As they say, winning cures everything, and the New York Giants have been able to land in the victory column often enough this year. It may not help that last year’s version saw coach Brian Daboll lead a nine-win team into the playoffs, where they snagged a wild-card win. Naturally, there was an expectation to improve upon last year’s effort. We just haven’t seen it in 2023.
The Giants’ struggles have been well-documented externally, and their tough stretch has reportedly led to the coaching staff being at odds.
According to FOX’s Jay Glazer, there’s a noticeable amount of tension between Daboll and defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale. Here’s Glazer’s pre-game report from Sunday.
Martindale has long been lauded as one of the better defensive minds in the NFL. There’s a reason Daboll brought him in to be a part of the staff despite having a competent defensive coordinator in New York already with the presence of Patrick Graham, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders.
A year ago, Martindale’s blitz-heavy scheme helped the Giants lead the 17th-best scoring defense in the NFL, limiting opponents to just 21.8 points per game. This year, the Giants have slipped to the back of the pack, allowing 25.9 points per game, ranking 28th in the NFL.
Yet we can’t act like the Giants’ problems all fall on the shoulders of Martindale’s defense. Daboll’s offense has taken a significant step back, too. Sure, injuries to second-team All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas and QB Daniel Jones haven’t helped, but there was never a point where the Giants’ offense looked competent this season.
Ultimately, Daboll’s offense ranks dead-last in the NFL, averaging a pitiful 13.5 points per game. This comes after ranking 15th a year ago when the Giants averaged 21.5 points per game. In other words, both the offense and defense are at fault.
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