The New York Giants are 8-6-1 this season and one more victory will put them in the postseason under first-year head coach Brian Daboll.
The former Buffalo Bills and Alabama offensive coordinator, who spent many years as an assistant to coaches such as Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, has made an indelible mark on this Giants franchise which has been down in the dumps for nearly a decade.
One thing Daboll’s players love about him is his passion. Not just for the game of football, but for life itself. He has two faces — a business-like one he shows the media and an exuberant one he shows his players.
It was suggested to veteran safety Julian Love that Daboll was ‘monotone’ in his public dealings. He was surprised.
“I mean, he’s monotone with y’all? I don’t think he’s monotone ever with us,” Love said laughingly. “He’s a passionate guy, he’s a guy who loves competition. I think that’s something that he’s brought out in me, is that sense of having fun just competing against guys in whatever it is. Whether it’s Madden, whether it’s ping pong, whether it’s a chip shot challenge. Throughout this whole year that’s who he is.”
Love has been a stalwart for the Giants this season as a captain on both defense and special teams. He understands the value of leadership and he appreciates Daboll’s leadership style.
“He’s a passionate guy whose kind of a kid at heart, in terms of that competitive drive and spirit he has. That’s shown I think throughout the team, especially like I said, with me. He is one way with some people, and he shows his heart with the guys because he cares a lot about this team,” Love said.
Offensive tackle Andrew Thomas, another captain, also has bought into Daboll’s style and demeanor.
“I would say he has energy whether we’re doing good or doing bad,” said Thomas. “If there’s something that he needs to fix, he’s going to be by that and let you know. If we make a good play, he’s going to have the same energy and uplift us. I think he’s an emotional coach and that’s just how he is, but we appreciate it.”
Wide receiver Darius Slayton, a player who was once on the outs with this coaching staff, never lost sight of his goals and has made the best of his chance when it came around again. He understands the business side of football more than ever now.
“Football is an emotional game,” said Slayton. “He puts a lot of time into this. We all put a lot of time into this, a lot of effort into this. So, when you’re playing in a game, you’re in a highly contested game like most of the games that we’ve been in this year, it’s going to be emotional. You’re going to be excited sometimes. You’re probably going to be disappointed sometimes. You’re going to be angry. I think that’s just part of the ebbs and flows of the game.”
And Daboll’s excitement has reverberated throughout the organization. So much so that it revitalized this dormant team and has it heading in the right direction.
