Eli Manning Says Brian Daboll Must Stay True to Himself

The New York Giants head coaching position comes with immense pressure to win or, at the very least, be a competitive team. The Giants did neither this season, leading to turmoil on their coaching staff, but former Giants quarterback Eli Manning, who saw firsthand how Tom Coughlin navigated through the highs and lows that came with the head coaching job, believes that Brian Daboll, the current head coach of the Giants, can find similar success.

“With coach Coughlin, he understood and made some changes. I think it was because he knew he had great leadership in a lot of guys who had been around for several years, been used to his system, and he could let us take over some of that leadership responsibilities with the team," Manning said in an interview with the New York Post.

“Daboll, hey, you got to be yourself, though. You got to coach the only way you know how to coach, and I think he does a good job, and you can’t let one tough season impact the way you’re gonna be or the way you’re gonna coach."

Although the Giants made progress in the 2022 season, they could not build upon that success in 2023.

"I think obviously last year was unbelievable, and the turnaround, this year, hey, it wasn’t the best; they still had a number of games they could have won, and the record could have been a lot better than what it was."

Manning pointed to the Giants' inability to win close games as one of the main reasons they missed the playoffs this season.

"The [New York] Jets [game], the [Buffalo] Bills on a last-second play, the first Philly game, all of a sudden those are three games. It’s always winning those close games, and they weren’t able to win a lot of those close games this year, and that was the difference in making the playoffs and not making the playoffs.

“That’s just football,’’ Manning said. “Coming to New York, it’s a tough place, and if you don’t do well, they’re gonna want change and want to do everything."

Manning also shared his thoughts on the progress of quarterback Daniel Jones, who is recovering from a torn ACL and has been attacking his rehab.

“I’ve seen Daniel a few times last week,’’ Manning said. “I know he’s in the training room; he wants to heal up, and I know one thing with Daniel: every time he’s had something he’s wanted to improve on or he’s had something on his mind to get better, he goes and does it.

"I think he’ll rehab and control what you can control, keep his mind focused on getting better, and trying to prepare to be the starting quarterback for the Giants next year."

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