Tag: Brian DaBoll

Giants’ Brian Daboll scouted Michael Penix Jr. at UW pro day

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll attended the Washington pro day where he got a close look at QB Michael Penix Jr.

The New York Giants have been linked to a number of quarterback prospects ahead of the 2024 NFL draft and the plot thickened earlier this week when Giants co-owner John Mara said he would support the decision to draft a QB.

With pro days now in full swing, the Giants have been actively scouting the draft’s top quarterbacks.

Coincidentally, both the University of North Carolina and the University of Washington’s pro days were on Thursday.

While there were representatives present for the Giants at the UNC pro day, head coach Brian Daboll attended the Washington pro day likely to see Michael Penix Jr.

Penix Jr. would likely be available at sixth overall, but there is debate on whether he is a first-round talent. However, after impressing at his pro day, one NFL coach called him a “first-round lock.”

There is a scenario where four quarterbacks go before the Giants pick at sixth overall, so if they are locked in to draft a quarterback they have to do their due diligence on Penix and possibly Oregon’s Bo Nix.

The other position the Giants have been linked to in mock drafts is wide receiver and it will be interesting to see if they will move up or down or stay at six to get the player they are targeting.

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Giants’ Brian Daboll says he may strip play-calling duties from Mike Kafka

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll admits he’s considering taking over play-calling duties from assistant head coach Mike Kafka.

When the New York Giants promoted Mike Kafka to assistant head coach earlier this offseason, it was not necessarily a measure of goodwill.

There had been an ugly fallout and subsequent divorce with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, which came on the heels of special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey being fired. At the same time, rumors were swirling about head coach Brian Daboll’s explosive personality.

From a public relations standpoint, it would have created poor optics to have Kafka depart East Rutherford and Daboll to lose all three of his coordinators.

So with interest in Kafka rising — particularly from the Seattle Seahawks — the Giants opted to promote the offensive coordinator to prevent him from from taking a lateral position, which is something Kafka was open to.

One of Kafka’s primary concerns was that Daboll would strip him of play-calling duties, which happened several times throughout the 2023 regular season.

As it turns out, Kafka was justified in those concerns.

While speaking with reporters at the Annual League Meeting, Daboll confirmed that he is considering taking play-calling duties away from Kafka.

“It’s something I’m looking into,” Daboll said, via NFL Network. “I think there’s 20 head coaches at this point in time that call plays in the league (either offensively or defensively). . . There might be a little bit more. I’ve been doing a bunch of research, but no decision has been made. I’m still going through that process, thinking about what we need to do.”

Before being hired as the Giants’ head coach, Daboll handled the play-calling duties for the Buffalo Bills. That experience, he says, factors into the pending decision.

“Certainly,” he said. “I did it for a long time. There’s a lot of things that go into it. Part of the evaluation that I talked about, there are some other things that I’m looking into. I take my time and do what I think is best for the team.”

If Daboll does take on the added responsibility of calling the plays — something that appears certain at this point — how will it impact his remaining duties as head coach?

“Still working through that process,” Daboll said. “There’s quite a bit of people nowadays that do that. So, again, it’s something that I’ll look into. Whatever I feel is best for the football team, that’s the way we go.”

As it relates to Kafka, he can enjoy a nice new title for his resume and less responsibility on the job. This will undoubtedly be his final season in East Rutherford.

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Brian Daboll wished he ‘handled things differently’ last year

New York Giants HC Brian Daboll has done some self evaluation.

Brian Daboll is switching gears as he embarks on his third season has head coach of the New York Giants.

On Tuesday morning at the NFC coaches’ breakfast with reporters at the annual league meeting in Orlando, Daboll admitted his first two seasons did not go exactly according to plan.

So, he’s evolving.

Daboll butted heads with many of his assistant coaches and even went as far to purge his staff of two coordinators (Wink Martindale and Thomas McGaughey) and several other assistants, including offensive line coach Bobby Johnson this offseason.

That contentiousness may continue with his remaining coordinator, Mike Kafka, whom Daboll has also not seen exactly eye-to-eye with. Daboll was asked if he would assume the offensive playcalling this season. He didn’t run it out.

Kafka is seen around the league as a future head coach and probably should have landed one of the half-dozen jobs he’s interviewed for the past two offseasons.

It’s clear he’ll always be second banana to Daboll here in New York, something Daboll continues to stress even though he’s promoted Kafka to assistant head coach.

Daboll’s volatile style has not escaped the eye of management. On Monday, CEO John Mara told reporters he wished Daboll would ‘tone it down’ at times but ‘I still very firmly believe that Brian is the right guy for us going forward.’

Giants’ John Mara sometimes wishes Brian Daboll would ‘tone it down a little bit’

Giants owner John Mara does not believe the franchise has a culture problem, despite all of the evidence to the contrary.

New York Giants owner John Mara is generally pretty involved in what happens with his team.

He is the principal owner, president and CEO of the franchise and he knows everything that happens with this team, which is why his comments at today’s press conference were somewhat surprising.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll may not behave irrationally, but that doesn’t mean he gets to walk around treating people disrespectfully, either, which he clearly does — and that has obviously led to a culture problem in the Giants’ building.

