Getty Owner John Mara of the New York Giants looks on during warmups against the Baltimore Ravens.
The New York Giants have found their guy. After vetting six candidates over eight total interviews, the team has landed on Brian Daboll to serve as their next head coach. On January 28, the team announced the hiring of the former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator.
As the successor to the recently-fired Joe Judge, Daboll now becomes the 22nd head coach in the 96-year history of the Giants franchise and the third in the last seven years.
The hiring quickly reunites the 46-year-old coach with former Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen, who was hired as the Giants’ new GM one week ago. Daboll edged out the likes of fellow Bills coordinator Leslie Frazier, former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores and defensive coordinators Dan Quinn of Dallas and Lou Anarumo of Cincinnati for the gig. Patrick Graham, who has served as the Giants’ defensive coordinator for each of the past two seasons, was also interviewed for the job.
via Schoen:
We interviewed several people who are incredible coaches and all of whom are going to enjoy much more success in this league in their current positions and as a head coach. With that said, we – me and ownership – all felt Brian is the right person to serve as our head coach. Over the last four years, I have observed first-hand Brian’s strengths as a leader – he is an excellent communicator, intelligent, innovative, and hard working. Brian’s genuine and engaging personality is refreshing. He fosters relationships with the players and coaches around him. He is progressive in his vision and values collaboration, two of the attributes we think are essential. I am thrilled to partner with Brian and welcome he and his family to this side of the state.
What the Giants are Getting in Daboll
After four years in the NFL as an assistant, Daboll headed to the collegiate ranks in 2017, where he served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the University of Alabama. After a one-and-done campaign in Tuscaloosa which included a National Championship, Daboll returned to the pros in 2018 with the Bills. Since then, he’s helped choreograph one of the league’s most vaunted offenses.
Led by superstar quarterback Josh Allen, Buffalo has finished each of the past two seasons as a top-three scoring offense, averaging 28.4 points per game in 2021. Since 2020, the unit has averaged a tremendous 387.4 yards per game. For comparison, the Giants have averaged 129.6 yards per contest over that same span, ranking second-to-last in the category for each of the past two seasons.
Speaking with reporters during a January 24 press conference, Allen put his stamp of approval on Daboll as a head coach.
“I think teams would be foolish not to offer Brian Daboll a job,” Allen stated. “I’m praying they don’t because I want him back here. But I love him and his family too much to really think that. I think he’s one of the best coaches in the league.”
Sorry Josh, but the Giants weren’t going to look foolish on this one. Which is a nice change of pace for a franchise that has lived in mediocrity for much of the past decade.
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Outlook on Daboll’s Future Staff
Next on the agenda will be filling out the staff around Daboll. And by the sound of it, the new head coach in New York has already pinpointed a few potential hires. NFL analyst Cam Marino tweeted on January 24 that should Daboll join the Giants, he’d likely bring along Bills quarterback coach Ken Dorsey for the ride. That notion has been backed by numerous sources, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who following Daboll’s hire, reported that Dorsey will either fill Daboll’s vacancy in Buffalo or head to East Rutherford.
A beneficiary of Brian Daboll’s departure, Buffalo’s passing-game coordinator and QB coach Ken Dorsey is likely to become an offensive coordinator either with the Bills or Giants, per sources.
“I think every QB would love to be a part of that process, and I do know there’s a guy in this building that I’m a huge advocate for [in Dorsey],” Allen told Buffalo media, backing Dorsey as an offensive coordinator. “Again, it’s not my job. It’s not my decision to make.”
As far as the defensive side of the football goes, Marino linked Wink Martindale as a likely candidate for the coordinator role in New York. Martindale, 58, spent the past four seasons in Baltimore before recently parting ways with the Ravens earlier this month.