Brian Daboll Makes Call on Giants Starters Playing in Preseason Opener

When the New York Giants open the preseason against the New England Patriots on Thursday, will the starters see the field?

This is a tough question, given the risk of injury, but every NFL head coach must answer it. On Sunday, Giants head coach Brian Daboll confirmed that he expects “all” of the healthy players on the roster to play in the preseason opener.

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Daboll’s answer occurs around the four-minute mark in this video:

“I think it’ll be less [reps] for some and more for others,” Daboll said. “Each game, we’ll have a plan going into it. But I anticipate all of our guys playing on Thursday.”

Daboll then admitted that he hadn’t yet discussed the plan with the team.

“I haven’t even talked about it with the players, either,” Daboll said. “Our focus is really on getting better. But I probably should have told them before I told you.”

While preseason games are generally thought of as meaningless, each exhibition matters slightly more since the transition to a 17-game schedule last year. By trimming the preseason down to just three games, the NFL was able to seamlessly add an extra regular-season game.

With a new coaching staff implementing fresh schemes on both sides of the ball, New York’s starters could benefit from playing time in the preseason. Plenty can be accomplished within the confines of a training camp practice, but a preseason game establishes a live setting against an unfamiliar opponent. That’s difficult to replicate on a practice field.

The Giants and Patriots kick off at Gillette Stadium on Thursday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. ET.

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This Lowlight Shows Why Giants Starters Should Play in Preseason

If you’re looking for evidence as to why the Giants should play their starters in the preseason, look no further than this lowlight captured by a fan at last Friday’s blue-white scrimmage.

That’s worse than a missed connection; quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Kenny Golladay were barely in the same area code on this play. There’s been some debate on Twitter over who’s more to blame — Jones or Golladay — but it doesn’t really matter at the end of the day. Neither player will improve if they both spend the preseason on the sideline.

Daboll seems to understand this, and that’s why we can expect to see the starters play on Thursday.

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The Giants’ March Toward the 2022 NFL Season

After the Patriots game on Thursday, the Giants will have two more opportunities to iron out the wrinkles before the regular season. On Sunday, Aug. 21, the Giants will host the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium. Then, after a week of joint practices, they will wrap up the preseason against the New York Jets on Sunday, Aug. 28.

The Giants will then open the regular season on the road against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 4:25 p.m. ET. New York’s home opener will come one week later against the Carolina Panthers.

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