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Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff Writer
STANDING ON THE sideline in front of the offense during drills at New York Giants minicamp earlier this month, Brian Daboll peeks sporadically at the playsheet before calling a slip-screen from quarterback Drew Lock to rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers.
After a tumultuous season in which the Giants finished 6-11, the microphone on the head coach’s headset is more active than ever.
Assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, meanwhile, has his microphone tucked up near his ear. He is listening, but not talking. It’s Daboll, not Kafka, calling the plays, an extension of what took place at Organized Team Activities and throughout the spring.
“I’m just complementary to Dabs, helping out with offensive drills,” Kafka said of his altered responsibilities. “You’ll see me walking around and being an asset to the coaches and the players wherever I can. Whether it’s fundamentals, technique, whether it’s thoughts and ideas on routes or protections, stuff like that.
“So doing whatever I can to complement those guys.”
If Daboll keeps playcalling responsibilities this season as expected, it would be a change from their last two seasons together with the Giants, when it was Kafka’s job.
Kafka, the only coordinator returning from last season, was promoted to assistant head coach after interviewing for two head coaching vacancies early in the year.
“It doesn’t set a great precedent,” an NFL executive said of Kafka’s reduced role amid his promotion. “It’s almost like a make-up present.”
The Giants averaged 11.8 points while earning a 2-8 record through 10 weeks last season. Behind the scenes, the relationship between Daboll and many of his coaches and coordinators was strained, according to sources close to the situation.
In 2022, those inside the building say Daboll was open and accountable as a first-year head coach. Players and coaches could go to him with anything and they believed if they did what was asked of them, it would make a difference in close games. The Giants went 9-4-1 in one-score games, including the playoffs.
But the 2023 season began with a 40-0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and Daboll and the Giants never seemed to right the ship. They couldn’t overcome several key injuries suffered early in the season, with quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley and left tackle Andrew Thomas all missing time.
Now, Daboll enters a critical third season with 11 new coaches on staff, including an overhaul of the strength and conditioning department. He takes control of an offense that will be run by Jones, who is coming off a season-ending right ACL injury and will be without Barkley for the first time in his career. Daboll is the first Giants head coach since Tom Coughlin to see a third season, but his success or failure in 2024 will likely determine his future.
“I’m sure there is a lot we all learned about ourselves going through that and, as leaders, myself included, we all have to get better in terms of how we handle those situations,” said general manager Joe Schoen, also entering a crucial third season with the Giants. “I think we’re all going to reflect this offseason on how things went and what we can do better. I would put Dabes in that category as well.”
FORMER DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR Wink Martindale was leading his staff in a moment of self-reflection during the Giants’ Week 13 bye when Daboll appeared red-faced in the doorway.
“So, you think I’m a clown?” Daboll yelled, according to multiple sources who saw or heard about the altercation.
The Giants head coach was referencing a report from former NFL scout and host of the “3 and Out” podcast John Middlekauff that suggested the coaching staff “can’t stand” him.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito had led the injury-plagued Giants to the team’s third and fourth wins of the season heading into the bye, rallying New York fans around the overnight celebrity, but it hardly eased the tension that had formed inside the building.
Sources close to the situation said that Martindale, along with several other coaches on both sides of the ball, had grown tired of Daboll’s frequent outbursts. Daboll’s staff felt he’d stopped listening and there was constant “finger-pointing,” multiple team sources told ESPN.
“It was like, ‘Are we on the same team?’ It sure doesn’t feel like it,” one coach said.
Daboll and Schoen met with the media on Monday, Jan. 8, a day after the Giants’ 6-11 season ended, and shared their expectation that Martindale and Kafka would return, while special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey had been fired after six seasons.
Martindale didn’t want to return and Kafka was hoping to get hired as a head coach elsewhere, according to sources close to the situation. Daboll hadn’t spoken with either coordinator before announcing he expected them to return.
Later that day, Daboll fired outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins and defensive assistant Kevin Wilkins, two of Martindale’s closest confidantes. Martindale “cursed out” Daboll, according to multiple sources briefed on the meeting, and abruptly left the building for the last time. Daboll and Schoen didn’t hear from him again, only from his agent and lawyers, before he resigned two days later.
Offensive line coach Bobby Johnson was also fired after the season. Running backs coach Jeff Nixon, tight ends coach Andy Bischoff, assistant offensive line coach Chris Smith and director of strength and performance Craig Fitzgerald left for other jobs.
“We were all trying to get out of there,” a non-defensive coach said.
Daboll’s displeasure tended to peak in the middle of games over the coaching headsets, according to multiple sources, especially during a 49-17 loss to the Cowboys on Nov. 12. His in-game outbursts disrupted the way his staff tried to manage games.
“It was hard to think,” one coach said.
Beginning with the Week 11 matchup against the Washington Commanders, Schoen listened in on a headset from the box. The Giants general manager wanted to hear first-hand what the game day operation was like to potentially help or fix the situation.
The second-year general manager was on the headsets for four games, from Weeks 11-15. The Giants went 3-1 during that stretch, during which time multiple sources indicated things changed. But the superstitious Schoen hung up his headset for good after a Dec. 17 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Martindale and his defensive crew knew Schoen was listening during that time. They used code words to tip each other off to his presence, according to multiple sources who were on the headsets. Daboll was muted and more composed.
“You could tell when [Schoen was on the headset] because Dabes’ demeanor was totally different,” one non-defensive coach said.
The results suggest it might have made a difference. The Giants defense forced 12 turnovers in those four games and allowed 18 points per contest. It conjured memories of the previous year when everything seemed to go right for the team.
Schoen said earlier this year he hopes they all learn from their first taste of adversity. Owner John Mara suggested Daboll could “tone it down a little bit.” Daboll has mentioned on multiple occasions this new coaching staff is working together well and has taken a “collaborative” approach.
THROUGHOUT THE SPRING, Daboll has put the turmoil of last season behind him. He’s turned his attention to preparing his team — one that will feature several key changes from last year’s squad — for the upcoming season.
Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles without the Giants making an offer. Safety Xavier McKinney got a massive deal from the Green Bay Packers.
Money instead went into signing four offensive linemen and a sign-and-trade for standout edge rusher Brian Burns. The Giants drafted the dynamic Nabers No. 6 overall.
“At the end of the day the feeling was that our resources needed to be allocated elsewhere,” Mara said.
The quarterback position will not be among the changes, as of now. They have been steadfast this spring that Jones will begin the season as their No. 1, barring a setback.
Players have said Daboll appears calmer. He’s raved about the communication the new staff had this spring and was quick to point out defensive coordinator Shane Bowen has been an “excellent teammate.”
Daboll has defensive line coach Andre Patterson working with the edge rushers and outside linebackers coach Charlie Bullen, something that wasn’t done previously when Patterson and the previous regime butted heads. There was a clear disconnect between the pass rush and interior of the defensive line, which could have contributed to the Giants’ trouble stopping the run (27th in NFL).
“Last year the interior and the edge weren’t cohesive,” outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux said this spring.
Daboll has said this offseason he’s looked at his scheduling processes, the way the team practiced, structure of meetings and construction of their leadership group. Change, like more team drills this spring and less players on the sideline, was evident. There seems to be an increased emphasis on getting players football-ready by the start of the season.
The Giants overhauled their weight room, which included adding a turf area that helps maximize space and gives the players “everything they need to perform their jobs,” Daboll said.
The biggest systematic change still appears to be the playcaller.
Daboll’s success calling plays in Buffalo is what got him the head coaching opportunity with the Giants. He’ll need to rely on it again to save or feel safe in his job this season.