Brian Daboll has to know he’s on the hot-seat, and the questions about his future as head coach of the New York Giants are coming thick and fast after Big Blue were beaten 34-24 by the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9.
The dismal result from a game the Giants were expected to win against an injury-hit opponent, dropped Daboll’s team to an unwanted mark for a third-straight year. Yet, the 50-year-old tried to deflect a question about what ownership must be thinking after sending him a warning in the offseason, and Daboll even appeared to aim some blame toward his own players.
When he wasn’t allowed to duck the question, Daboll sought refuge with an eight-word, vanilla answer about the state of the Giants. Speaking to reporters, including ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, after the game at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, November 2, Daboll was asked about ownership not getting the results they expected, and he began his reply by saying, “We gotta continue to improve here. Again, there are some things that I think are improving, and there are some things that are not.”
When pressed that what isn’t improving are the results, Daboll took a long pause before tersely replying, “yeah, we’re not where we need to be.”
That’s a pretty bland and weak answer, even if Daboll was trying to remain defiant. It’s hard to do the latter convincingly when the Giants are being manhandled on both sides of the ball, despite making a change at quarterback and equipping their defense with multiple first-round NFL draft picks.
Daboll’s coaching is tough to defend, but he isn’t shy about assigning blame.
Brian Daboll’s Message Not Getting Through
Daboll replaced Russell Wilson as starting quarterback with Jaxson Dart, but the Giants are still losing, going 2-4 with the rookie passer at the controls. The head coach was also part of the decision-making process that led to the team using the third-overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft to take edge-rusher Abdul Carter, but the Giants have given up 30-plus points in three-straight games.
When asked by SNY.tv’s Connor Hughes about a possible “disconnect” between what the Giants are coaching defensively and what players are producing on the field, Daboll offered an interesting response.
He said, “We didn’t get the results, Connor. Again, our guys are working, stuff we work on each week. It’s not getting done,” per SNY.tv’s Giants Videos.
Intentional or not, Daboll’s answer sounds a lot like a coach saying there’s nothing wrong with what’s being taught. Instead, the problem lies in execution by Carter and Co.
That would be a controversial spin on why a supposedly loaded Giants defense is struggling. Perceived problems with coordinator Shane Bowen’s schemes have been in the news a lot recently, with senior players appearing to take exception to certain calls and strategies.
A star name like All-Pro nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II has also been called out by a franchise great for playing below his best level. While Lawrence offered a brutal retort to the criticism, the response, along with words from defensive line coach Andre Patterson, is part of a deeper issue for the Daboll regime.
That’s according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, who believes “Carl Banks never would have had to say what he said about Dexter Lawrence this week if there were a culture of accountability with the #Giants. But there isn’t. Lawrence’s coaches coddle and point fingers elsewhere rather than coaching players hard.”
Leonard’s take is tough, but hard to argue with based on how things continue to unravel on Daboll’s watch.
History Keeps Repeating for Giants
Many believe Daboll was lucky to survive last season’s 3-14 disaster, but Giants’ CEO and co-owner John Mara granted the coach and general manager Joe Schoen a reprieve. Mara’s decision was surprising after Daboll had also gone 6-11 in 2023, establishing a pattern for losing.
The pattern has one familiar trait, starting 2-7, something Daboll’s team has now done for three seasons running, per SNY.tv’s Giants Videos.
How long can the Giants allow history to repeat itself? Mara, who is currently dealing with serious illness, knows ownership will face calls to make a change.
Those calls went airborne before the visit of the 49ers, in the form of a banner demanding Mara “clean house,” according to Leonard.
With this much pressure mounting, Daboll won’t be able to swat away questions about his job security with bland answers for much longer.
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