Getty Images Giants head coach Brian Daboll on the sidelines during a 2022 game.
Brian Daboll got a Gatorade shower after leading the New York Giants back to the playoffs, then got showered with some love from Buffalo Bills fans.
Daboll left the Bills last offseason to become the head coach of the New York Giants, and in his first season took the team to a place it hadn’t been in six years — the NFL playoffs. The Giants clinched a wild-card berth with a 38-10 win over the Indianapolis Colts on January 1.
After the win, many Bills fans took to social media to share some love for Daboll and his unexpected accomplishment.
Buffalo-Raised Brian Daboll Brings Giants Back to the Playoffs
Daboll had a tall task when taking over the Giants, a team that averaged just over four wins a season over the course of the five years before he became head coach. The change was immediate, with the Giants jumping out to a 6-1 start this season and clinching a Wild Card spot after moving to 9-6-1 on Sunday.
After the win, many Bills fans and reporters took to Twitter to share some love for Daboll.
“Very happy for Brian Daboll who will have the Giants in the playoffs in his first season on the job,” tweeted Howard Simon of Buffalo’s WGR 550. First playoff berth for Giants in 6 years.”
As Julianne Pelusi of Buffalo’s WGRZ noted, Daboll is a Buffalo native, having been raised in the suburb of West Seneca.
You gotta be thrilled for West Seneca native Brian Daboll leading the New York Giants to their first postseason since 2016 @WGRZ
Daboll was given credit for the development of quarterback Josh Allen in Buffalo, and was seen as a top head coaching candidate following last season.
Brian Daboll Echoes Former Bills Coach After Big Win
Daboll seemed to take a lot of influence from his time with the Bills, including head coach Sean McDermott’s mantra to “trust the process.”
Brian Daboll was asked how it feels to make the playoffs in his first year:
“I’m just happy we won this game. Am I excited? Certainly I’m excited. But, you got to just stick with the process that got you here. Got to get ready to play another game…”
“I’m just happy we won this game,” Daboll told reporters on Sunday. “Am I excited? Certainly I’m excited. But, you got to just stick with the process that got you here. Got to get ready to play another game.”
The Giants team likely looked very familiar to Bills fans. The team also hired former Bills’ assistant general manager Joe Schoen as their general manager, and brought in a number of former Bills players on this season.
Some of them ended up playing important roles. After the Giants suffered a series of injuries to their wide receiving corps, the Giants claimed Bills 2020 draft pick Isaiah Hodgins after he was waived by the Bills.
Hodgins stepped in and became a top target for quarterback Daniel Jones, saving his biggest game for the playoff clincher. Hodgins set career-highs with eight catches for 89 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win, and had 29 catches for 309 yards with three touchdowns in seven games with the Giants.
Some Bills fans noted the similarities between Daboll’s approach with the Giants and the Bills’ philosophy — as well as their paths back to the playoffs. The Bills broke their 17-year playoff drought in McDermott’s first season as head coach in 2017, an unexpected ending for the Bills.
“Pumped for Brian Daboll & Joe Schoen in NYG,” a Bills fan shared on Twitter. “So reminiscent of the start by McDermott & Beane when they first got to BUF.”