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Brian Daboll’s busy chopping and changing the New York Giants’ coaching staff, but could his own job be in jeopardy? Perhaps, if the Giants get tempted to replace their head coach with Bill Belichick.
The latter officially parted ways with the New England Patriots on Thursday, January 11, and Heavy’s Matt Lombardo named the Giants an “obvious dark horse” to hire the six-time Super Bowl winner.
Lombardo noted how Giants’ owner John Mara “has long had an affinity for Belichick, and that feeling seems to be mutual given that the former Patriots head coach gave a rousing endorsement for Joe Judge, prior to his hiring as Giants head coach in 2020. Might Mara change course, with Belichick being available for the first time in over two decades? This situation could be worth monitoring.”
It’s a strong argument since Belichick is a Giants icon who helped Big Blue win two Super Bowls as defensive coordinator in 1986 and 1990. There’s also the harsh reality of Daboll’s reputation taking a hit amid the recent ugly split with his now former DC, Don ‘Wink’ Martindale.
Citing odds from DraftKings, Ricky Henne of ActionNetwork.com detailed how Belichick is +2200 to coach the Giants next season. Those are longs odds, but there are more than a few reasons they may be shortened.
Bill Belichick’s Giants Return Not Far-Fetched After Patriots Exit
Belichick returning to the blue half of MetLife Stadium is not so far-fetched. Not when his ties to the Giants remain strong.
He officially became defensive coordinator in 1985, soon developing a group feared by quarterbacks around the league. Belichick added nuance to the 3-4 schemes head coach Bill Parcells built around Lawrence Taylor, Harry Carson and Carl Bankks.
Belichick’s status became legendary after his Hall-of-Fame worthy gameplan helped the Giants beat the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl.
Although his head-coaching journey began with the Cleveland Browns after that victory, Belichick retained love for the Giants. That affinity is summed up by Art Stapleton for the Daily Record: “Get him talking about Mark Bavaro vs. Carl Banks in practice, and the typically closed-mouthed Belichick will spend 30 minutes extoling their presence. Don’t dare compare Taylor to anyone in Belichick’s company if you want to avoid a fight.”
Significantly, Stapleton also noted how “the Giants have fired a head coach every two years since 2017, but now, with Brian Daboll, they finally have a coach that has earned the right to break that trend. Of course, this is the offseason when Belichick is finally free and available.”
Fate could play a hand in finally reuniting Belichick and the Giants, but not everybody is convinced. Author Gary Myers, who downplayed the idea of Belichick replacing Daboll back in November, believes “Belichick is going to go where he can win right away and sustain it for 2-3 years. Remember, he has 333 career victories and needs 15 to pass Don Shula for #1.”
The Giants don’t quality as being able to win immediately. Not after a 6-11 season. Not with question marks about the future of running back Saquon Barkley and the competence of starting quarterback Daniel Jones.
Maybe the Giants aren’t the best fit for 71-year-old Belichick, but that won’t stop speculation about his next destination after New England. The rumor mill will be fuelled by possible hints like this from Kay Adams on Friday, January 5: “I think, maybe, better suited for somewhere down the coast that either you would consider home or has history, one of those kind of places. You know what I mean? Maybe we’re flipping conferences.”
Adams also pointed out how fond Belichick is of defense. He’d get to put his stamp on an already strong unit with the Giants, following Martindale’s acrimonious departure.
‘Wink’ Martindale Exit a Blow for Brian Daboll
The on again, off again walkout by Martindale was officially confirmed by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Wednesday, January 10. As Rapoport revealed, Martindale was at odds with Daboll over the dismissal of assistants like outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins.
Martindale is the highest-profile exit from a coaching staff Daboll has culled ruthlessly since the season ended. He’s also shown the door to offensive line coach Bobby Johnson and special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey.
Those moves put a lot of pressure on Daboll, along with the circumstances of Martindale’s departure, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic: “It would be one thing if Martindale was fired for poor performance. But this relationship dissolved over a personality conflict. If Daboll could have made things work with Martindale, he wouldn’t have a major hole to fill on his coaching staff.”
A head coach needs the credibility of consistent success to make ownership overlook damaging clashes of personality among the staff. Belichick’s legacy of winning gave him carte blanche in New England. Daboll’s influence isn’t anywhere near as strong after the Giants regressed in 2023.
Clearing the decks among his own staff could inadvertently put Daboll in danger now Belichick’s on the market.
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