Tag: Brian DaBoll

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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9 questions Giants GM Joe Schoen must answer at NFL Combine

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen will meet with reporters at the 2024 NFL Combine and these are 9 questions he must answer.

The 2024 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana gets underway on Tuesday, February 27 as teams and prospects begin to arrive for the “Underwear Olympics.”

Although on-field drills don’t officially begin until Thursday, press conferences are lined up to start the week. 26 of the league’s 32 general managers will speak, including New York Giants GM Joe Schoen.

Schoen will take the podium on Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. ET and he’ll have a boatload of questions that need answering.

Here’s a look at nine topics Schoen must address.

Note: Giants head coach Brian Daboll is one of 12 coaches who is not slated to conduct a formal interview.

2024 will be defining season for Giants’ Brian Daboll, coaching staff

2024 will be a defining season for New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and his reshuffled, new-looking coaching staff.

Brian Daboll burst onto the scene in 2022, taking East Rutherford by storm as the popular, new, and shiny New York Giants head coach.

Both Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were regularly seen out and about, often at New York Rangers games where they were greeted with thunderous applause.

The legend continued to grow throughout Daboll’s first season as the Giants overperformed, punching their first playoff ticket since 2016 and winning their first postseason game since Super Bowl XLVI.

For his efforts, Daboll was named the 2022 AP NFL Head Coach of the Year.

Since then, things have gone downhill. The Giants fell off in dramatic fashion this past season, losing 11 injury-riddled games while rumors of discontent grew louder with each passing day.

Gone were Schoen and Daboll from the public spotlight, instead hunkering down while trying to weather storms both on and off the field.

Then came the start of the offseason. Daboll fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and a slew of assistant coaches, setting off a chain reaction that led to defensive coordinator Wink Martindale “parting ways” with the team.

There were also a growing number of reports that suggested offensive coordinator Mike Kafka wanted to leave due to a souring relationship with Daboll. In an effort to prevent that, the Giants blocked Kafka from interviewing for a lateral job and then gave him the assistant head coach title to stop him from being poached.

It was a decision built entirely on optics. With support beginning to wane, Daboll did what he felt necessary to maintain some level of perceived consistency and stability.

But Daboll coaches in New York. All eyes are on him and the everyday Big Apple pressure has become mounting pressure and the seat is getting warm.

It’s for that reason Daboll and his staff were ranked so low in Jordan Dajani’s recent coaching staff rankings for CBS Sports. He lists Daboll & Co. in the “2024 to be a defining season” section. Only four teams were ranked lower.

The Giants had to deal with plenty of injuries, but 2023 was pretty disastrous for former Coach of the Year Brian Daboll. Other than all the losses on the field, there was also reportedly tension between Daboll and his staff, which is a reason why Wink Martindale is now in the college ranks. Kafka received head-coaching interviews this offseason, but is back on staff. Defensively, the Giants brought on former Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen after missing out on Dennard Wilson, who actually took Bowen’s spot in Tennessee.

Daboll was reportedly rebuffed by several of his top coordinator candidates this offseason, instead being forced to settle for backups. Now he and his makeshift coaching staff are forced to make lemonade out of lemons or risk being sent on their way a year from now.

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2024 NFL draft: Giants likely to use second pick on a quarterback?

If the New York Giants select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft it may not come until their second overall selection, says one writer.

In public, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll remain committed to and confident in quarterback Daniel Jones.

However, in private, the regime may be regretting their decision to sign DJ to a four-year, $160 million contract.

Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, during a recent appearance on Talkin’ Giants with Bobby Skinner and Justin Penik, shared his insight.

“I don’t believe, from my sources, that they view Daniel Jones the same way that they viewed him at this time last offseason when it was like, ‘we can not lose Daniel Jones.’ Do I think there’s a chance he’s still QB1 going into next season? Yeah, I do,” Dunleavy said.

But that does not mean the Giants don’t intend to address the position. Schoen has been transparent about their needs at quarterback with Jones coming off a torn ACL and Tyrod Taylor likely hitting free agency.

