As Giants' Season Fades, the "Status Quo" Must Be Overhauled

The Giants can't continue going down the road they have been on and expect different results.

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

At the end of last season, New York Giants co-owner John Mara famously told reporters that he needed to feel a lot better about the direction the team is headed in 2025 than he did after witnessing where it was going in 2024.

Well, sad to say that hasn't been the case. They are 2-8 after 10 games and 0-4 in games in which they have led by 10+ points on the road.

Their defense, touted as a strength given all the resources that were poured into it, can’t finish games. They can’t seem to develop talent to its full potential, and the coaching staff continues to make questionable decisions week after week.

And there are no more excuses.

Head coach Brian Daboll can’t blame the team’s struggles on poor quarterback play, not when he’s turned to Jaxson Dart, his handpicked signal caller whom he’s personally had a heavy hand in developing and who, given his incessant desire to run the kid into the ground, thereby exposing him to hit after hit, the latest hit finally sending Dart, who plays the game recklessly, into the league’s protocol.

But what about the other stuff? Last week, Daboll was asked why he believes defensive coordinator Shane Bowen can get the defense out of its season-long mire.

He dodged the question, saying, “Nothing's good enough. Offense, defense, and kicking game, we can all be better. That's what we're all working towards. We're doing everything we can to try to improve it, and I'm confident we will.”

He continues to take a questionable approach toward who gets to play and who doesn’t. 

For example, cornerback Deonte Banks, who you never know if you’re going to get a full effort from him on any given play, gets to play, whereas Evan Neal remains buried on the depth chart.

Same with Jalin Hyatt, who, despite being active for Sunday’s loss against the Bears, was kept on the bench, despite an opportunity to go into the game when Darius Slayton had to come out to have his hamstring tended to.

Never mind that the coaching staff went with Gunner Olszewski, who’s primarily been a slot receiver those times he has played offense, over Hyatt, a move that made little sense.  

Or the obvious lack of confidence in Russell Wilson to run the offense the way Dart runs it, which in turn leads to the question of why Jameis Winston, who is probably better suited to run the offense like Dart does, remains buried on he bench.

The in-game management decisions? Again, headscratchers all the way around, including the decision to kick the field goal despite having 4th-and-1 at the Bears’ 1-yard line after Dart left the game with a concussion. 

Yes, injuries have happened. It’s tough when you don’t have Malik NAbers and Cam Skattebo on offense, and Micah McFadden and Paulson Adebo on defense. But if coaches are going to preach “next man up” and then buy guys on the depth chart, are they really practicing what they preach?

So now what?

The fan base is understandably angry with how the 2025 season has dissolved into a complete mess. The excitement of watching young players like Nabers, Skattebo, and Dart on an offense that many thought might be the saving grace while the defense figured things out seems to be dwindling.

Will Daboll and defensive coordinator Shane Bowen survive the season? Bowen seems to be the one on shakiest ground right now, though the cracks in the foundation under Daboll continue to grow wider.

With the season lost and the handwriting on the wall, it just might be time to see if aspiring head coach (and current assistant head coach) Mike Kafka can handle the head coaching duties, and if Marquand Manuel can invoke some changes in the defense to get it back on track. 

It might be time to move Winston ahead of Wilson on the depth chart and just see if some of these players who have been buried on the depth chart can give you something–anything.

The season is lost. To continue down the same path as it has before is pointless and, as the old saying goes, the very definition of insanity.  

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