How Brian Daboll's Consistency Has Put New York Giants on Right Path

Brian Daboll's message to the Giants has been the same since he walked in the door, and it's a big reason why the team is off to a 2-0 start.

Being an NFL head coach can be quite the task for any individual, regardless of how many years one's been at it.

That's because, in addition to the daily and annual challenges associated with the job--unexpected lineup changes, off-field issues, and other speed bumps--it's very easy for a head coach to get caught up in the numerous adverse situations that cross his desk.

So far, though, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll has been as steady and consistent as, well, kicker Graham Gano has been in clutch situations. Daboll's Giants, of whom not much was expected this season by the critics, are one of six teams that are undefeated after two weeks of play, and suddenly, the talk of the bumbling, stumbling Giants has been replaced by talk of a team that's on the rise.

As Giants head coach Brian Daboll why that is, and chances are he'll defer to the work done by the coaching staff and the execution done by the players, as any head coach would. But it all starts with Daboll being true to himself as a person and head coach.

Daboll, you see, has yet to take any shortcuts when it's come to coaching this football team. Where it might be easy for him to have come in this first season and taken the easy way--sticking with players who received big free-agent contracts and high draft picks--Daboll has not been afraid to think outside the box and give players a fair chance to earn their weekly snaps.

That's why these days you see guys like receivers Richie James and David Sills V--two players that weren't universally on most 53-man roster projections--getting big roles on offense over the Golladay's and Kadarius Toneys of the world.

"Regardless of where you’re drafted, how you got here, how much money you make," Daboll said in response to a question about whether he needed approval from those whose pay grades are above his to bench or limit high draft picks or high salary cap numbers, "we believe in everybody goes out there and competes. We play the guys that earn the right to play that week."

So far, the appraoch has worked, and a big reason for that brings us to the next point about Daboll: when he says he's going to place players in the best possible position to be successful, he means it.

Look no further than the deployment of running back Saquon Barkley. Thirteen of Barkley's 39 rushing attempts this season have been to the outside, where the coaches have schemed to get him into space. Abd Barkley has rewarded the tactic, rushing for 119 of his 236 yards (50.4 percent) this season on those outside runs.

With that approach is an even bigger factor that thus far has worked for Daboll's Giants and one which was sorely missing under Joe Judge.

Daboll isn't afraid to make a mistake during trial and error in his attempts to determine what works and doesn't. And he's passed that attitude on to his players and coaches.

"I think that you can get bogged down in this league pretty quick by making a mistake and letting it affect the next play," Daboll explained. "I want them to be themselves, play fast, play free, and move on to the next play.

"We all make mistakes--I’m probably the leader of that. Once you make them, don’t let it linger. Move onto the next play."

Jul 29, 2022; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll directs his team during training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Facility / Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

That approach has been well received by the players.

"You want guys to play fast, free, and without worrying about being perfect," said safety and team co-captain Julian Love. "I think that’s something that guys might have fallen victim to in the recent years. Now from the top down, and its coaches too, just being open and willing to send it and make mistakes because there’s winning and there’s learning. That’s how we approach it."

It's a smart approach and one that doesn't have the players walking on eggshells, fearful of being yanked from the lineup or, worse yet, booted off the team if they screw up. And while Daboll doesn't advocate making mistakes, his forgiving nature of them, especially in practices, has been a big reason why the progress this team has been making behind the scenes is finally starting to transfer over to the field on game days.

Love pointed to a mistake he made in the win over the Panthers as an example.

"In the first quarter (Panthers Running Back Christian) McCaffrey got a screen, and I was able to bring him down for a gain of maybe five or six, maybe seven (yards). On that play, I was on my rear end. I fell on the ground plain and simple, but you get up, and you play free," he said.

"Maybe in the past, I might’ve thought, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re going to hate that on film.’ But there is none of that--you get up and make a play because the team is depending on you to play loose and play free."

The Giants are in no way, shape, or form a finished product--both Daboll and the players will be the first to admit as much. But after multiple false starts and seasons filled with early-year hope, it's nice to see that the program is off to a hot start, thanks to the consistency shown by its head coach. 

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