PHOENIX — A year later, a year better.

That should be the case with Joe Schoen, the second-year general manager of the Giants.

At this time last year, Schoen was in Florida, walking around the Breakers Palm Beach resort, trying to get a handle on his new position during his first time at the NFL owners’ meetings as the man in charge of running a team.

He needed to improve his knowledge of the roster (much of which he inherited), to learn about the scouts and front office personnel he was handed, to upgrade the talent on the team despite extremely little salary-cap space and to grow more comfortable in his new, expanded role after serving as the assistant general manager in Buffalo.