How Brian Daboll Can Steer Giants Through Adversity
No one ever said an NFL season was going to be smooth sailing. But then again, probably no one ever thought that the New York Giants, playing at home on national television, would turn in the kind of embarrassing performance against the Dallas Cowboys that they did in a 40-0, mistake-filled, poor performance showing.
Yet here they are, almost 24 hours after a debacle of historic proportions. And while the Giants aren't naive or arrogant enough to brush the stench of their being "skunked," as several of them put it after the game under the carpet, they also realize that what's done is done, and it's time to move forward to rise from the bottom of the barrel.
"The only thing you can do coming out of a game like we just had, the situation that we’re in right now, is go to work and do the things that we know how to do to rectify it," said wide receiver Darius Slayton.
That, of course, might be easier said than done. The players and coaches will be asked about the pitiful showing they put on tape in Week 1 of the NFL season as they try to turn their attention to their Week 2 opponent, the Arizona Cardinals.
They're also likely to continue being the talk of the town--and not in a good way, as analysts in both radio and television look to rip them a new one for everything from re-signing quarterback Daniel Jones to the big contract to their jersey color choice for the game.
But as the old saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. And that toughness and resiliency start at the top for these Giants, with head coach Brian Daboll setting the example like he's always done, win or lose.
That's exactly what his players are looking for, what they need from Daboll as they work to erase the stench of their historically bad performance from Sunday night, according to cornerback Adoree' Jackson.
"Obviously, the loss is something we didn't want in the fashion that it happened, but you don't switch up and change. Keep working, keep going. It’s pretty much just going to work and getting ready for next week," he said.
No one knows more about getting back to work following a big win or a big loss than Daboll. In 20+ years of coaching, he's been a part of some highs and some lows. He understands that both can build a team's character, but there has to be a balance between pulling lessons from the past to apply to the future and trying new ways to be a little bit better every day.
"I’d say you take it for what it’s worth," Daboll said of his approach toward navigating through adversity. 'It was a poor performance. You learn from the things you can learn from, and then you get focused on the next week.
"Whether it was a win or a loss, it has no effect on the next week. Your job is to be honest, to show them some things we can do better as a team."
After the game, Daboll spoke of how it's a humbling league and is humble enough to know what he doesn't know. To that end, he's always been open to changing things around if, in the final analysis, the processes out in place are just not working.
"One week doesn’t have much effect on the next week. Your preparation, your performance ultimately on Sunday, or whenever that day is, does," he said. "That’s what we will focus on, a lot to learn. We’ll do our best to teach it, to learn from it, to go out there and have a good week of practice, and to get ready for the next week’s opponent."
That raises the question as to when is the time to make changes. Daboll, for his part, has never been one to make knee-jerk decisions following an emotional win or loss. At the same time, he's also not been afraid to make changes when it's clear that something isn't working, such as when he did last year after Week 1 when he bumped down the snaps for receiver Kenny Golliday and linebacker Austin Calitro.
"Again, we evaluate the tape, I’d say, with a critical eye starting with us as a staff first and the players and then if – not to go back into last year, but you sit down as a coaching staff during the week," Daboll said in explaining the process used to arrive at such decisions.
"Obviously, you take into account what happened the previous game, and you have difficult discussions if you need to have them and then try to make the best decision you can for the team."
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