Brian Daboll is the new head coach of the New York Giants. What can Giants fans expect?
An Improved and Flexible Offense
Brian Daboll is not a system guy. Being a system guy is not a problem when all the pieces are in place. However, system coaches trying to force players into fitting a mold has been an issue in the past. Brian Daboll said to the press that he will determine how to best utilize his players. This is something that the Giants have failed to do for the past two years under Judge.
Fortunately, Daboll actually proved that he can do this while he was the offensive coordinator in Buffalo. Hopefully, he can replicate this success with the Giants. That said, the Giants still need more pieces in place offensively for even the greatest offensive guru to get them to a level of competency.
A Balance of Likeability and Respectability from the Players
Kawika Mitchell joined the NY Giants Rush podcast in Mid-January. In the podcast, when asked about what makes a great head coach, he said that the coach has to command respect, but also give respect to his players and be able to connect with them. The Giants have had an issue since the departure of Tom Coughlin of finding a head coach that has a balance of player respectability, football smarts, and their ability to deal with the media. Daboll’s first press conference as a Giants head coach, he had a balance of establishing serious expectations, while also cracking several jokes along the way. It seems to be the perfect mix. Bills players have nothing but high regard for Daboll. Daboll has mentioned that he wants to get to know the players on a personal level but also established himself as a leader. Hopefully Daboll is the right balance of what the Giants have been missing at Head Coach.
Quarterback Improvement
Brian Daboll has already discussed how he will handle Daniel Jones. Daboll had conversations with Daniel Jones about what his strengths are and what he is most comfortable with. Expect Daboll to establish an offensive system and a set of play calls that put Daniel Jones in the best position to succeed. Although many fans have thrown in the towel on Daniel Jones, it was clear that the play calling was not in alignment to his best abilities (Seriously, where’s the rollout play-action).
Jones was stuck in a crumbling pocket with Saquon Barkley as a blocking back. With a horrific offensive line, there was no way of telling if Daniel Jones is good or not. If Daboll is truly able to get Daniel Jones in a position to perform to his best abilities, then we will finally get the verdict on Daniel Jones’s future with the team. Daboll did this with Josh Allen in Buffalo. Allen did have some early struggles in his career, but Daboll focused on building the right system for him in the long run. It is safe to say that Daboll’s coaching had a positive impact on Allen’s development, and Giants fans might be able to look forward to additional development with Daniel Jones next year. (Note: Daboll oversaw Tua Tagovailoa & Jalen Hurts development while he was at Alabama as the OC/QB coach).
In Sync with the General Manager
When you have a General Manager and Heach Coach that are completely in sync, it is like having an efficient assembly line process. The General Manager will bring in the talent, and the head coach will develop the players and utilize them to the best of their abilities. The Bills have successfully done this over the past several seasons while Schoen and Daboll were working on the same staff. Schoen wanting Daboll as the head coach shows that he had confidence that they can replicate that system in New York.
What to Make of his 2007-2012 Resume
This has been the most frightening part of Daboll’s history. Daboll not only has a history of success, but also one of failure. Between 2007 and 2012, Daboll was in charge of atrocious offenses. His tenure as the Quarterbacks Coach of the jets from 2007 to 2008 was infamous to say the least (not for Daboll, but for his quarterback Brett Favre). As the Browns Offensive Coordinator between 2009 and 2010, they finished bottom 4 in the league. He had similar success in Miami in 2011 and Kansas City in 2012 as well. However, Giants fans shouldn’t worry about this so much. Daboll joined situations much worse than the Giants are in right now.
The Browns were in a situation where they never wanted the coaching administration in the first place. Mangini’s staff was seen as a placeholder for a future one. He also was not dealt with a quarterback that had the means to become a franchise player while he was there. While in Miami and Kansas City, he joined coaching staff in their last years before house-cleanings.
In short, similar to Daniel Jones the past several seasons, Daboll was not in a situation where he could prove his abilities. With better means at Alabama and in Buffalo, he was able to do that. It is also safe to say that he made changes to his offensive coaching style between 2012 and 2017 when he was the offensive coordinator of Alabama’s National Championship team. Many coaches who get fired take the time to figure out how to be better coaches the next time around. Daboll clearly used his time wisely and has proven to be an offensive-minded success in two different offensive coordinator tenures for Alabama and Buffalo respectively.
So What to Expect?
The Bengals went from four wins in 2020 to AFC champions at 10-7. Expect nothing less from Daboll. No, seriously, don’t set expectations low. 10 Wins the floor at NY Giants Rush.
Odds the Giants win 10 games in 2022?