Why Giants HC Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen Are NOT On the Hot Seat

Here is a counterargument to what's been a very popular off-season narrative.

Aug 26, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll (right) and general manager Joe Schoen (left) talk before a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. / Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

According to multiple analysts who cover the NFL, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen are on the hot seat for the upcoming season.

This opinion likely was born thanks to the recent stretch in which team co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch dismissed every head coach following Tom Coughlin after only a two-year, disappointing, and playoff-less stint.

But just as every turnover has its own story, every fired Giants head coach has his own story on how he went from being the toast of the town to being the enemy. Whether it was losing the locker room or exhibiting another type of ill-advised behavior, it can be argued that those who succeeded Tom Coughlin didn’t work out in New York for multiple reasons besides their won-loss records.  

This may have led to team ownership having less patience and more frustration, and they were quicker to pull the plug on head coaches who weren’t panning out. But that said, ownership is not foolish enough to think that changing out the head coach and/or general manager every two years is bad business because it means that the incoming newcomers will want their guys, their systems, and their way to build the program. 

Suggesting changing every two seasons is akin to grading a draft class after only two seasons. It doesn’t work, and it’s a waste of time and resources. And with Daboll already becoming the first Giants head coach since Tom Coughlin to get a third season, Giants ownership has shown a willingness to be more patient so long as the other factors that might have done in Daboll’s predecessors don’t pop up.

Daboll, who won "Coach of the Year" in his first season only to go from the top of the heap to the hot seat in Year 2 after his team vastly underperformed and was wrecked by injuries, was smart enough to know his staff needed an overhaul at certain positions (offensive line, outside linebackers). 

He’s also been receptive to making changes (i.e., incorporating more 11-on-11 drills in the spring) and keeping the summer training camp schedule more consistent rather than changing the practice times rather than clinging to his ways. 

Those stories about his temperament? They’re real, and you can probably chalk those up to being competitive and hating to lose. But there is such a thing as going too far, and apparently, Daboll was big enough to admit that he had to better control himself. 

To ensure he does, now that he’s somewhat comfortable in his role as head coach, he is going back to what he’s done best in his career: calling plays on offense. And if the spring is any indication, we might be able to expect a less animated Daboll when things go wrong. 

So unless Daboll loses the locker room or does something completely ill-advised, he will more than likely get the opportunity to finish out his contract (believed to be five years), knowing that Giants ownership is unlikely to let him enter a lame-duck status as the Cowboys are doing with Mike McCarthy.  

Schoen? No general manager will hit on every move he makes, be it in free agency or the draft, and Schoen is certainly no different in that regard. The jury is still out on the offensive line in general. Some still think Schoen’s willingness to stick with quarterback Daniel Jones is wrong. 

Schoen gambled and lost on the trade for tight end Darren Waller. And many believe he whiffed on not finding a way to retain running back Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney this year, even though doing so might have meant no Brian Burns and no resources for the team’s biggest Achilles heel, its offensive line.   

But if we’re going to talk about Schoen’s failures, we also need to discuss his successes, such as landing veterans like linebacker Bobby Okereke, Burns, defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, receiver Richie James, quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and inside linebacker Isaiah Simmons, just to name a few.  

Of his draft picks, cornerback Deonte Banks, center John Michael Schmitz, outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, tight end Daniel Bellinger, running backs Tyrone Tracy and Eric Gray, safety Tyler Nubin, cornerback Dru Phillips, and receivers Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, and Malik Nabers are among the foundational pieces who should be in Giants blue for years to come.  

Schoen has also done a decent job with the salary cap, wisely, extending left tackle Andrew Thomas and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence early and making sure he left himself with an escape hatch in Daniel Jones’s contract rather than giving the quarterback more of an iron-clad deal like the Patrick Mahomeses and Josh Allens of the world received. 

But again, Schoen hasn’t been perfect. His failure to address the punt returner last year gets a big red mark, as does his blind faith in certain players who have repeatedly shown they’re not the best fit for a role. 

All that said, Schoen, much like Daboll, deserves a chance to finish out his contract as he looks to get the Giants back on track. 

Again, it’s rare that a team goes from worst to first, as it all depends on the foundation the coach and general manager inherit. In the Giants’ case, Schoen and Daboll inherited a mess from top to bottom and needed time to clean things out.

They have done that and are now reseeding the turf with guys who fit their program. Even suggesting that the plug should be pulled on them after three years makes absolutely no sense unless, again, either or both do something ridiculously out of character and stupid that warrants dismissal. 

---

• Follow and like us on Facebook.
• Submit your questions for our mailbag.
• Follow on Instagram.
• Check out the Giants Country YouTube Channel.