New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is proving that what he’s done with previous teams wasn’t a fluke. He genuinely knows his stuff and has turned the Giants from a team that’s been to the playoffs once in the last 10 years into a legitimate contender.
Before landing in New York, Daboll spent the last 25 years involved with coaching at different levels. One of those stops came with the Miami Dolphins, where he was an offensive coordinator under then-head coach Tony Sparano.
While there, Sparano learned of current Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell (a former Giant). Sparano liked what Campbell had to offer and sent Daboll to interview him.
“Yeah. As a matter of fact, when I was a coordinator for Tony Sparano — Tony said, ‘Hey, I got this guy that I think would be good. Why don’t we interview him? You take care of the interview,'” Daboll recalled. “So, I interviewed Dan, and it was a great interview. He’s slamming chairs on the ground and hitting walls and going through all these drills.
“You guys know him; he’s a fantastic person, great family. It was an entertaining interview. (He) knew a lot. Obviously, he was very passionate, tough as nails you could tell. He was out of breath in half that interview with the stuff he was doing. Yeah, great guy.”
Campbell is a former tight end who was selected by the Giants in the third-round of the 1999 NFL draft. He spent his first four years as an NFL player in New York before landing in Dallas and ending his career in Detroit, where he’s now the head coach.
As a player, Campbell is known for his energy and football IQ. He took over the starting tight end position in 2001, and in 2002 helped Kerry Collins and Tiki Barber have a fantastic season because of his blocking.
The Lions’ season started out rough with a 1-6 record, but the last two weeks have seen Detroit defeat the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, bringing their record to 3-6. They hope to extend that winning streak this Sunday when they arrive at MetLife Stadium to face the Giants.
Losing record or no, any given Sunday can see a win or loss no matter who is on the field.
One thing is certain this weekend, Campbell isn’t going to let his team go down without a fight. His first year as head coach, the Lions went 3-13. They’ve already hit three wins this season, so now Campbell will want to build on that.
Daboll isn’t worried, per se, but he knows it’s going to be a battle.
“He’s a tough guy, very smart. That’s the way his team plays,” Daboll said.
To win, the Giants need to be tougher and smarter than the Lions. We’ll find out Sunday if they are.
