The New York Giants struggled this past season under head coach Brian Daboll in his second year with the organization. And now, it appears that there may be a bit of animosity between Daboll and Giants owner John Mara.
Daboll thrived in his first year in New York, helping the team reach the postseason in the 2022-23 season with a 9-8 record in the regular season which helped him earn a Coach of the Year honor.
Since then, things have started to spiral a bit. The team went 6-11 last year and notably lost a key piece on offense this offseason with Saquon Barkley’s departure to the Philadelphia Eagles, their NFC East rivals.
Daboll seems to be heading Year 3 in New York with a ton of pressure to make this Giants team a winner once again. Along with this, Mara said in a recent interview that he would like to see Daboll change his attitude while coaching.
“There are times when I wish he would tone it down a little bit,” Mara said, via Darryl Slater of NJ.com.
Daboll was seen multiple times this past season blowing up on the sidelines, which is seemingly what Mara is talking about when it comes to Daboll.
Despite this criticism, Mara did add that he still believes that Daboll is “the guy” to lead the Giants into the future.
“Does he get excitable during the games sometimes? Yeah. So do I. But I don’t think it’s a major issue. I don’t think it affects the culture that we have in the building at all. I still very firmly believe that Brian is the right guy for us going forward. If I get to the point where I think he’s acting irrationally and it’s affecting his performance, I certainly would have a word with him. I have not seen that.”
Daboll’s blowups are of course a bit more noticeable when the team is struggling on the field. So if Daboll can indeed produce a winner in New York, these concerns from Mara will likely disappear.
That being said, if Daboll’s attitude remains the same and the Giants struggle next year, he could quickly find himself on the hot seat.
[NJ.com]
