Getty Giants safety Xavier McKinney took a shot at ex-head coach Joe Judge's coaching style.
Although the Dave Gettleman era resulted in an abysmal 19-46 record for the New York Giants, at least one of the now ex-general manager’s draft picks has developed into a star.
Free safety Xavier McKinney emerged as a budding contributor on the Giants’ defense in his second season in the NFL last year. McKinney racked up 93 total tackles, five interceptions and 10 passes defensed across 17 games during his sophomore campaign in 2021.
Following a treacherous 4-13 season, Gettleman resigned and the Giants cut ties with head coach Joe Judge. As a result, the organization hired Joe Schoen and Brian Daboll away from the Buffalo Bills to become their new GM-HC duo. And it sounds like McKinney is already enjoying the culture they’ve brought along with them.
“The communication part of it, it’s not so uptight, how it was before,’’ McKinney said of Daboll’s coaching staff on the New York Post’s “Blue Rush’’ podcast. “You can be yourself, you can be you. When we come in here, we always come in here to work but it’s just fun, everybody being who they are and we’re having fun with it.’’
While McKinney lauded Daboll’s coaching style, he indirectly took a jab at his former head coach in Judge. Judge was known for instilling a no-nonsense type atmosphere, which appears to have weighed on the Giants’ locker room. Judge, of course, learned his disciplinary methods from mentors Bill Belichick and Nick Saban, who he coached under at the University of Alabama and New England Patriots prior to landing the Giants job. But Judge’s Giants did not endure the same level of success as Belichick’s or Saban’s teams. Instead, New York went 10-23 in two seasons with Judge at the helm.
Daboll, 47, has brought a lighter approach to the Giants so far. And the organization is hoping that this will equate to an increase in wins in the near future.
Daboll spent the last four seasons as the Bill’s offensive coordinator. During this span, 2018 to 2021, Daboll helped develop quarterback Josh Allen into an elite talent, while leading the Bills’ offense to a top five ranking in the league over the course of the past two years.
More on Daboll’s Style
McKinney went onto share some more details with The Post about how Daboll has operated thus far in the early portion of his tenure as head coach of the Giants.
“He’s been great,’’ McKinney said. “The communication has been fantastic. Him asking us, ‘What’s too much? What’s too little? What more do we need to do? What do we need to cut down on?’ Just him being transparent with us and having that line of communication always open.
“And it really is open, it’s not one of those things where he’ll tell you and then if you try to talk to him, he kinda ignores you. You can actually go and have a conversation with him, tell him what you don’t like and what you like, what we should do more. I’ve had that with him thus far and it’s been great for all of us.’’
Prior to the Giants’ three-day voluntary minicamp this week, McKinney spent time in Florida over the weekend for a short getaway. And while he was there, Daboll FaceTimed the 22-year-old to check in and see how things were going. According to McKinney, Daboll is big on this.
“He was smoking a cigar and we just had a conversation, he just asked me how the week was going, I told him good,’’ McKinney said. “Just stuff like that has been great, it’s been refreshing to know he’s really for the players and he wants to see us be successful and actually help us in whatever way we need.’’
Bradberry on the way out?
It appears as though cornerback James Bradberry will be wearing a different uniform next season.
Bradberry is expected to be traded in order for the Giants to free up $12.1 million in salary cap space. And for the time being, Bradberry has stayed away from the Giants’ facility until he gains more clarity on his status with the team.
According to Paul Schwartz of The Post, the anticipation is that Bradberry’s trade market will soon materialize with the NFL draft approaching next week on April 28. As Schwartz went onto report, the Giants are looking to acquire a mid-round pick in exchange for Bradberry.
As Schoen told reporters on April 20, the Giants have fielded calls from teams regarding Bradberry’s availability. However, the GM says there are still scenarios in which the cornerback could remain with the Giants.
Schoen said he’s had good conversations with Bradberry and his representatives. The Giants have gotten calls on him but there are still scenarios for him to remain on the team.
Bradberry is a solid starter, but his $21.8 million cap hit is too much for the Giants to take on this season. Bradberry allowed eight touchdowns and a 93 passer rating across 17 games with New York last year. The 28-year-old is entering the final year of his contract after signing a three-year, $45 million deal with the Giants in March of 2020. If another team trades for him, they will be forced to pay him a total of $13.4 million next season.
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