Brian Daboll burst onto the scene in 2022, taking East Rutherford by storm as the popular, new, and shiny New York Giants head coach.
Both Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were regularly seen out and about, often at New York Rangers games where they were greeted with thunderous applause.
The legend continued to grow throughout Daboll’s first season as the Giants overperformed, punching their first playoff ticket since 2016 and winning their first postseason game since Super Bowl XLVI.
For his efforts, Daboll was named the 2022 AP NFL Head Coach of the Year.
Since then, things have gone downhill. The Giants fell off in dramatic fashion this past season, losing 11 injury-riddled games while rumors of discontent grew louder with each passing day.
Gone were Schoen and Daboll from the public spotlight, instead hunkering down while trying to weather storms both on and off the field.
Then came the start of the offseason. Daboll fired special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and a slew of assistant coaches, setting off a chain reaction that led to defensive coordinator Wink Martindale “parting ways” with the team.
There were also a growing number of reports that suggested offensive coordinator Mike Kafka wanted to leave due to a souring relationship with Daboll. In an effort to prevent that, the Giants blocked Kafka from interviewing for a lateral job and then gave him the assistant head coach title to stop him from being poached.
It was a decision built entirely on optics. With support beginning to wane, Daboll did what he felt necessary to maintain some level of perceived consistency and stability.
But Daboll coaches in New York. All eyes are on him and the everyday Big Apple pressure has become mounting pressure and the seat is getting warm.
It’s for that reason Daboll and his staff were ranked so low in Jordan Dajani’s recent coaching staff rankings for CBS Sports. He lists Daboll & Co. in the “2024 to be a defining season” section. Only four teams were ranked lower.
The Giants had to deal with plenty of injuries, but 2023 was pretty disastrous for former Coach of the Year Brian Daboll. Other than all the losses on the field, there was also reportedly tension between Daboll and his staff, which is a reason why Wink Martindale is now in the college ranks. Kafka received head-coaching interviews this offseason, but is back on staff. Defensively, the Giants brought on former Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen after missing out on Dennard Wilson, who actually took Bowen’s spot in Tennessee.
Daboll was reportedly rebuffed by several of his top coordinator candidates this offseason, instead being forced to settle for backups. Now he and his makeshift coaching staff are forced to make lemonade out of lemons or risk being sent on their way a year from now.