Don’t agree?

Forget the Wink stuff for now, it’s not even about that.

There are reports that Daboll makes things personal during outbursts, that the current environment is toxic, that assistants from other organizations have been warned to “stay away” from this environment, and that Daboll’s volatility cost him coaching jobs in the past.

While speaking to reporters during the annual league meetings on Monday, Mara admitted he wishes Daboll would “tone it down a little bit” but also downplayed the issue and rejected the idea of a culture problem.

“There are times when I wish he would tone it down a little bit,” Mara said, per Darryl Slater of NJ.com. “But I’m also in the team meetings, and I see how he acts around his coaches in the office. And he always maintains his cool there. Does he get excitable during the games sometimes? Yeah. So do I. But I don’t think it’s a major issue. I don’t think it affects the culture that we have in the building at all. I still very firmly believe that Brian is the right guy for us going forward. I want him to be himself at the end of the day. If I get to the point where I think he’s acting irrationally and it’s affecting his performance, I certainly would have a word with him. I have not seen that.”

Now consider a few other things.

Ex-Giant Jon Feliciano said he was unsurprised by the Daboll/Martindale fallout, which points to his understanding of how Daboll is perceived.

Several teams, including the Carolina Panthers, blocked staff from interviewing with the Giants.

Whether that was for their franchise or for the protection of their staff members doesn’t really matter, the perception is the same. This led to the Giants’ options for a new defensive coordinator wilting away as the “bigger” names didn’t want to come here, which forced them to adjust their tactics.

The final thing to consider is how the Giants handled Wink’s departure. They worked him out the door by first firing two of his top assistants, Drew and Kevin Wilkins, and that resulted in Wink’s resignation a few days later.

Explain how there is not a culture problem in the building. Would you want to work for a company that conducted business in this way?

Hindsight is always 20/20, but it is mind boggling to hear Mara say that there is no culture problem in the organization when there is so much evidence to the contrary.

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Devin Singletary joins former Bills by signing with Giants

Devin Singletary joins former #Bills, signs with #Giants:

The New York Giants decided to sign a former Buffalo Bills player to fill some huge shoes.

The Giants lost former marquee player, running back Saquon Barkley, to the Philadelphia Eagles, a division rival. The Eagles signed Barkley as a free agent last week.

In response, Singletary heads to New York. The Giants went on to sign him to a three-year deal last week as well.

The 26-year-old Singletary was a third-round pick of the Bills in the 2019 NFL draft. During his span in western New York, he played under current New York head coach Brian Daboll, who was the team’s offensive coordinator.

Singletary remained in Buffalo for four years before signing with the Texans on a one-year deal last offseason–Now he’s off to the Big Apple like numerous other former Bills players have done since Daboll’s arrival.

In 78 career games (66 starts), Singletary has gained 4,049 yards (4.6 ypc) and scored 20 touchdowns on the ground. He’s also hauled in 175 receptions for 1,164 yards and four touchdowns, and completed his only pass for a six-yard touchdown.

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Colin Cowherd: Giants are like a failed Blockbuster franchise

Colin Cowherd recently compared the New York Giants to a failed Blockbuster franchise: One of the NFL’s biggest messes.

The New York Giants have the worst record of any NFC team over the past decade. That’s a fact that cannot be disputed.

The Giants’ fall from grace is frequent fodder for national talk radio and television host Colin Cowherd, who loves to take shots at the Big Blue front office and ownership.

“If you had an optimism meter in the NFL, the bottom of it has to be Carolina and the Giants if they lose Saquon Barkley,” Cowherd said this week on his daily show on FOX Sports, via Awful Announcing.

“Daniel Jones in games that Saquon doesn’t play is 8-14. When I look at the Giants, when I was back there years ago, I felt like it was this great successful accounting firm. They feel like Blockbuster Video. They have not pivoted. Not very good upstairs. In 12 seasons since winning the Super Bowl, they have one double-digit winning season. And that is in the weaker NFC.

“Outside of Carolina, what is a bigger mess in the NFL? You have an owner that wants a quarterback that the GM and the coach privately don’t want. With Saquon Barkley, it is a BB gun offense. Without him, it’s a cracked water pistol. It’s bad, it is bad.”

It has been reported that Giants owner John Mara was not directly involved in the Daniel Jones contract. But, Cowherd comparing the Giants to fallen video behemoth Blockbuster is a correct analogy, one that really can’t be argued with.

Although most of the Giants’ woes can be pinned on the tunnel vision of previous general manager Dave Gettleman, current GM Joe Schoen has quite a few misses of his own.

Schoen and his head coach, Brian Daboll, appear to have the full confidence of ownership but that will wane if the team does not begin winning with regularity starting this year.

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Giants had ‘exploratory meeting’ with Russell Wilson

The New York Giants hosted an “an exploratory meeting” with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson this week.

The New York Giants are in the market for a quarterback this offseason.

