The New York Giants are 2-7 and once again barrelling toward a top-10 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. With Daniel Jones on injured reserve, Brian Daboll’s second season as head coach looks like a lost cause.
Daboll found great success in his first season, leading Big Blue to a 9-7-1 record and the franchise’s first playoff win in over a decade. He and general manager Joe Schoen received heaps of praise throughout the past year as they appeared to finally be getting the Giants back on the right track after years of misery.
Unfortunately, the narrative has changed as Big Blue is once again spiraling out of control this season. According to Pat Leonard of the Daily News, Schoen and Daboll are “under pressure” to put together a competitive team during this final stretch of the season. If not, their job security could supposedly come into question.
Giants’ brass could be on the hot seats
Pat Leonard is reporting that the Giants’ brass is “under pressure on Sunday to start fielding a respectable, consistently competitive Giants team.”
The Giants are entering their Week 10 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys as 17.5-point underdogs, their largest underdog status since 1966.
According to Leonard, “Another massacre against the Cowboys will turn up the heat inside a building where it’s already getting uncomfortable.”
A loss against Dallas seems inevitable as third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito makes his first career NFL start. But the loss could create some uncertainty inside the Giants’ building.
Jobs are at risk in the Giants’ building as “everyone is under the microscope” for the remainder of the season, per Leonard. Ownership will be keeping a close eye on the team’s brass as they make decisions for the future.
The Giants shouldn’t tear things down again
As Leonard points out, “precedent shows there is only so much embarrassment the Giants’ co-owners can take.”
Ownership has been turning through head-coaching regimes at an alarming rate. The team’s last three head coaches, Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, and Joe Judge, were all fired in their second seasons. Daboll is seemingly at risk of suffering the same fate, but this would be an irrational decision and a crucial mistake.
This time around, ownership should practice patience and give Daboll and Schoen more time to put things together. Daboll is coaching a third-string quarterback as his starter for the remainder of the season. Schoen inherited an ugly roster and is in the process of rebuilding the team for the future.
Schoen’s vision cannot be fully realized by the end of this season season. He and Daboll need more time to develop this team and, despite the disappointing results of this season, the Giants should extend the leash on their brass into 2024.