For the previous five seasons before Brian Daboll, New York Giants fans have grown accustomed to their team’s season being essentially over before Halloween. But that’s not the case this year as Big Blue has been one of the surprising teams in the NFL and is tied for second place in the NFC East with a 4-1 record.
There are still 12 games remaining in the season, but some are already envisioning the Giants being a playoff team. New York’s success would not be possible if it weren’t for their 47-year-old rookie head coach Brian Daboll. So far this season he has pushed all of the right buttons and has motivated his team to wins that they would have lost with prior regimes.
Not many head coaches would go for a two-point conversion with the game on the line in their coaching debut. But that’s exactly what Daboll did in New York’s 21-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans that helped set the tone for the season.
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That’s why if the season ended today, Daboll would win Coach of the Year. Here are the four reasons why the former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator is on track to win NFL coaching’s biggest honor in 2022.
Brian Daboll coaches to his team’s strength
When he was offensive coordinator with the Bills, he ran a high-powered passing offense built off the strength of Josh Allen’s right arm. Daniel Jones does not have the arm talent of Allen, nor do the Giants have dynamic playmakers at the receiver position as the Bills did. So Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka focus the offensive gameplan around Saquon Barkley and relies on New York’s defense to carry them to victory.
Barkley leads the league in total yards from scrimmage with 676 and is averaging a career-high 5.5 yards per carry. Even if Barkley is being bottled up by defenses at points during the game, he makes sure that his star running back continues to get the ball.
Sometimes coaches make the mistake of trying to be something that they’re not by flinging the ball 40 times a game because that’s the trend of the NFL. But Daboll hasn’t made that mistake. He sticks with what his team does best and that getting the ball in Barkley’s hands and having Jones utilize his running ability. It may not be flashy but it’s effective as his team continues to win and move up the power rankings.
Daboll holds New York Giants players accountable
It doesn’t matter where you were drafted, what position you play, or how much money you make, the rookie head coach has held all of his players accountable.
Following Jone’s egregious interception in the end zone against the Titans, Daboll was shown chewing out his quarterback for the costly mistake. Jones clearly got his coach’s message as he hasn’t made the same mistake and is playing the best football of his career. Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay were supposed to have prominent roles in the offense when healthy, but the two receivers seldom saw the field in the first two games.
Daboll made it clear early on that they have a competitive competition at several positions and whoever deserves playing time will play. This is something that all players can appreciate and respect which is one of the reasons Daboll has won his locker room.Â
Giants HC is great at making halftime adjustments
One of the attributes you need in order to be a successful head coach is the ability to make adjustments. Daboll and his coaching staff have done an amazing job in making halftime adjustments as the Giants are outscoring their opponents 70 to 39 in the second half.
In their wins over the Titans and Packers, the Giants had to overcome 13 and 14-point deficits which speaks volumes about how Daboll and his staff are able to change their strategy and find the right formula to come away with victories. This also instills confidence in the team that no matter what adversity they may face, they’ve shown that they can overcome them.
Giants are overachieving already in the 2022 NFL season
They’re been some changes from last year’s roster such as rookies Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal, but most of the roster was with the team a season ago. However, the Giants won just four games in 2021 and they’ve already matched that total after five weeks this season. That goes to show the upgrade the team has made at head coach.
Some may say that with the exception of their win against the Packers, the Giants’ victories have come against teams that aren’t playoff bound. That might be true, but what’s also true is that those are games that the previous coaching regime would have found ways to lose.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni warrants consideration for coach of the year as his team is the only undefeated team in the league. But the Eagles were expected to be one of the best teams this season, the Giants weren’t. If Big Blue can continue its winning ways, then at the end of the season Daboll will be awarded Coach of the Year.
