The New York Giants selected their third first-time head coach in their last four hires. Previously, it was Ben McAdoo and Joe Judge bookending Pat Shurmur’s tenure with the franchise. Shurmur came to New York with a 9-23 record as the Cleveland Browns head coach. Now, Brian Daboll gets his opportunity. However, this move feels different. Daboll has been lauded for being a bright, innovative offensive mind. Despite not having head coaching experience, he is eager and ready to lead the Giants to the top of the NFC East. That said, to end the franchise’s head coaching woes, Daboll will have to fix New York’s anemic offense.
The New York Giants and the Brian Daboll Offense
Brian Daboll’s Extensive Coaching Resumé
There’s no question Daboll’s coaching resumé is impressive. He has worked his way up through the coaching ranks to claim this head coaching job. He began his odyssey with the New England Patriots (2000-06) as a defensive assistant before being elevated to wide receivers coach. Next up for Daboll was becoming offensive coordinator for the Browns (2009-10), Miami Dolphins (2011), and Kansas City Chiefs (2012) before returning to the Pats (2013-16) as tight ends coach.
People began taking notice of him for his work with Nick Saban at Alabama in 2017. It was the school’s national championship season that saw Daboll as the primary offensive play-caller. He was given credit for improving Tua Tagovailoa’s level of play at the quarterback position.
Daboll’s next coaching move was not a surprise as the West Seneca native became the offensive coordinator for his hometown Buffalo Bills. The task at hand was challenging, as his job was to develop a raw, but talented collegiate quarterback named Josh Allen. But Daboll worked his magic and harnessed Allen’s skills enough to make him one of the elite QBs in the NFL today.
Now, Daboll’s next coaching challenge is evaluating New York’s offensive depth chart and determining if anyone can excel as a playmaker in his offense. Do not overlook his ability to recognize talent and place them in a situation to make plays.
Rebuilding the Giants Offense is Not Impossible
In his four seasons with the Bills, Daboll’s offense went from 28th in scoring to first. Last season, the Bills averaged 28.4 points per game, 381 total offensive yards per game (129.9 rushing and 252.0 passing), and were first in the NFL with 23 first downs per game.
Step one in Daboll’s rebuilding process is putting Daniel Jones under the microscope.
He will be Jones’s third head coach in four NFL seasons. First, Daboll must define him as a quarterback before determining what style of offense to implement this season. Right now, Jones is an athletic signal-caller who is prone to making big mistakes. Daboll must be able to communicate and coach him out of his bad habits. It is all about putting Jones back in his comfort zone by restoring his confidence.
Daboll’s passing game philosophy is pretty simple, as he loves devising formations to exploit deficiencies in the opposing team’s coverage schemes. Usually, he wants one of his receivers to run a tight, precise route against a corner in single coverage. The new Giants coach can accomplish this and getting Jones his confidence back by simplifying the offense for him.
Daboll may move the pocket, which should open up the middle of the field for the Duke alumnus. The change would also help him to distribute the football to multiple receivers. Opposing defensive coordinators would have trouble identifying the main target of the passing game. The more options downfield, the better chance for a defensive breakdown resulting in a touchdown.
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The Future Looks Bright in New York
The NFC East is always a winnable division. No team has an elite quarterback on their roster outside of maybe the Dallas Cowboys. The current makeup of the Giants roster, however, does not constitute them as a contender. Daboll needs the right supporting cast to apply the necessary upgrade on offense. His recommendations might force the Giants to clear cap space to acquire the right offensive pieces to contend in 2022 and, more likely, beyond. Those player moves could be a combination of roster cuts, renegotiated contracts, and trades.
His body of work is impressive. Daboll’s journey in the NFL has taught him to be ready for almost every possible situation. Daboll will have to use every bit of his coaching knowledge to build a winning program with the Giants.
At this point, the path for Brian Daboll as the new head coach of the New York Giants is to expect the unexpected.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
