Giants’ locker room confidence in Brian Daboll reportedly ‘hanging by a thread’

Sep 15, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll stands on the sideline in the second half against the Washington Commanders at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Luke Johnson-Imagn Images
Credit: Luke Johnson-Imagn Images

The New York Giants’ 2024-25 regular season is not off to the start they hoped for. The Giants are 0-2 after being blown out in Week 1 and losing in the final seconds to their division rivals in Week 2. Head coach Brian Daboll needs to start coaching like his job is on the line, because it very well could be.

The Giants’ locker room might be losing confidence in HC Brian Daboll

East Rutherford, NJ -- July 24, 2024 -- Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt and head coach Brian Daboll during the first day of training camp for the 2024 New York Giants.
Credit: Chris Pedota, NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a recent episode of the Breaking Big Blue with Jordan Raanan podcast, the ESPN reporter shared some information that he gathered from the Giants’ locker room regarding the team’s confidence in Daboll (h/t @Base718 on X):

“0-4 is clearly on the table here. And if they’re 0-4, I worry about this locker room,” Raanan began. “I’ve spoken to guys over the past few days — a bunch of guys, a handful of guys — and some of them, not all of them, said how it’s starting to get shaky in there. The confidence in Brian Daboll is hanging by a thread.

“When players sit there and talk to each other, what do you think they’re talking about? These are things that they talk about. That their trust in him is waning.”

Once a head coach loses the locker room, it usually doesn’t take long for him to lose his job, too. The only way that Daboll can regain his players’ trust is to start finding ways to lead his team to victories. He set winning expectations for Big Blue in the 2022 season that saw the G-Men return to the playoffs. Since then, it’s been nothing but losing.

As the Giants sit at 0-2, listed as underdogs entering their Week 3 matchup on the road against the Cleveland Browns, Daboll needs to right the ship. The G-Men got off to a disastrous 2-8 start in their first 10 games last season. Getting off to a stronger start this season was a point of emphasis, but a goal that clearly has not been met. Another slow start to the season has Daboll’s team looking out-coached and underprepared.

The Giants’ schedule doesn’t exactly ease up in the coming weeks either. They are underdogs this weekend against the Browns, then host the Dallas Cowboys at home next Thursday, go on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks the following Sunday, then have a primetime game against the Cincinnati Bengals, a home game against the Philadelphia Eagles, then another primetime game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The schedule doesn’t let up for the next month.

Daboll’s team is staring another losing season in the face — potentially his second in three years as the head coach. That might be considered unacceptable by team co-owner and president John Mara, who set out expectations for “significant improvement” this season. Another losing season would be the exact opposite, and could result in Daboll’s demise.

Mentioned in this article:

More about: