Giants Country

Brian Daboll Downplays Viral Moment Following Punt Return for TD Caught on Camera

Daboll appeared to blow his stack after special teams gave up a long punt return for a touchdown.

Patricia Traina

Brian Daboll Downplays Viral Moment Following Punt Return for TD Caught on Camera
Brian Daboll Downplays Viral Moment Following Punt Return for TD Caught on Camera /
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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is a fiery guy who doesn't hold back his emotions, good or bad. He has admitted in the past that sometimes he pops off a little too easily in the heat of the moment but that it's nothing personal.

So when television cameras caught Daboll glaring at special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey after the Giants gave up a punt return for a touchdown, there was naturally some curiosity as to whether Daboll had had enough with the special teams breakdowns, which also happened last year.

Daboll, however, downplayed it.

“We’re all competitive, and we’re in a competitive environment,” Daboll said. “I hold everybody, not just T-Mac, myself, and everybody else to a high standard. Love T-Mac.”

There's no reason to doubt Daboll, but even if something was brewing on a deeper level, chances are high that Daboll would keep it between himself and whoever was at the source of his ire. So this situation does bear watching, especially after the special teams units struggled last year.

Injury Updates

Actually, there were no injury updates, as Daboll told reporters he'd probably have more information on the players injured last night--receiver Collin Johnson (knee), punter Jamie Gillan (ankle), and defensive back Nick McCloud (stomach) and Cor'Dale Flott (abdomen) as well as the other players who have been dinged (Evan Neal, Rakeem Nunez-ROches, Ryder Anderson, and Tyre Phillips) on Monday, when the team returns to training camp following a day off.

Positive Returns

Daboll said he was pleased with rookie Eric Gray's work as a returner and that the rookie will continue getting a look at that position.

"That was a controlled environment, but he made good decisions," Daboll said. "He had the good long one--we got a holding penalty on it that took us back; we lost 25 yards of field position on that one, which would have been a good start off the return.

Gray, whom Daboll said made good decisions, had two returns of eight yards and one fair catch. He also returned three kickoffs that averaged 20.7 yards per return.

“We'll try to get him as much work as we can back there through these next couple preseason games to give him as many reps as he can get," Daboll added.

Published
Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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