The New York Giants have officially relieved head coach Brian Daboll of his duties. This decision follows a frustrating opening to the 2023 campaign. Owner and operator John Mara says he’s furious with the direction of his team. He thinks their outcomes have been underwhelming. The Giants suffered an excruciating loss to the Chicago Bears 24-20. This defeat was their second of the season where they led the game by ten or more points with under four minutes remaining.
Mara, along with co-owner Steve Tisch, issued a joint statement in response to the report calling for action to do better. They won’t shy away from honestly describing the trials their squad has faced all season. Behind a record of 11 wins and 33 losses, the journey hasn’t been easy. Mara remarked, “I’m aware of how many games we’ve won, and obviously the results are not even close to what we want them to be.” He further stated, “They’re going to have to get better if we’re going to move on to Year [5].”
With Daboll gone, that clears a path for Joe Schoen to stay on as general manager. He will now lead the search for a new permanent head coach. Unfortunately, Schoen faces a Herculean task. He hopes to breathe life back into a franchise that has failed miserably the past few seasons. It’s hard to believe that Mike Kafka hasn’t already gotten a head coaching gig after being a finalist for multiple jobs both years. Now, he’ll take charge and serve as the team’s interim head coach.
The Giants’ Thursday night beatdown by the Bears highlighted those struggles and the New York Giants just do not get it. Jaxson Dart, the team’s star starting quarterback, took a concussion midway through the game. This incident was his fourth concussion evaluation this season, even counting the preseason. Even through all those struggles, Dart has a full 17 touchdowns in his first seven starts. His extraordinary production bodes well even while the team is struggling.
The Giants’ history this season has been marked by an alarming trend: they have held double-digit leads in four road games that ended in losses. With this statistic, they join an elite class of NFL franchises. They are just the second team since the NFL merger to lose multiple games after holding double-digit leads, joining the 2004 Seattle Seahawks. Yet with every lead the team has failed to hold, legitimate questions about the team’s competitiveness and comfort with varied approaches return.
Daboll’s time with the Giants has been rocky. Last year, he had to endure a nasty divorce with defensive coordinator Wink Martindale. This conflict only added to the obstacles he had in his way. Earlier in the season, Daboll was fined $100,000 for a similar offense. As Dart was being evaluated for a possible concussion, he walked over to the blue medical tent. These instances only added to headlines that suggested his tenure with the Giants had become a circus sideshow.
As the organization turns the page, Schoen will be instrumental in deciding how and in what direction the team should move. With Kafka at the helm on an interim basis, the Giants will look to regroup and refocus as they continue their season. These next few weeks will be decisive. These plans are expected to test whether they can improve their fortunes, or whether they’ll have to do more.
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