Gritty Giants Redefining "Never-Say-Die" Attitude
The New York Giants are 5-1, and if it isn't clear by now, no matter what happens in a game, these gritty Giants aren't about to back down to anyone.
That resilience was tested Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, a team heavily favored to win. Despite their first-half struggles and being down 20-10 in the fourth quarter, the Giants never backed down and fought right down to the wire, ultimately delivering an upset win to improve their 2022 season record.
"I’m just proud of the way they compete," said head coach Brian Daboll. "We talked about trying to play fast, trying to play physical, being resilient, and finishing. Throughout the game, I thought those showed up – obviously not perfect. There are certainly a lot of things we can fix; that’s why we’ll be in tomorrow to try to fix them. And I’m just proud of the way the guys competed."
Quarterback Daniel Jones revealed that Daboll, the picture of calmness in his post-game press conference, was amped up while on the sidelines as the Giants snatched the victory away from the Ravens.
"He was pretty fired up," Jones said, noting that Daboll never lost that fire even when the Giants were down. "I think we all were. He wanted to see a sense of urgency and understanding of the point of the game that we were in. We needed to respond as a group, as an offense, and I think that’s what he was communicating."
The Giants responded as a team in the second half but specifically as an offense in the fourth quarter. When Jones was asked about that 'we're never out of the game' mindset, and where it comes from, he credits the team's toughness.
"It’s just a tough group. We’ve got a competitive spirit, a competitive stamina, something Dabs has preached since he got here. I think guys have taken to that and tried to make that something we show every time we get on the field. It’s a tough, gritty group."
Jones acknowledges that it was not a perfect game today and that there are many areas of the game they can clean up, but he still exhibits a visible confidence. There were a few questions he fielded about second-half resilience, and he answered them all with the same level of confidence in the answer.
He talked about making good adjustments at halftime but also understanding the need to come out faster in the first half. Even with the slow first-half starts and 4th quarter comebacks, Jones is not surprised that they continue to find ways to get the job done week after week.
"No, we’re not shocked that we find ways to win. I think we’re confident in what we can do, our toughness, our ability to compete and find ways to win down the stretch," Jones said. "I think we understand there’s a lot still out there for us, (and) there’s a lot we’ve got to work to improve on, but no, we’re not shocked."
Daboll agreed and noted that this grittiness the Giants have shown stems back to Day 1 when the program was first put together and introduced to the players in the off-season.
"This league is hard. It’s not always going to be perfect. There will be a lot of people down on you. And you might be down on yourself, wish you could do better. But you keep on getting back up. You keep on swinging, keep on competing, regardless of the score or the situation of the game," Daboll said.
"That’s not easy to do when you’re down. If you sit on the bench and start bitching and complaining, that’s easy to do. It’s hard to stick with it and get ready to play the next series and not worry about if you just got beat on a pass or if you got sacked. You’ve got to flush it pretty quick."
That philosophy and confidence has the team slowly earning respect around the league. But at the same time, they are not sitting back and wondering how they arrived here, nor are they basking in the glow of such a surprisingly good start for the fanbase and those that cover this team.
Instead, they remained focused on what they still have to accomplish rather than look back at the past.
"I think that’s the way we have to look at it, as one game at a time," Jones said. "We’re 5-1, and I think that’s certainly something that helps us build confidence, but when you look at the tape and when you’re playing these games, you realize how much more we can do and ways we can make a few more plays here and there, tighten up a couple of things, and we’re better off going throughout the game."
Jones, one of the leaders of this team, vowed to the fan base that there would be no quit in this team.
"We’re going to compete. We’re going to compete for 60 minutes and try to give the fans something to be proud of. Give them a reason to cheer, and that’s what we’re trying to do each week," he said.
"A lot we’ve got to clean up, and we’re going to get better as a team each week, but we’re going to compete, we’re going to play hard and fight for 60 minutes."
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