On Friday morning, veteran quarterback Russell Wilson stopped over in East Rutherford for an “exploratory meeting” with the New York Giants before traveling to Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen is adamant that the team will add a quarterback, citing a lack of depth. Tyrod Taylor is an pending free agent, and Daniel Jones, the presumed starter, is recovering from a neck injury and torn ACL.

Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll say Jones will be the starter. And although there is early optimism that DJ can return in time for training camp, there remains a possibility that he will miss the first few weeks of the regular season.

The 35-year-old Wilson is technically still a member of the Denver Broncos, but the team has announced he will be released in the coming days. He’s been granted permission to meet with other teams.

Wilson has some very limited crossover with Giants passing game coordinator/QB coach Shea Tierney.

In 15 games last season, Wilson completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 341 yards (4.3 ypc) and three touchdowns.

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Drake Maye: Giants’ Brian Daboll one of best offensive minds in football

Drake Maye says New York Giants coach Brian Daboll is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL and he also had high praise for Eli Manning.

The New York Giants could be looking at a quarterback with the sixth overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

If North Carolina’s Drake Maye is still on the board when the Giants pick, they could reel him in. He would like that as his interactions with Big Blue thus far have all been positive.

“It was good in there. Meeting with coach (Brian) Daboll, big fan of him, offensive mind, one of the best,” Maye told reporters at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this weekend.

“So, it’s just getting in there, getting to know those guys, Mr. Schoen. So, it was good in there.”

Maye also has a relationship with former Giants quarterback Eli Manning, whom he also gave glowing praise to.

“Eli, big fan. I think Eli would probably say he’s probably seen me too much, I’ve been following him around. It was always on Zooms,” Maye said. “I think the biggest thing is being a sponge, soaking it all in.

“I don’t have all the answers, and I don’t know it all just being up there with Eli, and like I said, David Moore, I’ve trained with him down there in Alabama; he was his backup at Ole Miss. So, just kind of the small world of connections and I’m just trying to soak it all up.”

Maye was asked if the future Pro Football Hall of Famer gave him any advice.

“Yeah, just be myself,” he said. “Don’t be somebody I’m not, and at the end of the day, don’t give the NFL too much spotlight or credit. You know, just going out there playing ball.”

Solid advice from one who knows.

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J.J. McCarthy got a feel for running the Giants’ offense at Combine

J.J. McCarthy got a feel for running the New York Giants’ offense at the 2024 NFL Combine and said it was “more simple” than Michigan’s.

Despite New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen insisting that Daniel Jones is the team’s starting quarterback when healthy, it seems everyone expects the Giants to still draft a quarterback this year.

Granted, they need a backup given Jones’ injury history, but do they really need to target someone like Caleb Williams? Or is someone like J.J. McCarthy a potentially better option?

Williams and other top-tier quarterbacks are likely to be gone by the Giants’ first pick, so they could consider trading up. Or they could trade down and wait for McCarthy — assuming he doesn’t rocket up draft boards.

There could be other options, but it seems that Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll took an interest in McCarthy at the 2024 NFL Combine during their formal meeting.

“I drew up a play that I can run in every situation — third down, fourth down, first and second, all that good stuff,” McCarthy said, via the New York Post. “And then the coaches were kind of changing my verbiage and making it their own. It was really nice to kind of get a feel of what that offense would be like and it was actually a lot more simple.”

McCarthy says all of the right things and presents himself in a professional yet approachable manner. He remembered different details about each meeting he had rather than giving vague complimentary answers about coaches.

He built a solid foundation at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh, and if someone can develop him from here, he has the potential to be a great quarterback.

But should the Giants target him? If they are going to draft a quarterback as so many have predicted, then McCarthy is as good an option as they’re going to get without trading up.

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Giants regime ‘under real pressure’ entering pivotal 2024 season

There is reportedly a “sense around the league” that New York Giants GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll are “under real pressure” in 2024.

In the first year under head coach Brian Daboll, the New York Giants appeared to be trending in the right direction. They punched their ticket to the playoffs and even secured their first postseason victory since Super Bowl XLVI.

But things took an ugly turn in 2023 as the team finished with a 6-11 record, fell just shy of setting the all-time record for sacks allowed, and saw in-fighting spiral out of control.

That continued into the offseason as Daboll and defensive coordinator Wink Martindale saw their relationship completely deteriorate and ultimately end with a “parting of ways.”

There were also reported issues between Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, as well as other coordinators and assistant coaches.

Due to failures of the past season and the optics surrounding the regime’s relationship issues, many around the league believe 2024 could be a make-or-break season for general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll, reports Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

Schoen emphasized that the Giants are in the midst of a build that will take time, but the sense around the league is that this is a pivotal year for this regime.

Daboll’s overhaul of half of his staff amid strained relationships has league sources viewing him as being under real pressure to get things turned around next season.

The pressure to succeed in New York is significant enough to burst pipes as it is. The extra off-field issues only add to that and have thrust Schoen and Daboll into a precarious position.

Many believe they deserve additional time to set things right but another ugly season in 2024 will have co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch fuming. They haven’t exactly been patient over the past decade and are desperate to see the franchise return to its former glory.

The Giants not only need to win, but Daboll must avoid additional fallouts with members of his staff.

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