A new report pulls back the curtain on more worrying issues when it comes to the relationship between New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and his assistants.
The Giants had an ugly finish to the 2023-24 NFL season. While they ended things on a positive note with a season-finale win over the Philadelphia Eagles, they lost three straight before that and finished with 11 losses after being a playoff team in 2022.
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During the season, there were reports of a growing schism between head coach Brian Daboll and defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale. While both tried to downplay the issues, it seemed to be confirmed when the HC fired two of Martindale’s top assistants and the DC resigned from the franchise following a fiery exchange with Daboll in the Giants facility the week after their win over the Eagles.
Well, on Monday a new round of information added fuel to the fire of what seems to be a growing divide between Daboll and his entire coaching staff — not just his former defensive coordinator.
New York Daily News Giants reporter Pat Leonard revealed an incident during the team’s Week 11 game against the Washington Commanders that is cause for concern. With the opponents threatening to make a comeback, Daboll allegedly said to Martindale on the headsets “You’re gonna lose this game just like you lost us the Jets game.”
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It is a surprising remark. Not just because the Giants would hold the Commanders to 19 and win the game, but the team’s defense is really what kept them in their Week 8 13-10 loss to the New York Jets. A game where the offense posted under 200 yards as a unit with backup Tommy DeVito under center.
While the New York Giants defense was not an elite group in 2023, they had many more standout moments this past season than the offense which was often messy during their six-win campaign.
- Brian Daboll record by season: 9-7-1 (2022), 6-11 (2022)
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New York Giants assistants reveal huge problems with Brian Daboll’s leadership style
That moment during the Commanders’ game was one of several incidents that have occurred over the last two seasons in what has become a reputation among assistant coaches where Daboll does a lot of “finger-pointing” instead of taking more accountability as head coach. Because of this, General Manager Joe Schoen began listening in on the coach’s headsets during games this season and is now taking their opinions into account more than before.
The negative relationship Daboll has developed with his assistants has gotten so bad that one Giants staffer allegedly advised an outside coach who reached out about a vacancy to “not come here.”
Various New York Giants coaches told the outlet that Daboll’s behavior during games this season was “destructive,” his input was “reactionary” and his frustration would never be followed by potential solutions. “He has no composure,” a source told the NYDN.
It surely paints a picture that should worry Giants fans about their potential in 2024 and if their surprise season in 2022 may have been as much about luck as it was about the creation of a legitimate winning culture.
