Questions from the outside about his job security aren’t Brian Daboll’s biggest problem. Not when some players are starting to lose faith in the head coach for the New York Giants.
Possible mutiny from within the locker room was hinted at by ESPN’s Giants Insider Jordan Raanan. He revealed during an edition of the “Breaking Big Blue” podcast, “I’ve spoken to guys over the past few days, and some of them — not all of them — have said it’s starting to get shaky in there. The confidence in Brian Daboll is hanging by a thread. Their trust in him is waning.”
As warning signs go, this is as big as it gets for Daboll. Especially when Raanan thinks “This is about as tenuous as I’ve seen the locker room since 2017 when things fell apart on Ben McAdoo. This one here has the potential to go in the wrong direction if this gets much worse.”
It’s one troubling report after another concerning Daboll, who is already said to be facing intense scrutiny just two games into the 2024 NFL season. A certain level of pressure is understandable when the Giants are 0-2, but Daboll needs a win now more than he has at any other time during his tenure.
Only a victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 will change the narrative for the 49-year-old, who was Coach of the Year for the 2022 season.
Pressure on Brian Daboll Isn’t Going Away
Daboll leading the Giants to a shock playoff victory over the Minnesota Vikings seems like a lifetime ago. Since then, the bottom has fallen out of his rebuilding operation.
A 6-11 finish last season, followed by a winless start to this campaign, means Daboll can’t escape pressure. Things are getting uncomfortable, a feeling summed up by Daboll’s awkward stare-down with Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, after the reporter asked the coach about his job security, per Giants Videos.
The question was put to Daboll after the Giants lost 21-18 to NFC East rivals the Washington Commanders in Week 2. There were signs of improvement from the previous week’s humbling against the Vikings, but familiar concerns remain.
Giants Have Problems of Their Own Making
Daboll’s biggest problem concerns how the main issues facing the Giants are largely of his own making. First, there’s the decision to go all in on struggling quarterback Daniel Jones at the expense of two-time Pro Bowl running back Saquon Barkley.
Daboll was hired to make Jones as a star, the way he’d done for Josh Allen as offensive coordinator with the Buffalo Bills. Things haven’t worked out that way, with Daboll often publicly enraged at Jones’ apparent lack of progress.
Responsibility for choosing Jones over Barkley, who left for the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, can at least be shared between Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. It’s a different story concerning a defense ranked 26th in points and yards, per Pro Football Reference.
Shane Bowen is the new coordinator after Daboll fell out with the previous play-caller, Don ‘Wink’ Martindale. Daboll won the power struggle, but that victory appears to have cost the Giants.
He also seized the right to call the offense, taking the headset from coordinator Mike Kafka. Yet, Big Blue are 31st in points scored. It’s another example of Daboll’s authority and volatile temperament seemingly undermining his team.
If players are starting to feel the same way, Daboll could quickly lose the locker room.
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