Reasons Why Brian Daboll Should Be Coach of the Year

Brian Daboll as Coach of the Year? Yep, and here are a few reasons why he deserves serious consideration for the honor.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Jan 5, 2023 1:39 PM EST

In this story:

New York Giants

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll would probably wave the idea that he should be NFL Coach of the Year because, as we have learned by now in the year since he's come to town to help rescue a floundering franchise, it takes a village to rebuild from the ashes of disappointment.

But make no mistake. Daboll, one of the two main architects (along with general manager Joe Schoen) of the Giants' surprisingly fast rebuild that has rejuvenated the confines of 1925 Giants Drive and which has the fan base believing once again.

Getting back to Daboll, he's been the very picture of consistency and modesty--and no, that latter image is not an act. It's who he is. Tom Coughlin, the last Giants head coach to win a pair of Super Bowl championships for this team, always used to say it was the players who won games and the coaches--or more specifically himself--who lost games.

Daboll has taken on the same philosophy. He's been all about building guys up rather than tearing them down. And the results, which speak for themselves (even though Daboll would probably argue that there is still a lot of work to be done), are why Daboll should be the clear choice for Coach of the Year.

If you need more convincing of Daboll's worthiness of this honor, here are some additional reasons.

Made the Team Believers Again

Players won't admit it, but losing takes a toll on one's psyche after a while.

The normal bumps and bruises seem to linger longer. And once a season is lost early on, it becomes more and more difficult to get fully up for a game, knowing there's not much else than pride to play for.

But the biggest factor is that losing can manifest itself in a locker room where that becomes all the players know. And that becomes extremely dangerous when one is trying to rebuild a franchise.

Daboll, along with several assistant coaches on his staff, have come from winning programs at one point or another in their respective careers, has helped change all that in the locker room. That staff has made believers out of the players left behind in the ashes of the Pat Shurmur and Joe Judge eras.

How? It's as simple as trusting the players to do the right thing to prepare the right way. At the end of the day, Daboll and his staff can draw up Hall of Fame-worthy game plans, but how successful do you think they'd be if, for example, Landon Collins didn't put in the extra time in the film room where he spotted a Colts tendency in their passing game that led to his recognition of the play when it happened against him and enabled him to jump the route for a big Pick-6?

It's human nature for people who work for an organization that's spiraling downward to go through the motions, especially if the job drains a lot out of someone mentally and physically.

Daboll and his staff, however, have, in stressing process above all else, swept away any remaining "loser" mentality that might have existed in the locker room and have made believers of the players that the processes that maybe other head coaches have tried to instill int eh past, really do work, win or lose.

Rejuvenated Players

Sometimes when a player has bottomed out with one team, a change of scenery can do him a world of good. But when a team collects a group of players that have been cast aside, usually that team is lucky if it can rejuvenate one or two from the lot.

The Giants have had several players that, for one reason or another, were cast aside, and just about every one of them has stepped up to become a solid contributor for this team.

A top example is receiver Richie James, who, after showing signs of promise with the 49ers, was sent packing following an injury. Even with the Giants, at one point, James looked like he might be kicked to the curb after losing two fumbles on punt returns that cost New York its game against Seattle.

While a lot of the credit goes to James for putting his head down and working on getting better, also give credit to Daboll and his staff for not giving up on James when times got tough, as perhaps some other coaches might have been tempted to do.

In addition to taking back the punt return job (after Adoree' Jackson was injured doing it), James has been steady in the offense, recording 57 receptions for 569 yards and four touchdowns in four starts over 16 games played.

A few others castaways by a previous team that have found new life under Daboll include cornerbacks Nick McCloud and Fabian Moreau, tight end Nick Vannett, safety Jason Pinnock, and receiver Isaiah Hodgins.

Those players aren't household names, but their contributions, which have resulted from their hard work and the coaches' trust in them, have helped to make the Giants a household name again.

Helped Players Take Their Games to the Next Level

At the start of the year, some of the biggest question marks on this team included whether quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley, and defensive lineman Dexter Lawerence would ever take that next big leap in their respective careers.

Fast forward to the present, and all three players have career years. Barkley has already set a new personal best in rushing yards with one game to go. Jones finally looks like the franchise quarterback the Giants hoped they were getting when they drafted him sixth overall in 2019. Lawrence, who has always been a good player, has branched out into becoming more of the pass rusher the Giants hoped he'd become.

The scary thing is that all three of those now core players have more room to get better, which, so long as they all stay healthy, they will as they spend more time in the systems the Giants have in place on offense and defense.

Did More With Less

The one thing that hasn't changed under Daboll has been the injury situation (though give him and Schoen an off-season, and they'll probably figure out a few things to help fix that in the future). According to ManGamesLost.com, the Giants are tied with the Cardinals for having the third-most injured team in the league.

Despite the injuries, the Giants have been competitive in all but two losses, those coming to Detroit (13-point margin) and the first Eagles game (22 points). In their six losses this season, those have been by an average of 10.5 points per game--not too bad considering past seasons.

Another interesting note? The Giants have currently scored the same point total as they've surrendered (349). That's with some players who were picked up well after training camp ended and had to learn the new systems on the fly, such as safety/inside linebacker Landon Collins, receiver Isaiah Hodgins (who, despite knowing the system, had to build chemistry with Daniel Jones), cornerback Nick McCloud, defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux, offensive lineman Tyre Phillips, and cornerback Fabian Moreau, to name a few.