Brian Daboll might be safe for now, but the New York Giants would surely be tempted to make a change at head coach if six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick is available this offseason.
Belichick’s future with the 2-8 New England Patriots is in doubt, ahead of Week 12’s home game against the Giants at Gillette Stadium.
The 71-year-old is struggling, but he remains an important figure in Giants lore, having won two Super Bowls as defensive coordinator. He called some of the toughest defenses in franchise history, but Belichick won’t be returning to the Giants.
That’s according to NFL author Gary Myers, who revealed, “A return to the Giants? Not happening. They are almost certainly sticking with Brian Daboll. Belichick had an opportunity to return to the Giants in 2018 when it was getting messy in New England, but it didn’t get very far.”
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Myers’ latest book, “Once A Giant. A Story of Victory, Tragedy and Life After Football,” focuses on the ’86 season, when the Giants won their first Super Bowl. Belichick’s ‘Big Blue Wrecking Crew’ defense allowing the second-fewest yards and points in the league.
He’s often spoken fondly of his time with the Giants, but it seems Belichick will opt for a different destination. Myers identified the Los Angeles Chargers as “favorites.”
Ironically, that would leave former Belichick protege Daboll in place for at least another season.
Bill Belichick Breaking Wins Record With Giants Would Be Fitting
Belichick has 331 wins to his credit, including the postseason, per Pro Football Reference. The impressive tally puts him just 16 short of Don Shula’s all-time mark of 347.
Setting that mark with the Giants would be fitting. The Giants gave Belichick the chance to establish his coaching credentials.
He showed the league he’s one of the keenest minds for defensive football. Coaching under Hall-of-Famer Bill Parcells helped, and so did having revolutionary outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor at his disposal.
Yet, Belichick was the designer of some legendary gameplans. Like when the ’86 Giants shutout Washington 17-0 in the NFC Championship Game, earning Belichick a ride off the field on the shoulders of his players.
Belichick would describe the moment as “one I’ll never forget,” per Nicole Yang of The Boston Globe.
Bill Belichick on this photo from the 1986 NFC Championship: “That’s not the moment I live for, but it’s one I’ll never forget.”
Better was to follow just four seasons later. That’s when Belichick directed an older but arguably superior Giants’ defense to upset the high-powered Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl 25. Belichick called on his unit to allow dual-threat Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas to rush for 100 yards.
Players like Taylor’s fellow outside ‘backer Carl Banks were aghast, but Belichick wanted their focus to be elsewhere, according to Michael Eisen of Giants.com: “I think the running game was the least of our concerns in that game. Thurman Thomas is a great back. We knew he was going to get some yards. But I didn’t feel like we wanted to get into a game where they threw the ball 45 times. I knew if they had some success running the ball, they would stay with it. And I always felt when we needed to stop the run, we could stop it. And the more times they ran it, it was just one less time they could get it to Reed or get it to Lofton, or throw it to Thomas, who I thought was more dangerous as a receiver, because there’s more space than there was when he was a runner.”
The Giants invited the run by playing only two defensive linemen and flooding the field with defensive backs. Thomas finished with 135 yards on the ground, but the Giants won 20-19.
Belichick’s unorthodox schemes earned enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, per FanDuel TV’s Matt Hamilton.
Best exhibit at the HOF… Bill Belichick’s legendary Super Bowl XXV gameplan
The connection between Belichick and the Giants is deep, but it’s also complex. It was the Giants who beat Belichick and Tom Brady in two Super Bowls. Most notably after the 2007 season, when Eli Manning and Co. upset the 18-0 Patriots.
A return would be time coming full circle, but Belichick’s struggles to win since Brady left New England in 2020 could make the Giants wary. Belichick hasn’t been able to fix his team’s quarterback situation, something the Giants may still believe Daboll can do at MetLife Stadium.
Brian Daboll Still Has Goodwill Among Giants’ Fans
The 2023 NFL season has been a tough about turn for Daboll. He led the Giants to a surprising playoff berth in 2022, but this year’s team is 3-8.
Many of the problems can be attributed to the struggles and injuries suffered by quarterback Daniel Jones. He enjoyed a banner campaign in Daboll’s first year, but turnovers and a torn ACL wrecked Jones’ chances of building on that improvement this season.
Daboll’s initial work with Jones vindicated the Giants’ decision to hire the former Bills’ offensive coordinator. Daboll built a reputation in Buffalo by helping turn dual-threat quarterback Josh Allen into a Pro Bowler.
It hasn’t happened with Jones, but Daboll still has the overwhelming support of Giants fans polled by The Athletic’s Dan Duggan and Charlotte Carroll. They revealed 96.6 percent think Daboll should return for 2024.
Daboll is being trusted to build a winner for the long haul. It’s what he saw Belichick do during two stints as an assistant with the Patriots. Now the apprentice meets the teacher with both coaches under pressure and their futures uncertain.
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NFL Author Gives Definitive Answer About Bill Belichick Returning to Giants