The New York Giants’ season is off to a disastrous start as the team sits with a 1-3 record and has been blown out in three of their four games.
Fans are frustrated and the team is hearing their frustrations; boos filled MetLife Stadium amidst the team’s Week 4 collapse against the Seattle Seahawks.
Fans’ frustrations seem to be getting under the skin of some players, such as RT Evan Neal. But, rather than letting it get to him, head coach Brian Daboll is empathizing with the frustration of Giants fans.
Brian Daboll says fans have the right to be upset
Following the Giants’ embarrassing Week 4 loss to the Seahawks, reporters asked Daboll if he was worried that the team might lose its fans. Daboll responded with sympathy for fans who have been showing their frustration at games.
“I’d be upset too if I was a fan. There’s a lot of things we’ve got to do better, and that’s what we’ll try to do.”
Brian Daboll via the official transcript
Daboll took a sympathetic approach when responding to criticism from fans; a strategy Neal probably wishes he utilized after receiving intense backlash for his comments about fans.
Neal caught heat after referring to upset fans as “sheep” on Wednesday.
“The person that’s commenting on my performance, what does he do? Flip hot dogs and hamburgers somewhere?”
Evan Neal via Darryl Slater of North Jersey
Neal has since posted an apology message saying he was “wrong for lashing out at the fans who are just as passionate and frustrated as I am.”
Fans will surely ease up on Neal if his performance — and his team’s performance — improves. Giants fans just want to see their team win football games; a task seemingly impossible for the current version of the team. But if Big Blue can stack some wins and turn their season around, they will then feel the love from their fans again.
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Is it too late for the Giants to satisfy their fans this season?
With the season off to such a poor start, many fans have reached for the panic button. The Giants are statistically one of the worst teams in the NFL; their offense is on pace to be one of the worst units of all time. But can Big Blue turn things around?
A difficult matchup in Week 5 would indicate that more trouble is likely on the way for New York. However, if the Giants want to get back the favor of their fans, an upset victory over the Miami Dolphins would smooth things over quite nicely.
Right now, the team looks like it will be in contention for the first-overall pick in the draft by season’s end. Taking down the Dolphins in Week 5 would change the narrative, and give New York the appearance of a team that got off to a slow start but is ready to turn things around for the rest of the season.
Daboll has a daunting challenge on his hands. Few head coaches survive dumpster-fire seasons such as the one Big Blue is having right now. After winning the 2022 Coach of the Year Award, Daboll is the man expected to right the ship and turn this team around. If he can find a way to do that, the boos will turn into cheers, and the frustration will turn into excitement.