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In the midst of one of the worst stretches of football in franchise history, the Giants on Friday hired Brian Daboll as their head coach.
The team announced Daboll’s hiring Friday night. He becomes New York’s fifth coach since 2016 and the latest to be tasked with reversing the team’s fortunes. Daboll spent the previous three seasons as the Bills’ offensive coordinator, working closely alongside Josh Allen.
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Daboll is the latest former Bills staffer to make the trek southeast and lead the Giants. He followed new general manager Joe Schoen from Buffalo. Daboll has been a hot name this coaching cycle; reports surfaced that he was one of three finalists for the Dolphins’ job and the Saints pursued him as well before New York finalized the deal.
The 46-year old Daboll has five Super Bowl rings from his multiple stints in New England under Bill Belichick and an FBS national championship from his time as Alabama’s offensive coordinator.
Here’s why the Giants — who are 22-59 over the past five seasons — decided to go with Daboll.
Why did the Giants hire Brian Daboll?
One of the biggest reasons Daboll landed with the Giants, it seems, is Schoen’s familiarity with him. The two worked together in Buffalo from 2018 through the end of the 2021 season, meaning Schoen saw up close Allen’s growth as an NFL quarterback, of which Daboll was a key part.
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“Over the last four years, I have observed first-hand Brian’s strengths as a leader — he is an excellent communicator, intelligent, innovative, and hard-working. Brian’s genuine and engaging personality is refreshing,” Schoen said in a statement. “He fosters relationships with the players and coaches around him. He is progressive in his vision and values collaboration, two of the attributes we think are essential.”
Daboll will be tasked with leading quarterback Daniel Jones through his own growth. The team has committed to Jones for 2022 despite his struggles this season.
The Giants have ranked 31st in scoring offense and total offense each of the past two seasons, while Buffalo ranked second in both categories in 2020 and fifth in total offense and third in scoring offense this season. Another encouraging sign for Giants fans may be how quickly Daboll got the Bills’ offense on track; Buffalo ranked 30th in 2018, improved to 24th in 2019 and then got to where it is today.
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The Bills’ offense is one of the most dynamic in the league thanks largely to Allen, who has excelled as both a passer and a rusher. This season, he had 763 yards and six touchdowns on the ground while leading the NFL in yards per carry, to go with 4,407 yards and 36 touchdowns passing. Buffalo was also third-best in the league on third down.
ESPN reported that Daboll was the only offensive-minded coach considered by the Giants. Brian Flores and Leslie Frazier were also interviewed for the job.
Brian Daboll coaching history
Daboll has been around some of football’s best minds — notably Bill Belichick and Nick Saban. Daboll’s first major college coaching experience came in 1998 when he worked under Saban at Michigan State as a graduate assistant. He started working with Belichick in 2000.
The Ontario, Canada, native is the second consecutive branch of the Belichick coaching tree hired by the Giants. His predecessor, Joe Judge, was fired Jan. 11 after two seasons.
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Daboll started in New England on the defensive side and then transitioned to wide receivers coach, a position he held from 2002-06. After two seasons with the Jets as their quarterbacks coach, he landed his first OC gig with the Browns in 2009. He later served as offensive coordinator for the Dolphins and Chiefs. Daboll reunited with Belichick in 2013 and stayed in New England until 2017, when he rejoined Saban to become OC at Alabama. He stayed there for a season, coaching both Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts.
Daboll is the third offensive coach hired by the Giants in their last four coaching changes (Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur were the others), and he is the third coach hired in the 2022 hiring cycle, after Matt Eberflus (Bears) and Nathaniel Hackett (Broncos).
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