The New York Giants finished 3-14 this season, and many people were surprised by owner John Mara’s decision to retain general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll for a fourth season.
Several Giants players were also apparently “surprised” that the team retained Daboll, according to an ESPN report.
While several players were “surprised” by Daboll’s departure, some said they agreed because Daboll is a player-friendly coach.
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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, left, leaves the field after the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Jan. 5, 2025. (Images by Eric Hartline-Imagn)
Players said the Giants head coach was open to feedback and incorporates a schedule that “hardly wears them down,” according to the report.
The report also says that players like Daboll as a person, but see signs that his program is not “destined for success.”
Daboll’s tenure couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, going 9-7-1 in his first season, winning a playoff game over the Minnesota Vikings and being named Coach of the Year.
Since then everything has gone downhill.
The Giants regressed in 2023, going 6-11, leading people to think the 2024 season would be a make-or-break season for the coach and GM.
GIANTS LEGEND ELI MANNING SUPPORTS THE TEAM’S DECISION TO STAY WITH BRIAN DABOLL, JOE SCHOEN DESPITE A REGRETTABLE SEASON
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll reacts to a call during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders in Landover, Maryland, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Instead of improving, they went further in the other direction, going 3-14 in what was supposed to be a celebration of the 100th season for the franchise.
It was a season in which fans waved signs with messages directed at the owners, benched starting quarterback Daniel Jones and cut him days later.
Despite all that, Schoen and Daboll will have another chance to right the ship.
According to the report, one of the big problems this season was the lack of communication between coaches and players.
Some players spoke of “being misled and left adrift on issues such as changing roles or decreasing snaps, without sufficient explanation.”
New York Giants co-owner John Mara, left, and New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen talk with New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, right, at MetLife Stadium before that his team hosts the New England Patriots on Sunday, November 26, 2023. . (Kevin R. Wexler / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
The biggest question Schoen and Daboll face heading into next season is figuring out the quarterback position.
The team has the third pick in the NFL Draft, behind the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns, and may not get a chance to select this year’s top two quarterbacks, Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward.
Regardless of who will play quarterback for the Giants next season, both Daboll and Schoen are entering next season on the bench with a lot of pressure to win from a hungry fan base and restless ownership.
