There is a growing belief in NFL circles that New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll could potentially be on the hot seat in his third season in New York. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr on the other hand, doesn’t believe that to be the case, saying that Big Blue firing Daboll would be “bonkers.”
Does Brian Daboll deserve high praise for following up on the failures of his predecessors?
In a recent appearance on the “Valentine’s Views” podcast, Orr explained his reasoning behind his sentiment of Daboll and the Giants.
“I would say Daboll’s no doubt their best head coach since [Tom] Coughlin,” said Orr. “I don’t think there’s any question about that.”
Prior to hiring Daboll in 2022, the Giants experienced a revolving door of head coaches following the departure of longtime head coach Tom Coughlin in 2015. New York had four different head coaches in the years in between Coughlin and Daboll.
Ben McAdoo (2016-2017), Steve Spagnuolo (2017), Pat Shurmur (2018-2019), and Joe Judge (2020-2021) all enjoyed short stints as the head coach of the Giants before Daboll was hired.
Daboll is credited with the breakouts of Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito
Orr also credited Daboll for finding ways to put the Giants’ otherwise non-impressive roster to its full potential, citing the Tommy DeVito saga of last season, as well as Daniel Jones’ breakout season the year prior.
“You need somebody who’s steeped in the modern offensive system, someone who’s amoebic, who’s adjustable, and who can coach the quarterback position,” said Orr. “The Tommy DeVito thing was not like, ‘Oh, look at this great player we found.’ That was good coaching. Daniel Jones having that great year, that was good coaching.”
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Orr doesn’t believe Daboll should suffer the same fate as previous Giants head coaches
Given the Giants’ recent track record of firing head coaches, Orr believes Daboll isn’t deserving of the same fate of the coaches who came before him.
“To me, it would be bonkers to go and fire another head coach before the duration of his contract,” said Orr. “I don’t think he’s [Mara] trying to do that, I really don’t. That’s just me talking, but I think he knows he has the right guy here.”
Could the Giants be a sleeper team in 2024?
Orr is surprisingly high on the potential of the Giants in 2024. In a post detailing his boldest predictions ahead of the 2024 season, Orr said that the Giants could finish in second place in the NFC East and that Daboll would be the runner-up for Coach of the Year.
Daboll and the Giants will be looking to right the ship after a disappointing season in 2023. While his job may not currently be in jeopardy, another disheartening season could certainly test the team’s patience going forward.
