The New York Giants’ decision to fire Brian Daboll after the team’s Week 10 loss to the Chicago Bears opened will set the franchise on the stability they haven’t had much of since the Tom Coughlin era.
General manager Joe Schoen named assistant coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka the team’s interim coach now that Daboll is out.
Kafka will likely get a seven-game audition, but a name outside the building to keep an eye on that makes sense: Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.
A New Yorker by birth, Anarumo served as defensive backs coach for the Giants back in 2018. He understands the market there and is familiar with the media and folks who frequent 1925 Giants Drive. That’s probably why some analysts already think he’s a top contender to replace Daboll in New York.
Colts DC Lou Anarumo Named Top Candidate to Replace Brian Daboll as Next Giants Coach
GettyNew Indianapolis Colts DC Lou Anarumo has been named a candidate to replace Brian Daboll as head coach of the New York Giants.
Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports thinks the Giants’ previous interest in Anarumo could come into play again. “Schoen interviewed the former Bengals defensive coordinator before he hired Daboll, and multiple team sources said he left a strong impression,” Vacchiano wrote on November 10, adding:
“He’s a Staten Island native who understands New York. And after getting fired in Cincinnati, he’s had a strong, bounce-back season with the Indianapolis Colts. He was also the Giants DBs coach in 2018 and his son, Louis, is a pro scout in the Giants organization, so the organizational ties are there.”
He is also, at 59, a fully-formed coach with 36 years of experience and a recent track record of maximizing talent in difficult situations, first in Cincinnati and now in his first year running Shane Steichen’s defense in Indianapolis.
What makes Anarumo an attractive candidate is the way the Giants have been losing. Three straight seasons opening 2-8, a string of blown double-digit leads and repeated fourth quarter defensive collapses are all reasons Daboll is a goner. Anarumo’s reputation as an effective defensive mind could make him intriguing to Schoen and company once again.
What Are Anarumo’s Chances?
Right now, it’s too early to tell. New York’s current interim coach, Kafka is 38 and well-regarded around the league. That almost always means he’ll get a serious look as a replacement for Daboll, especially with the organization trying to keep continuity for rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
That said, Schoen knows the AFC landscape well and should remember how hard Cincinnati’s disguise-heavy units were to prepare for when healthy. Anarumo also just demonstrated in Indy that he can walk into a new room, install his defense and get immediate buy-in. Those are certainly qualities the Giants could use.
“I think he did a hell of a job with that in Cincinnati,” Steichen said back in February, via Colts Wire. “And going through and looking at his game plans, the biggest thing that I’ve seen over the years, he’s always got a plan to take their best player away. And so you go into these big games, or whenever it may be, they’ll have a plan to win the game for that.”
We’ll see how things go for Kafka — and for Anarumo and the Colts — the second half of the season. After that, we’ll have a much better idea who the frontrunners are. But don’t be surprised if the Colts DC gets an interview for the job once again.
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