On January 11, the New York Giants hired former Las Vegas Raiders assistant Carmen Bricillo to fill their offensive line coaching vacancy.
They had fired Bobby Johnson after the season finale, a change that was inevitable after the injury-riddled line performed about as poorly as any unit in the league this year.
With all the turmoil and criticism surrounding head coach Brian Daboll’s management style comes a story about Bricillo’s style, which is being compared to that of Daboll’s.
ESPN Giants beat writer Jordan Raanan recently reported that Bricillo comes in the door with quite a few “red flags.”
From NJ Advance Media:
ESPN Giants reporter Jordan Raanan said Jan. 18 on his “Breaking Big Blue” podcast that he’s “heard an unusual number of things questioning (Carmen Bricillo) as a coach” — even as he’s led successful units. Bricillo will oversee the Giants’ offensive line, a group that has been a disaster for years.
“Whether it be, you know, again, a lot of the same things that we saw with Brian Daboll — that the players didn’t love him in Las Vegas,” Raanan said. “Do we really care if he produces good results? No, but if you start losing guys, that becomes a factor.” Raanan also reported in an ESPN story that there are “questions about his coaching techniques.”
No one is sure when players and coaches loving each other became a prerequisite for success in this league but it doesn’t hurt. Daboll was recently outed for his incessant yelling and finger-pointing, a style that led to beloved defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to part ways with the team.
Bricillo is a results-oriented coach, which is what the Giants need, especially on the offensive line. The Giants allowed 85 sacks this season, the second-most allowed by a team in NFL history. Brilillo’s Raiders crew allowed just 40 in 2023.