They could sign a veteran in free agency but Dunleavy believes they’ll also select a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft, albeit with their second pick and not necessarily No. 6 overall.

“I think there’s a very good chance that they use their second pick, whether that’s a second-round pick or trade-up to a second first-round pick, I do think there’s a chance that’s what they end up doing at quarterback,” Dunleavy said. “And then you’re looking at the J.J. McCarthy’s, Michael Penix’s, Bo Nix (or) someone like that after picking a Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers at six.”

However things play out, expected Jones to face stricter competition for the starting job in 2024 than he has previously.

“I do think there will be competition for Daniel Jones one way or the another,” Dunleavy.

Ultimately, Dunleavy believes, the decision at quarterback will provide the blueprint for the Giants’ plans for Schoen and Daboll moving forward.

If owners John Mara and Steve Tisch allow them to take a quarterback at No. 6 overall, it indicates they’re not on the hot seat and will remain until at least 2025. But if they are on the hot seat — and Dunleavy believes they are — it makes no sense for the Giants to take a quarterback at No. 6 and then force that player on an incoming regime a year later should things crumble again next season.

A lot can change between now and the draft, but how the Giants approach the quarterback situation in free agency and then the draft will tell you a lot about how ownership sees things playing out and how much faith Schoen and Daboll actually have in Jones.

If Schoen and Daboll have job security, Dunleavy could even see them trading up for a quarterback in Round 1. But…that’s beginning to seem unlikely.

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Report: Mike Kafka wanted to leave Giants for lateral move

Mike Kafka reportedly wanted to leave the New York Giants for a lateral move believing his play-calling duties will be stripped in 2024.

It’s been an ugly offseason for the New York Giants from an optics perspective, which is something the organization has recognized from the top down.

The moment Black Monday arrived, things began to spiral. Special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, who reportedly wanted out, was fired. Then all hell broke loose when head coach Brian Daboll fired defensive assistants Drew and Kevin Wilkins.

Following their termination, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale exploded on Daboll and walked off the job. The two sides eventually agreed to “part ways.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka remained but not because he wanted to. After missing out on a pair of head coaching jobs, the 36-year-old still had a desire to leave East Rutherford and never look back — even if it meant taking a lateral position.

Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post broke down the entire situation during a recent appearance on Talkin’ Giants with Bobby Skinner and Justin Penik.

“My sources tell me (that) over the course of whatever it was, three or four months, yes, he wanted out,” Dunleavy said. “My own sources have told me that Mike Kafka wanted out; wanted a lateral position. (He) wanted to become an offensive coordinator somewhere else because he believes that Brian Daboll will be the offensive play-caller this year.

“So, a lateral move is not necessarily a lateral move because he believes he’s going to have his play-calling duties stripped. So, that makes offensive coordinator with play-calling duties somewhere else more than a lateral move — it makes it keeping his current job.”

There have been multiple reports suggesting Daboll stripped Kafka of play-calling duties at times last season only to eventually give them back. Dunleavy confirmed those reports.

The question then becomes: Why didn’t the Giants let Kafka go if they intend to reduce his role despite giving him the additional title of assistant head coach?

“It became kind of a PR/crisis management situation where the Giants didn’t like the optics of losing all three coordinators,” Dunleavy said. “With a promotion and a title change comes more money, which probably placates (Kafka).”

Dunleavy also notes that the Seattle Seahawks requesting permission to interview Kafka for their offensive coordinator position wasn’t a coincidence nor did it come out of the blue. Rather, he says, it likely stemmed from the obvious reality that Kafka wasn’t happy in New York and was willing to leave for the same job elsewhere.

Fearing additional public blowback, the Giants blocked that interview and gave Kafka an additional title to prevent him from leaving despite the likelihood that he would be stripped of his play-calling duties.

Dunleavy expects that Daboll will assume full play-calling duties in 2024.

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CBS Sports lists Giants among teams ‘poised to take major fall in 2024’

CBS Sports lists the New York Giants among the teams who are “poised to take major fall in 2024” after an already ugly 2023 campaign.

The New York Giants had a great first season under head coach Brian Daboll, surprisingly making the playoffs and winning a road playoff game.

