On Tuesday, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll made his first public comments since the day after the Giants 27-10 victory over the Eagles in the season finale.
Much has changed since the last time Daboll spoke. Saquon Barkley is a Philadelphia Eagle, Xavier McKinney is a Green Bay Packer, and the Giants pulled off a blockbuster trade in acquiring Brian Burns from the Carolina Panthers.
One of the topics that was discussed was whether the 48-year-old head coach would be the primary play-caller this upcoming season.
“It’s something I’m looking into.. “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” Brian Daboll said.
In his first two seasons with the team, Daboll delegated play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Mike Kafa, although there were a few occasions where Daboll called plays.
Related: New York Giants give team OK to select QB in 2024 NFL Draft
Brian Daboll had success calling plays for the Buffalo Bills
Before coming to New York, Daboll was the Buffalo Bills’ offensive coordinator from 2018-2021 and received high praise for how he helped Josh Allen become one of the best quarterbacks in the league. In his first two seasons in Buffalo, the Bill had the 30th and 24th-ranked offenses in the league, respectively. But then the offense rose to second in the league in 2020 and had the fifth-ranked offense in his final season in 2021.
Going back to calling plays full-time might be in his best interest job security-wise. That’s especially true after the team had a disappointing 6-11 season and Daniel Jones regressed in the seven games he appeared.
In addition, there have been rumblings within the organization that Daboll has been difficult to deal with. This was highlighted by the fact that he and former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale got into a heated verbal exchange at the end of the season, leading to Martindale storming out of the facility and ultimately leading to him and the Giants parting ways.
Although Giants President and Chief Executive Officer John Mara said he’s confident in Daboll and his staff, his confidence will wane quickly if the team gets off to a slow start.
With Saquon Barkley gone and tight end Darren Waller contemplating retirement, New York needs the wizardry of Daboll’s offensive mind now more than ever.
Daboll has built a reputation across the league for being an offensive guru. So, he needs to be the one to turn around New York’s 29th-ranked offense from a season ago, and bring the best out of Jones or whomever the quarterback will be. If he can spark the offense, he could have a long tenure in New York. If he doesn’t or allows Kafka to continue to call plays and the team falters, 2024 could be his last season with Big Blue.