New York Giants’ Head Coach Will Be Fired If He Doesn’t Make This Change
Brian Daboll is officially on thin ice.
One year after being named the NFL's Coach of the Year, the good grace earned by Daboll from Giants' fans seems to have completely disappeared. The same coach that orchestrated one of most surprisingly positive seasons in Giants' history, is now fresh off of orchestrating one of the most surprisingly negative seasons we can remember.
Since the final game, the situation has somehow worsened in New York. Daboll's coaching style has been heavily criticized, and his strained relationship with a subordinate led that coach to leave the staff acrimoniously.
Daboll won't be fired this offseason, but if he doesn't make a few changes, he'll be out of a job in one year's time.
Key to Success for Brian Daboll in New York is Managing Temper and Emotions
Based on reporting done by Paul Schwartz and Pat Leonard, here's what I've learned: Brian Daboll is an emotional, high-energy person, and wears his heart on his sleeve at all times when coaching. When he's winning games, his style is viewed as rah-rah and player-friendly.
Because of this, fans couldn't get enough of Brian Daboll last year.
This year, however, the season seemed to be in a tailspin from Week 1 (thanks, Dallas), and Daboll appeared to be doing nothing to help the cause. What was once a coach who was viewed as fiercely competitive, became a coach who, at times, acted like a raving maniac on the sidelines.
He tossed a tablet at his quarterback in disgust. He WTF'd his way through conversations with players during games. It just never felt quite "right" with him this season.
Then, stories began to leak out to the media.
These stories, though disappointing, completely matched the "eye test" of actions that fans had observed on the sidelines. Brian Daboll and Wink Martindale were not seeing eye-to-eye, and neither party seemed overly interested in mending the fence.
Martindale would ignore Daboll's authority, while Daboll would demand that Martindale change his play-calling during games, regardless of the outcome. Things became toxic between the two, and the once-fruitful marriage ended in disaster, when Martindale cursed out Daboll, left the team facility, and abandoned the team completely.
In addition to the rumors about him and Martindale, we also had reports saying he would periodically take play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, only to return them, then take them back again.
If you believe the reporting that's been done on the Giants this offseason, which I do, then Brian Daboll needs to change his ways, and fast. He needs to build a culture of collaboration for his staff, and a reputation of level-headed guidance for his players.
Otherwise, the New York Giants will be hiring themselves a new coach in 2025.
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