Daboll won Coach of the Year honors for his efforts that season. But the Giants followed that up by dropping to 6-11 in 2023.

The disappointing 2023 campaign was due, in large part, to injuries with multiple missed games by key players including Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas, Saquon Barkley, and Darren Waller.

However, the errors extended further, including bad roster management, poor coaching, and poor play on the field.

Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports doesn’t expect any of that to change in 2024. In his list of five teams poised to take a major fall next season, the Giants were ranked among them.

There are some teams that really weren’t as good as their record indicated — and one of them was the Giants. Even though New York finished 4-3 in its last seven games, was there any reason to feel optimistic about the team at the conclusion of the season?

Saquon Barkley, the best player on an offense that finished 29th in points per possession and 30th in yards per possession, is a free agent. Daniel Jones was horrendous last season, and the Giants are on the hook for a $47.105 million cap hit in 2024 for a quarterback who may not even start the year (ACL injury). Even if Jones plays, he’ll be playing behind an offensive line that’s perpetually poor (allowed 85 sacks last season).

Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale also left, as the Giants will have to learn a new scheme under Shane Bowen. Fortunately there’s talent on that group, even if they were 20th in points allowed per possession last season. The Giants were a bad football team last season, and may be worse in 2024.

With the defense being the best unit on the field in 2023, losing Wink Martindale could have a big impact. The offense could also take a major hit if they lose Saquon Barkley in free agency.

Certainly, with free agency and the NFL draft still on the horizon, it’s a little early to determine how the Giants will fair in 2024. However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Big Blue will be even worse in 2024, which could lead to yet another head coach and potentially general manager search this time next year.

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Report: Mike Kafka was open to leaving Giants after being scapegoated in 2023

After being the scapegoat in 2023, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka was reportedly open to leaving the New York Giants this offseason.

The New York Giants replaced two of their three coordinators this offseason. They hired Shane Bowen to take over the defense after the team parted ways with Wink Martindale and fired special teams coach Thomas McGaughey in favor of Michael Ghobrial.

The one coordinator that stayed put — Mike Kafka (offense) — also had a bit of a tumultuous offseason. He was actively being courted for (and reportedly sought) opportunities elsewhere after Giants head coach Brian Daboll pinned a huge portion of their offensive woes on him.

From SNY’s Connor Hughes:

There was absolutely tension there. The idea there wasn’t is comical. This is no different than when so many tried to convince you there wasn’t an issue with Daboll and Wink Martindale. Kafka had his playcalling revoked at points last season — scapegoating him for the unit’s problems. He was open to leaving — maybe even more than that, I was told. The Giants prevented it. They were never going to let him leave for a lateral position.

And that promotion given to Kafka? Well, there was a little self-serving motivation behind that, too.

The promotion, or added job title, comes with a pay boost. That’s commonplace in the NFL. A team prevents you from leaving, but gives you extra money in response. To view that as a sign all is A-OK between the two in Giants land is silly.

The Giants were one of the NFL’s least productive offenses in 2023. They were 30th in points per game (15.6) and 29th in yards per contest (280.0).

Injuries to the offensive line, all three quarterbacks, and two of their key producers (Saquon Barkley, Darren Waller) led to inconsistency and dysfunction when the Giants had the ball.

Blaming Kafka was the easy way out. The bottom line is very little went right and there were few or no solutions in many of those situations.

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Giants are a GM-centric organization and ‘Joe Schoen is in charge’

New York Giants GM Joe Schoen reportedly has free reign and complete autonomy despite speculation about John Mara forcing his hand.

Did New York Giants co-owner John Mara force quarterback Daniel Jones on general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll?

That is a popular theory among fans who are dismayed with Jones and struggle to understand how he’s survived multiple GMs and coaches, but it may not be one steeped in reality.

Well, at least not entirely.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reports that despite Mara’s constant presence in the building, Schoen has been given near complete autonomy as the general manager. He makes the calls and is rarely, if ever, overruled.

“Joe Schoen is in charge,” one team source told Leonard. “It’s not like Rex Ryan and Mike Tannenbaum were with the Jets. No one questions who is in charge in the building. It’s a GM-centric organization. It’s not like Brian Daboll is Bill Belichick, where he’s drafting the players.”

