There are losing teams and teams that appear to be lost. The New York Giants have the makings of both.
After Sunday’s 21-18 loss to the Washington Commanders to go 0-2 on the season, New York Daily News Giants beat writer Pat Leonard asked Giants head coach Brian Daboll about his job security. Daboll said he has coached for a long time and that his focus is always on the team. Then Daboll gave Leondard a death stare, clearly not pleased with the question.
If the focus is on the team, then let’s summarize the results. The Giants have been awful on offense, defense, and special teams. Those outcomes would likely be digestible if we were talking about a new leadership group. We’re not. This is Year 3 with Daboll on the field and GM Schoen in the front office. The franchise is getting worse rather than getting better. Period.
If results stay the same as the season unfolds, who would be surprised to see Daboll and Schoen out of New York? Remember, the Giants gave quick hooks to Ben McAdoo, Joe Judge, and Pat Shurmur.
Making matters worse, the seemingly “little things” you’d expect head coaches and GMs to deal with aren’t being tended to. An example? The Giants didn’t have a backup kicker to play against the Commanders. With his groin acting up all week, the brain trust knew there was a good chance Giants kicker Graham Gano might be unable to play. Still, they did not elevate kicker Jude McAtamney from the practice squad, which I believe would have been an automatic move for many other NFL head coaches.
But Gano did play, you say? That’s right. He played and suffered a hamstring injury after chasing down Commanders’ returner Austin Eckler on a 98-yard return that was ultimately called back by penalty. A comedy of failures ensued–a missed PAT kick (one point) and two missed two-point PATs (five points total), not to mention (which I will) of going for it on 4th Down when the team was in field goal range.
The Giants lost by three points. That’s malpractice and incompetence. And if Daboll and Schoen can’t get the little things right, why should ownership or fans think they will get the big stuff right?
Daboll’s coaching leaves so much to be desired. The offense hasn’t produced points this season or last. He took over the offensive play-calling this season, which hasn’t helped. Since starting 6-1 in 2022, he has gone 9-19-1 as Giants head coach. That means this team is trending downward under his watch, including going into games unprepared and undisciplined.
He also ran off successful Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, and the Giants’ defense has been terrible under new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. There’s even more. Daboll’s behavior with the media is problematic. Condescending, he often gives “nothing” answers.
Then there’s Schoen, who has been terrible overall as a general manager. His draft picks, including Evan Neal, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Wan’Dale Robinson, Joshua Ezeudu, Deonte Banks, John Michael Schmitz, and Jalin Hyatt, haven’t panned out. His free-agent signings have produced little to nothing.
He foolishly gave Giants quarterback Daniel Jones a four-year, $160 million contract extension and decided not to draft an alternative, say, a J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix, or Michael Penix Jr. Instead, improving the O-Line was the answer. Okay. But Malik Nabers, the first-round draft pick, is a work in progress.
Want more? Saquon Barkley, the best Giant over the last two seasons, is now an Eagle … scoring three TDs in his first game with Philadelphia.
Will this season be a lost cause? Who out there would take a >4 over? I wouldn’t.
Giants fans have put up with bad football for a decade now. They deserve better than this. The big question is when they will get it.
