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New York Giants Mailbag: The "Franchise Decisions" Edition

Let's check in with the readers to see what they're thinking this week.
Patricia Traina|
New York Giants Mailbag
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If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please use the link below or post your questions on X (formerly known as Twitter) to @Patricia_Traina, hashtag #askPTrain. Please note that letters may be edited for clarity/length.

I recently read a comment from Justin Pugh stating that Brian Dabol is the most talented coach that he has played under and he played under Tom Coughlin. I read frequent questions in your mailbag from fans stating or inferring that Brian Dabol has been a disaster. Who would know more, a fan or a very good former player? This is a tongue-in-cheek question because I believe it would be another setback to have another regime change AGAIN before he has a chance to work with a good QB behind a good Oline. Your view? – Bobby A.

Bobby, thanks for the question. Everyone will have an opinion–it’s what makes the world go ‘round. Fans are frustrated right now–I get it, and I think everyone associated with the Giants gets it as well. 

I have said that I don’t endorse changing over the coaching staff every two years because it sets everything back for at least a couple of years, and meanwhile, you’re wasting the prime years of guys like Dexter Lawrence II, Andrew Thomas, etc. 

I think we can all agree that the Giants knew their quarterback situation needed to be addressed as far back as the offseason, despite what Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll were publicly saying about giving Daniel Jones another opportunity. Teams with secure quarterback situations DO NOT seek to trade up, as the Giants admitted they were willing to do in the first round of this year’s draft. 

Schoen himself told ownership in that clip shown on Hard Knocks before the draft that if they didn’t get a quarterback, they’d pivot to wide receiver. So I have to believe that ownership knows that the quarterback situation was not on solid ground, and I think, as hard as this might be for John Mara in particular, he will be patient with this current regime.

You keep making excuses for Daboll. And, along with the rest of the media, harp on how he turned Josh Allen around. There is too little blame for him as a coach and too much credit for Allen, who should have curled up in the fetal position when Daboll left.

Citing how fond they were of Maye and Daniels means they can judge QB talent; everyone had that opinion. Please cite at least one valid reason that Daboll should remain the coach outside the three wins down the stretch when Wink's defense created 12 turnovers.  – Ron H.

Ron, I know you and others don’t want to hear it, but I’m trying to keep my emotions out of this and look at what makes the most sense. As I wrote above in my response to Bobby A., do you really want to keep pressing the reset button and wasting the prime years of your core foundation? Because that’s what you’d be doing if you started all over again with a new staff that will want to bring in their guys, change all the systems, etc.

This isn’t to say that Daboll, if he returns, can or should keep the status quo. I have long criticized him for his approach to preseason game snaps. 

And after initially being optimistic about him taking over the play calling–and I understood why he did it–that hasn’t worked out, though it’s also fair to wonder how much of the quarterback play has been at the core of that.

Regarding your question about citing one reason to retain Daboll, you answered your own question with your comment about Maye and Daniels. And wouldn’t it be nice to have a franchise quarterback with the pedigree those two have? 

But if you need another answer, I give you this: The Giants have played eight one-score games this season, posting a record of 1-7. That is a pretty good sign, at least as far as I’m concerned, that this team has not quit on Daboll despite its struggles.

The clear consensus is that the Giants need a QB.  They will have a guaranteed top 5 pick–probably higher.  The problem is that none of the QB class is graded in even the top 20 of the best available players (per PFF). 

Given that the Giants have holes at so many positions, as GM would you overdraft a QB with that first pick or select the best available at another position of need?  CB, OL, DL, etc., or trade down for more picks? It's a very tough call, I think. –Dave R.

Dave, this isn’t difficult at all. You go with the best available, period. The worst case is you find a bridge guy for a couple of years and build up assets so that if you have to make a move down the line, you can do so. Remember how everyone screamed about Daniel Jones being “overdraft” at six? Do people really want a repeat of that?

(This letter was edited to improve clarity.)

This has to be a tough pill for you to swallow, but everything I've been saying is being proven. The problem was not Daniel Jones. They are a losing team because of Brian Daboll and, of course, Joe Schoen. 

It's time for John Mara/Steve Tisch to swallow their own pill and get rid of both of them. We need a fresh start; we will not win with these two in charge. Hire a new GM, new HC, and--are you ready?--APOLOGIZE TO DANIEL JONES. 

Giants owe him the dead money for next year, so let's pay him and sign him as a free agent. Draft people we NEED to be a winner--that by the way, is NOT drafting a questionable quarterback. Giant fans deserve better than a losing coach in Daboll and a GM who can't manage the CAP. -- Joe G. 

Joe, I stand by everything I have said. I wish you would respect my opinion (you don’t have to agree) and move on rather than trying to convince me every week how wrong I am. When I am wrong, I'll admit it, but I do not believe I am wrong in this instance, given the evidence.   

Here’s hoping for brighter days ahead for the New York Giants and their fans and that this 2024 season will fast be forgotten.  

