When the New York Giants fired Brian Daboll in November, they appeared to declare, in swift and merciless fashion, that it was time for more discipline. The pileup of losses was the primary catalyst for change, yes, but so was the Giants’ apparent penchant for disorder under the direction of their maligned head coach.
Daboll, remember, was chiefly responsible for New York absorbing $315,000 in combined fines for violating safety protocols just weeks before his dismissal. Everyone watching the Giants play the rival Philadelphia Eagles on national TV saw the man at the helm of the organization try to rush rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart out of a concussion evaluation, desperate for on-field results.
Almost a month later, it’s fair to wonder: Has anything changed inside the Giants’ building?
New York just got steamrolled by the New England Patriots on Monday night. Not surprising, given Drake Maye’s ascent to MVP candidacy and Mike Vrabel’s unifying leadership atop the AFC East contender. But the 33-15 final score isn’t what should sting the most if you’re faithful to Big Blue. No, it’s the greater glaring contrast of the organizations.
We’re a long way from the days of the Giants trolling the Patriots in Eli Manning versus Tom Brady Super Bowls, but there’s a reason one of those teams successfully rebounded from a teardown: New England appears to have gotten it right up top. It took some swings and misses. But Maye, who escaped the Giants’ grasp when general manager Joe Schoen failed to strike a 2024 draft-day move with the Pats, is calm, cool and collected in the pocket. And Vrabel, a tough-love CEO who learned from Bill Belichick, has restored a sense of togetherness in New England, corralling even notoriously outspoken types like Stefon Diggs.
The Giants, on the other hand? They may have a franchise quarterback in Jaxson Dart, their own first-round investment of this year. How long they have him is another question entirely, considering he’s quickly proven allergic to protecting his own body. Hall of Famer Troy Aikman spoke for the collective NFL audience on Monday night, insisting the 22-year-old Dart must rein himself in rather than accept, let alone seek out, punishing hits.
Dart and interim coach Mike Kafka can say the right things about avoiding such blows, but the rookie immediately exposing himself to a crushing sideline hit on a first-quarter scramble against the Patriots — after just returning from a weeks-long absence due to a concussion, no less — suggests something isn’t getting through. Is Dart ignoring coaches’ instruction? Is the instruction even there? Dart wouldn’t be the first hotshot dual threat to toe this dangerous line, but for every Josh Allen, there are probably twice as many versions of, say, Carson Wentz, whose gutsiness constantly wavers between heroism and recklessness.
Which speaks to the Giants’ dire need for oversight. Not familiarity. Not personality. Not even necessarily creativity. Those are all admirable things. But what New York truly, desperately needs — and apparently lacks — is leadership. The kind of voice that can speak not only belief but correction. The kind of coach who doesn’t have to bench first-round talent Abdul Carter for the second time in three weeks because the rookie’s tardiness has already been firmly handled in-house.
Again, these may be individual player issues — Dart refusing to go down easy, or Carter refusing to get his schedule in order. But even if that’s the case, they underscore the importance of John Mara and Giants ownership getting this next hire right. It’s a task easier envisioned than executed, as New York has taken a page out of the wrong book before, most recently with Joe Judge, a short-lived old-school warden plucked directly from the Belichick tree.
Still, maybe that means giving an added edge to candidates like Jesse Minter, who learned under the program-building of Jim Harbaugh; or Jeff Hafley, who’s added physicality to the Green Bay Packers defense after overseeing an entire program at Boston College; over flashier offense names like Joe Brady, who like Daboll is perhaps buoyed by mere association with Josh Allen.
There’s no guarantee the G-Men won’t botch it again. Just like they did with the other three permanent hires to follow Tom Coughlin, the last man to have any kind of sustained success atop the staff. But anyone and everyone can see what they need to prioritize when it comes time to take the latest gamble. Protecting and maximizing premium investments like Dart and Carter, plus recovering stars like Malik Nabers, would be ideal. Deepening the well of playmakers would be preferred. Outfitting the defense with a more seasoned mind might be nice. But none of that matters — not a single piece — unless the first order of business is addressed.
For too long, the Giants have been the NFL equivalent of a trainwreck. Before they pretend they’re anywhere close to chugging along like the team they played on Monday night, it’s time they get someone who knows how to lay real track. Somehow who can do the dirty work to build a foundation, set attainable but unmovable standards, and maybe, finally, bring some class and smarts back to an organization once defined by its undying will to make magic in the most opportune moments.
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