Both Schoen and Daboll have endeared themselves to fans but after an underwhelming 2023 campaign and an ugly offseason of exodus, it’s fair to say they are on thin ice. Continued failure will almost certainly lead to change.

But the pair still have an opportunity to turn things around. And by all accounts, Schoen will have free reign to do exactly that — with Mara and Steve Tisch watching on closely.

“This is still John Mara’s team,” another team source said. “Never forget that. John Mara runs the Giants.”

To save his job, Schoen must fix the offensive line once and for all. He must also find a long-awaited solution to the team’s relentless injury issues.

Maybe a new quarterback is also in his future. Schoen appears to have whiffed after signing Jones to a four-year, $160 million deal that came one year after declining the quarterback’s fifth-year option.

Ultimately, the pressure is on and Schoen’s rope is slowly running out.

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Could Giants target Mitchell Trubisky as Tyrod Taylor’s replacement?

If the New York Giants do not re-sign backup QB Tyrod Taylor, might they look to Mitchell Trubisky, who has familiarity with Brian Daboll?

New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen has been very clear that he will address the quarterback position this offseason, whether that comes by way of free agency or the 2024 NFL draft.

Expectations remain that Daniel Jones will start under center once he’s healthy enough to do so, but questions about his backup remain.

Veteran Tyrod Taylor is an impending free agent and the only other quarterback under contract is Tommy DeVito.

“I think we’re going to have to do something (at) quarterback, whether it’s free agency or the draft,” Schoen said at his year-end press conference. “Tyrod’s contract is up, DeVito is obviously under contract and Daniel, we don’t know when he’s going to be ready.

“Just from an offseason program standpoint, that will be a position we’ll have to look at. Again, there are different avenues, free agency or the draft, but we’ll have to address it at some point.”

Schoen has left the door open for a Taylor return but should that not come to pass, an intriguing option just hit the open market.

On Monday, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers and veteran quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had agreed to mutually part ways.

Schoen and Giants head coach Brian Daboll are no strangers to Trubisky, who spent a year with the Buffalo Bills in 2021.

Although that was the only season of his seven-year career that Trubisky didn’t start a game, he became familiar with Daboll, who was offensive coordinator at the time, and his system — much of which has carried over with the Giants.

Trubisky is likely to seek a starting job but could view the Giants as a backup destination given the injury issues that plague Jones and his familiarity with those in charge.

Before signing with the Steelers in 2022, Trubisky to the Giants was a hot topic and a union many believed would happen. Perhaps both sides will circle back given their respective needs.

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Giants nearly bottom out in ESPN’s way-too-early 2024 power rankings

ESPN has released their way-too-early 2024 power rankings and the New York Giants very nearly bottom out — and perhaps rightfully so.

The New York Giants finished the 2023 regular season with a record of 6-11, accurately representing their underwhelming year.

They were among the worst teams in the league based on most measures and metrics, and oddsmakers aren’t optimistic that will change in 2024. The Giants have been given some of the worst Super Bowl LIX odds and many believe they are years off from competing.

Accordingly, ESPN recently listed the Giants near the very bottom of their way-too-early 2024 power rankings.

The Giants are at a crossroads with impending free agent running back Saquon Barkley. It’s either now or never in terms of committing to their running back long-term. New York also needs to decide if it’s willing to build the team around quarterback Daniel Jones in a year where it has the No. 6 overall pick and plenty of draft capital. Drafting a quarterback is clearly an option with Jones’ injury history now including two neck injuries and a torn ACL.

Three separate regimes have attempted to compete while rebuilding and it’s cost the franchise a decade. Save for a single playoff win in 2022, the Giants have been largely uncompetitive and sport the NFC’s worst record since 2013.

Entering Year 3 of the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll tandem, pessimism remains the word of the day. This offseason has already been highlighted by an ugly Wink Martindale divorce, significant coaching staff turnover, and lingering issues at nearly every position.

Frankly, ESPN may have ranked the Giants too high.

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