Let's be honest: we all knew the season was over after the collapse in Denver three weeks ago. You didn't think the Giants were beating the Philadelphia Eagles or San Francisco 49ers, did you? Neither did I. It wasn't a question of whether a change had to be made, but when.
Well the "when" came yesterday after the Giants blew a ten-point, fourth-quarter lead and lost to the Chicago Bears Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field. That's four times this season New York has lost a game in which they held a double-digit lead; this latest one was the final straw, so the organization "relieved" head coach Brian Daboll of his duties.
I have no problem with the decision. Daboll was 20-40-1 as head coach, but only 11-33 since 2023. He had to go. My only question is why wasn't defensive coordinator Shane Bowen also shown the door? It was his play-calling that directly led to two of those four losses. Indeed, you could easily make the case that had this team defended better, they'd be 5-5, instead of 2-8. And with the worst of the schedule behind them, it's conceivable that the Giants could've been in the playoff hunt going into December. Instead, the only hunt they'll be in is for the number one pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. They currently have the third pick.
That might be the reason why Joe Schoen was retained. In the end, John Mara and Steve Tisch must've felt that, talent wise, the team was headed in the right direction. That isn't to say Schoen hasn't made some mistakes. The decision to give Daniel Jones such a large contract, in hindsight, turned out not to be such a good idea; the whole Saquon Barkley fiasco could've been handled better; and some his draft picks - Evan Neal, Jalin Hyatt and Deonte Banks - haven't exactly panned out.
That being said, the Giants have their franchise quarterback in place; they have an elite receiver and two outstanding running backs; their front seven - at least on paper - is certainly more capable than what they've shown. With some improvements to the secondary, a place-kicker who can stay healthy and the right coaching staff in place, this team should be vastly improved in the standings next season.
Regarding the latter, who do the Giants hire? If I had my druthers, I'd go with someone along the lines of a Dan Campbell or Mike Vrabel; a no-nonsense coach who holds his players accountable and isn't risk averse. I'm not piling on here, but when Daboll elected to take the field goal rather than go for it on fourth and goal from the one-yard line, I knew the Giants were going to lose. The message that sends to your players is that you don't believe in them. And any coach who doesn't believe in his players has no business being their coach. I guarantee you that Campbell and Vrabel would never do that to their players.
If the Giants are looking for a name, Mike Tomlin makes perfect sense. He's well respected by his players and he has the distinction of being the only active head coach in the NFL to not have a losing season in his 18 years with the Steelers. But would Pittsburgh be willing to let him out of his contract which runs through 2027? Given that the Mara and Rooney families are practically joined at the hip, I'm sure a phone call from John to Art Jr. might get it done.
If neither option is available, then I would go with someone who can run an offense, like Kliff Kingsbury, former head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and now offensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders. If he's not available, perhaps Joe Brady of the Bills might suffice. But would Mara and Schoen really want to hire another offensive coordinator with no head-coaching experience? I doubt it.
One reason the Giants may have fired Daboll now instead of waiting until the end of the season is to give Mike Kafka a look see. The offensive coordinator has been instrumental in Jaxson Dart's development. If he does a good job as interim head coach over the next seven games, they may elect to give him the job permanently.
Whichever route they choose, the Giants will need a defensive coordinator who can actually coach a defense. Ironically, they had one in Wink Martindale, but when Daboll fired two of his assistants, he resigned in protest. That led to the hiring of Bowen, who was the polar opposite of Martindale.
One man I hope they don't hire is Bill Belichick. There's no doubt about his Hall of Fame bonafides, but with everything that's unfolded at North Carolina, it's obvious that the former New England Patriots head coach is just cashing in on his name. Why on Earth would the Giants want to bring that circus to MetLife?
A lot of possibilities out there for Big Blue, to be sure. Mara and Schoen need to get this one right. The fanbase has suffered long enough.
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