Do you think it would be a reach to take Sanders or Ward ? How would fans react if we take Travis Hunter and get a QB in a later round like Drew Allar from Penn State? Robert H.

Robert, I’m going to be honest here. I haven’t done enough work on the quarterbacks int eh draft class. I usually start that after the season ends. What I have heard is that Deion Sanders reportedly doesn’t want his son to go to the Giants. And I suspect the feeling might be mutual. 

The early word–and this is very early–is that they seem to be honing in on Cam Ward. But again, let’s see what the final draft order is before we start really diving into the quarterback situation, as I still think the team is going to bring in a bridge quarterback to go along with a rookie. 

Hi Kris. No, I don’t think that should be a factor. Pat Shurmur had previous experience as a head coach and he didn’t work out, right? Bill PArcells had no prior experience as an NFL head coach and he worked out, right?  

What I think matters more is that a coach and general manager have a plan and the patience to stick with it through thick and thin. Progress is never linear when building an organization. 

I also think if you’re ownership and you’re evaluating the moves made by your GM and HC, you have to look at the bigger picture, e.g., did the move they made, regardless, if it turned out to be right or wrong, make the most sense at the time.

What’s up, Josh? Very good question and one I had to think about. I think the team has a solid enough foundtiont hat is still coming together–Andrew  Thomas, Dexter Lawrence, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Malik Nabers, Tyrone TRacy, Jr, Tyler Nubin, Theo Johnson, Wan’Dale Robinson, etc. 

That’s an encouraging core group. But obviously they need to fill in the blanks and add more talent around those guys. Cornerback is a huge need. So is additional defense line help and offensive line depth. And of course, let’s not forget quarterback. 

I realize that doesn’t sound like much, but I think it’s important to have a core foundation in place and build from there. So we’ll see how they add to that foundation.

Hello  George. This is just a wild guess–I don’t have any stats that prove this one way or another–but I suspect it has to do with the Giants playing more zone coverage this year as opposed to man coverage as they have in the first two years of Brian Daboll’s regime. 

Now, you would think playing zone coverage would lead to more interceptions since defenders aren’t as locked in on a specific man, right? 

So the only logical explanation I can come up with is that the talent they have in the defensive secondary is better suited for man coverage than zone–I don’t have stats or data to prove that one way or another; it’s just a guess on my part.

Hi Pete, I wish I could–I actually went looking for that data the other day–but ManGamesLost.com changed their setup, so I can’t get that data the way I used to. 

I’ll say this regarding injuries. It’s not necessarily the number of injuries a team has; rather, it’s who is injured. I made this point on the Locked On Giants podcast the other day. 

In 2007, the Giants had 17 guys on IR, but most were at the bottom of the depth chart in their respective positions. When you lose guys to injury that are at the top of their positions on the depth chart, that’s quite a different story.

Bill, I realize what I’m about to say won’t be very popular, but I think they stay the course with Schoen and Daboll. Now disclaimer: if the Giatns get blown out the rest of the way and it looks like the team quit, then I think the odds of Daboll’s return drop significantly. But the reason why I think both return is because you can point to the quarterback play and the injuries as being issues.

That said, I think Daboll has to change some of his processes. I’ve long objected to how he doles out preseason snaps–how many more regular-season openers does he need to see the team come out flat before he realizes that has to change? 

I think he might need to redo some of his coaching staff. I’ve said I don’t believe Shane Bowen’s philosophies fit their talent skillset. And something no one is talking about is special teams, which I think you could say are worse this year than they were under T-Mac. And I suspect Mike Kafka will move on after this year.

I would like to see Daboll give back the playcalling to an offensive coordinator. Whereas I thought this would work out with him calling plays, it hasn’t. But I don’t think he’s going to be so quick to do that, not with a young quarterback potentially coming in.

On the flipside, though, it’s fair of ownership to ask him why Daniel Jones never returned to his 2022 form–was it the injuries or something else?

David, I really don’t think so. Daboll, remember, wanted to keep Graham when he was first hired as head coach, but Graham, whom if I recall correctly, interviewed for the job, didn’t want to stick around. I can’t imagine him coming back here if the Raiders clean house.

John Mara said in the beginning of the year that he expects a significant improvement in the team performance and a feeling at year’s end that the team is moving in the right direction. You would have to be delusional to think any of these things are remotely true. 

My question is how JM is going to justify keeping Schoen and Daboll as GM and coach after 3 years of turning an average team in 2022 into the worst team in the NFL and an embarrassment to all fans and a laughing stock. If he doesn’t make significant changes then I amongst most fans will have absolutely no faith or respect for him as owner. – Don M.

Don, I feel your pain, but let’s look at the bigger picture. If the Giants were to bring in a new GM and head coach, it would necessitate starting from scratch, as that new duo is sure to want their own guys and their own systems. 

So we could theoretically be looking at another 2-3 years before this team is even remotely close to being relevant again; in the meantime, your core guys like Andrew Thomas and Dexter Lawerence II to name a few, rack up 2-3 more years’ worth of wear and tear to the point where you have to start thinking about replacing them.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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