The New York Giants’ fanbase stood behind head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen after a rough 2023 campaign, in large part due to the unexpected success of their first year running the organization. A large portion of supporters even continued to back Schoen and Daboll after a rough start in 2024, putting the blame on quarterback Daniel Jones.
As of December 4, 2024, however, the fans appear to have repositioned their stance on this regime. The Athletic surveyed approximately 4,000 Giants fans ahead of Week 14, asking questions on Schoen, Daboll, the various disasters of year three and the future, and the NYG supporters that took part have collectively jumped ship on this regime.
The survey first asked if Daboll should return as head coach in 2025, then Schoen as general manager. And the results were a pretty overwhelming “no” for both.
- 72.3% of fans said Daboll should NOT return as head coach, per The Athletic.
- 69.3% of fans said Schoen should NOT return as general manager, per The Athletic.
“Nearly 97% of those who answered this question last season wanted Daboll back for another go-around,” beat reporter Charlotte Carroll reminded. “Safe to say the 2022 NFL Coach of the Year has lost most of the goodwill he created by taking this team to the playoffs in his first season. This time around, only about 28% of responders want Daboll back for another season.”
“Schoen has taken a share of that spotlight thanks to ‘Hard Knocks,’” Carroll continued later. “It was a fascinating peek behind the curtain that gave fans access to how the Giants’ 2024 offseason unfolded. That turned out to be bad news for Schoen, as it left the general manager vulnerable to hindsight.”
During a different survey question, fans also laid 45.9% of the “blame” at the feet of the front office and just 20.3% of the blame on the coaching staff.
Very Few Giants Fans Trust Joe Schoen & Brian Daboll to ‘Turn Things Around’
President and CEO John Mara gave Schoen and Daboll a vote of confidence in late October. Since then, the Giants have lost five straight games, and they’ve lost seven straight spanning back to Week 6.
According to a large majority of Big Blue supporters, there’s little faith that this duo will “turn things around” if they remain as the two major NYG decision-makers.
On a scale of 1-to-5, with 5 being the highest level of confidence and 1 being the lowest, 70.1% of participating fans gave Schoen and Daboll either a 1 or 2 when asked if they feel the pair can turn the organization around — split pretty evenly; 35.7% voted 2, 34.4% voted 1.
On the flip side, a lowly 8.4% of fans responded with a confidence level of 4 or 5.
For the record, Mara’s approval rating wasn’t much better. “What level of confidence do you have in Giants ownership to steer the franchise in the right direction?” The Athletic questioned next, using the same scale.
42.5% gave NYG ownership a confidence level of 1, while another combined 49.3% voted 2 or 3. Just 8.2% of fans responded with a confidence level of 4 or 5 — which was somehow slightly worse than Schoen and Daboll’s results.
Giants HC Brian Daboll & GM Joe Schoen ‘Seen as a Tandem’
On November 28, The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini included a section on Daboll, Schoen and the Giants during her weekly column on what she’s currently “hearing” around the league. Within it, she noted that Schoen and Daboll are still viewed as a tag-team operation.
“It’s been said that Mara doesn’t want to fire Schoen or head coach Brian Daboll but there’s still a month of football left that could force the owner to make a move,” Russini wrote. “The sticky part of this situation is Schoen and Daboll are seen as a tandem.”
She then posed the question: “Would Mara be willing to fire one and keep the other, or do they both go if this continues to spin out of control?”
Russini may see this as an added complication, but it could actually be a positive for fans.
Arranged GM-HC marriages rarely work for NFL franchises. In fact, they usually crash and burn — and fast.
If Mara chooses to keep Schoen or Daboll, he might as well stick with the other one too. Conversely, if one goes, both should go.
Halfway firings typically just delay the inevitable, and the Giants are better off starting with a clean slate if they elect to go that route.
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Giants Fan Survey Reveals Overwhelming Stance on Joe Schoen & Brian Daboll