NY Giants Franchise Direction Takes Center Stage in Latest Reader Mailbag

Welcome to the weekly New York Giants On SI Reader Mailbag! From offseason moves to game-day strategies, nothing is off-limits. So, let's dive right into your questions!

I am curious why you don't go for two when you are up two with under a minute to go? Your defense has been shredded the entire fourth quarter, you're down 50% of your starting defensive backfield, your kicker's ability to make an extra point is questionable–why not show your team that you want to go for the win by going for two?-Richard G.

Richard, Brian Daboll mentioned that in one of the PAT decisions he went with his gut, and in the other he went with what the analytics sheet recommended.

I don't know which one was which, but I have long questioned the validity of using analytics in a game because they don't take into consideration the human element. I mean, at some point, a coach has to use his noggin when making decisions, regardless of what the analytics say, right?

That being said, the only other reason I can think of is that the first 2-point conversion they tried earlier in the game failed, and they felt better about going for the PAT, given that McAtamney had made the one earlier in the fourth quarter.

Was Darnay Holmes good. He is DB for the raiders now.
— SanchoBermuda (@SanchoBermuda11) October 23, 2025

According to PFF, Darnay Holmes has a 106.3 coverage rating which is the ninth worst (out of 21 qualifying slot cornerbacks with a minimum of 90 slot coverage snaps) so far. If you’re further curious, Dru Phillips’s 97.7 coverage rating from the slot not too far behind, as he’s ranked the 11th worst.

#askptrain At the start of the year, people though the Giants defense would have to play well while the offense figured things out. It seems like it’s been quite the opposite. Curious, why do you think the defense has struggled, and can they turn it around the rest of the year?
— Kris Kauffeld (@dublk52) October 23, 2025

Great question, as always, Kris. Regarding the defensive struggles, I think it’s been a combination of there still not being an ideal fit between what defensive coordinator Shane Bowen wants to do and the talent he has to execute it.

I think a bigger reason, though, is that there has been a drop-off among certain key players like Dexter Lawrence, Dru Phillips, and Tyler Nubin. Losing Micah McFadden in Week 1 hurt.

And I still am not convinced that Shane Bowen has totally figured out how to deploy Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, and Kayvon Thibodeaux at the same time without asking one of those three to do something that’s not a strength.

Can they turn it around the rest of the year? Sure. The unit was stellar against the Eagles in the first meeting. But I’m concerned about the injuries to Paulson Adebo and Jevon Holland and how that might play into things moving forward.

Hey P Train, How much of Jaxson Darts success can be credited to Daboll? Coming out of college, Dart was widely viewed as a project. Was that simply a misevaluation? I feel like Daboll isn’t getting enough credit here
— Rational Giants Takes (@RationalGMENFan) October 23, 2025

I think part of the reason Dart was viewed as a project was the offense he ran for LaneLane Kiffin. At the end of the day, what’s the quarterback’s basic job description? Read the defense, make good decisions, and throw the ball, right?

I think Dart has never been given enough credit for having a high football IQ, and I also suspect some have underestimated his ability to pick things up rapidly.

Did Daboll have a hand in Dart’s success? To a degree, yes. I am sure he’s worked with Dart to tailor the playbook to include plays Dart is comfortable running, many of which he had success with at Ole Miss.

I’m sure there have been little things like footwork and such that Daboll, AFC/OC Mike Kafka, and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney have helped Dart to tweak.

At the end of the day, I believe that a player’s success depends on two things. How badly he wants it and how open-minded he is to feedback.

Dart wants to be great. And he’s open-minded to the coaching he receives because he knows he doesn't have all the answers, nor is he a finished product.

What is the tendency of fan bases to call for a rookie QB to start and then call for the dismissal of the head coach? Doesn’t starting a rookie QB signify the start of a rebuild and not its failure? Isn’t a coach or front office change likely to length the drought? #AskPtrain
— James L. McMahan Jr. (iJames) (@ijamesmcmahan) October 24, 2025

James, that’s a great question. I think, in most cases, yes: starting a rookie quarterback signals the start of a rebuild. That said, you also have to consider where the regime is.

In this case, it’s Year 4 of the current Giants regime, so this isn’t as though they are starting from scratch. I think the fact that the Giants went to the postseason in the first year of this regime altered the original rebuild plan, leading the regime to believe the roster was further along than it actually was.

In this case, I think there are enough veteran pieces already on this team to lay a foundation for the rookie quarterback, so I don’t consider it a true rebuild.

Will a change in the front office or the coach affect the rebuild? Maybe. I have long believed — and I still do — that Joe Schoen is on more stable ground than Brian Daboll, though, as of now, I’d say Daboll has a better than 50% chance of coming back for a fifth season.

I do not believe that the presence of Dart is necessarily a given to save Daboll–remember Daniel Jones wasn’t enough to save Pat Shurmur.

That said, I think Daboll is a much better coach than Shurmur. The only thing I question is if the repeated issues with the coaching staff not being able to get more out of the roster in terms of wins, the lack of development of some players, the repeated issues with things like pre-snap penalties and overall on-field discipline, etc., might come back to haunt him.

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