The Giants are getting worse, so what’s the case for keeping Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen?
MUNICH – New York Giants co-owner John Mara gave coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen a vote of confidence on Oct. 24. That was three losses ago during a season that reached a low point with a 20-17 overtime loss to the lowly Carolina Panthers on Sunday in front of an international crowd.
That public promise from Mara that “we’re not making any changes this season” might be the only thing keeping Daboll and Schoen’s seats from reaching a five-alarm conflagration. There is very recent precedence for a loss to the Panthers that serves as the final straw for a coach: the New Orleans Saints fired Dennis Allen last week, a day after a 23-22 loss to Carolina.
Like Daboll, Allen was hired in 2022. Allen had an 18-25 record in two-plus seasons in New Orleans. Daboll’s record dropped to 17-26-1 with Sunday’s ugly loss.
GO DEEPER
Panthers hold off Giants with 20-17 OT win in Germany: Takeaways
Mara left himself some wiggle room with his support for the regime that got off to such a promising start in his first season.
“I don’t expect any changes to happen in the offseason either,” Mara said.
Mara also probably didn’t expect to lose the Giants’ first game in Germany to the dysfunctional Panthers, who are in their third full-time head coach in the last three seasons.
Mara and co-owner Steve Tisch had a long flight across the Atlantic on Sunday to consider the future of the franchise. The question they must grapple with is why they should trust Daboll and Schoen to get out of the hole they have pushed the organization into.
Mara resents being stuck in a cycle of regularly replacing coaches and general managers. But the arguments for retaining Daboll and Schoen must be stronger than simply not wanting to abruptly dismiss another regime.
It is difficult to identify what this regime is good at. Since catching lightning in a bottle with a 7-2 start to their first season, the Giants have gone 10-24-1. That ties for the third-most losses in the league over that stretch.
Daboll was hired for his offensive prowess, and he took over play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka after the Giants averaged 15.6 points per game and finished 30th in scoring last season. The Giants are again averaging 15.6 points this season, putting them one step ahead of the Miami Dolphins, who play Monday night, and finish last in the league.
And unlike last season, there is no excuse for quarterback injuries. Daniel Jones, the quarterback who extended that regime for four years worth $160 million after the 2022 season, has been at the helm for every gruesome loss this season.
Sunday’s offensive performance was particularly pathetic. The Panthers competed and scored 32.6 points per game. That was the worst in the league by a wide margin: the difference between Carolina’s scoring average and the 31st-ranked defense was the same as the difference between the No. 31-ranked and the 18th-ranked scoring defense.
The Giants were blown out in a first half that featured a missed 43-yard field goal by Graham Gano and an interception in the red zone when a rolling Jones threw a pass that deflected off the helmet of outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney and into the arms of safety Xavier Woods.
Clowney 🤝 Forest
📺: NFL Network pic.twitter.com/kxQnQo0uh8— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 10, 2024
The Panthers’ futility allowed the Giants to hang around long enough to make a drive for a tying game in the final seconds of regulation. But then rookie running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., who had been sensational, was stripped on the first play of overtime. The Panthers recovered at the Giants’ 23-yard line and kicked the winning field goal four plays later.
“I believe we have the right people,” Daboll said. “Again, the results are not there yet.”
Sunday’s performance should seal Jones’ fate as the starter. And benching him wouldn’t even address the $23 million injury guarantee in his contract. The Giants are 3-13 in games Jones has started over the past two seasons. Backups Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito combined to go 5-6 last season.
No. 2 Quarterback Drew Lock may not be better than Jones. But it’s at least worth confirming that, as Jones has no future with the franchise.
Jones’ shortcomings were on full display during a flea flicker that Daboll called on third-and-1 from the Giants’ 49-yard line midway through the second quarter. At first glance, it may have seemed like a curious play call. But with the Giants struggling to create explosive play, Daboll rolled the dice at an unpredictable time.
An experienced quarterback must know to throw the ball away if the defense is not fooled by the trick play. That way the Giants could still go for it on fourth and 1.
Only the Panthers were fooled. Wide receivers Malik Nabers and Wan’Dale Robinson walked wide open across the field. They were the only two receivers running routes, so this wasn’t a situation where Jones failed to get off his first read and move through his progression. Robinson had to be read first, and yet Jones did not pull the trigger as the receiver only ran twenty yards downfield. Instead, Jones took a sack and the Giants had to punt.
The @Panthers defense breaks up the trick game 😤
📺: #NYGvsCAR on NFL Network
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/h2H2ZSBD4W—NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
Daboll was careful not to throw Jones for the miscue, two weeks after pointing out that the quarterback’s botched pre-snap shift resulted in a crucial strip sack in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I wish I had it back,” Daboll said. “Bad guidance.”
It’s convenient to blame all the Giants’ woes on Jones. But he’s not responsible for a run defense that was once again trashed, allowing Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard for a career-high 153 yards on 28 carries. The Giants are allowing 5.3 yards per carry, which is the most in the league.
Chuba in motion
📺: NFL Network pic.twitter.com/Bp86Q2ffbd— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 10, 2024
Jones’ time with the Giants is nearing the end. The question is whether the coach and GM who committed to him two years ago deserve the opportunity to draft a replacement. The Giants could be in a position to finally get a quarterback, as Sunday’s loss put them in position near the top of the NFL Draft.
But Daboll seems to have to navigate some more turbulent waters for another seven weeks to even get to that point. The Giants have lost five straight games and are 2-8 for the second consecutive season. He preaches the same message about focusing on improvement and staying the course after every loss.
It is difficult to claim that the message has been received.
“I think so. It just needs to be understood a little better,” defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence said. “I think it’s sinking in. They’re just critical moments, and we have to understand what those critical moments are in order to win and come out on top.”
Lawrence acknowledged that it is troubling if the coach’s message needs to be better understood at this stage of the season.
“It’s definitely annoying,” Lawrence said. “But I’m not in other people’s heads or brains. Maybe it needs to be communicated differently or heard from someone else.”
It is crucial for Daboll to avoid losing the locker room. That’s the quickest way to seal its fate, even if the owner is willing to tolerate the continued loss.
There have been cracks in that foundation, namely the ongoing struggle to get second-year cornerback Deonte Banks to play as a first-round pick. Banks, who was benched two weeks ago, was replaced by veteran corner Adoree’ Jackson on the Panthers’ final possession of the first half before returning to play the entire second half.
It raised eyebrows in the locker room when the Giants waived versatile cornerback and core team player Nick McCloud last week after he refused to take a rare in-season pay cut. McCloud was highly regarded by teammates and is especially close with top pass rusher Brian Burns. Cutting McCloud to save $1 million was an odd message from leadership who need players to be all-in on this lost season.
It’s easier to blame vague culprits like attention to detail than to accept that a lack of talent remains a major problem in the third year of Schoen’s rebuild.
This is the Giants’ reality: nothing about their schedule indicates that things are heading in the right direction. They deteriorate in year 3 of this regimen.
Mara promised that Daboll and Schoen would finish the season. So after the farewell, they will have seven weeks to show why they deserve to lead the franchise into the future. Their case has to be more compelling than the Giants quickly firing the last few guys as well.
(Photo: Luke Hales/Getty Images)
