenge. He knows I'll be there for him to help him in any way I can. Matt and Patrick have more than proven they are capable of being able to step up into larger roles.
"It's a great opportunity for Kenny to really put his imprint on the department. And I'm very excited about this new role and what it means to the team. I'll still be able to contribute in a big way."
