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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – This wasn’t Joe Judge’s infamous 11-minute rant late in the 2021 season. But as far as a Brian Daboll press conference goes, the New York Giants coach was exceptionally expansive after his team snapped a 10-game losing streak on Sunday games had broken with a 45-33 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Daboll, who typically mumbles monosyllabic answers after games, raved about his team’s character and work ethic on Sunday. Much like Judge’s epic rant three years ago, it seemed like Daboll’s message was intended for the ears of the owner, who will decide his fate after next week’s season finale.
“I’ve had a lot of confidence in the people in our building and the way they work,” Daboll said. “Not the results of course, but coming back from injuries that are quite good injuries, and they are fighting back to perform at the end of the year. I’ve been on a few other teams. It’s a credit to the coaches, who have fought through it with the players who are injured, who come back, who compete, who work hard every day, get there early and have extra meetings in December when you are not in a very good condition of service.”
Judge’s impassioned monologue backfired and he was fired ten days later after finishing 4-13 in his second season. Daboll avoided going off the rails like Judge, but it remains to be seen if the owner will hear his message about letting the team fight to get a result like Sunday, when an offensive explosion ended the team’s first winless season Giants on their own field in 50 years.
There was no sign of John Mara after the match as he continued his weekly ritual of declining to comment when approached by reporters. But Mara made it clear in October that he doesn’t want to clean house anymore, so Daboll must take every opportunity to convince his boss of the value of continuity.
“There is a process that we believe in, and they continue to fight through it,” Daboll said. “I’m just happy that they can have a smile on their face and get a win. I’m proud of the boys. I was proud of them in some of those games where we lost. We just have to keep fighting through it.”
A theme of Daboll’s press conference was the importance of “good quarterback play.” Daboll was hired three years ago largely based on his efforts to groom Bills quarterback Josh Allen from raw prospect to perennial MVP candidate.
Daboll won the NFL Coach of the Year award in his first season in New York after coaxing a career-best season from Daniel Jones. That magical touch disappeared after the Giants committed to Jones with a four-year contract worth $160 million. Jones was released in November after two dismal seasons.
Backups Drew Lock, Tommy DeVito and Tim Boyle have been even worse, contributing to the Giants’ last-place finish in the league in scoring with Daboll on offense this season. But that changed on Sunday when Lock completed 17 of 23 passes for 309 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Lock added a rushing touchdown as the Giants scored their most points since 2015.
“I think if you have good quarterback play, you have a chance in every game,” Daboll said.
Drew Lock enters it
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/5m2v3z0zWd
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 29, 2024
Daboll’s comments about the need for better quarterback play came at the same time as reports emphasizing that coach and general manager Joe Schoen are not a package deal. That’s an interesting wrinkle, as the GM’s job security appears more stable despite the Giants putting together a terrible quarterback room in a make-or-break season for Daboll.
Ironically, Lock’s performance hindered Daboll’s chances of getting a top quarterback in the draft if he returned for a fourth season. The Giants would have been assured of the No. 1 pick if they lost their final two games, giving them the choice between top quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward in the draft.
GO DEEPER
Patriots control the 2025 NFL Draft No. 1 pick after Giants win
The win pushed the Giants to fourth in the draft order with one week remaining. Landing a quarterback from that spot will be more difficult, but Daboll can only focus on the present.
“That’s how the offense has to perform,” Daboll said. “That’s how the quarterback has to perform. So if you do that and you win the turnover ratio, you have a chance to score points and win.”
However, Daboll cannot be exonerated for poor quarterback play. It’s a stain on his reputation as a would-be quarterback whisperer that it took until Week 17 for his team to score more than 30 points.
“It’s not an easy position to play,” Daboll said. ‘Look, we all have to do better. You can impose that on me.”
The 3-13 Giants have one game remaining against the Eagles, who have nothing to play for in the finals after clinching the NFC East title and the NFC’s No. 2 seed. The outcome of that game, which will likely be against Philadelphia’s backups, should have no bearing on the owner’s decision on Daboll and Schoen’s futures. But it could only help Daboll if he can deliver another strong performance before ownership meets to call on his fate. And he made sure it was known on Sunday that despite the dismal record, he sees promising signs.
“I see these coaches come in every day and be consistent,” Daboll said. “It’s hard to be consistent in an inconsistent league when things are going well; it’s not great. We haven’t had a good reputation. I fully acknowledge that and I accept responsibility for it. But their commitment to doing things the right way day in and day out, staying late and making plans, just like the players do when we’re down and we’ve got two wins: we’ve got the right kind of people.
Here are more insights from Sunday’s win:
No stopping
Sunday’s outcome should dispel any notion that the Giants were tanking during their 10-game losing streak. The Giants were just as bad.
The reality is that it’s hard for an NFL team to lose each week despite the Giants making it look easy at times this season. A performance like Sunday was inevitable. At some point, a player as talented as rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers would have a breakout like his seven catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
Nabers was in the lineup despite what Daboll called a “pretty good” toe injury that left him listed as questionable. Nabers is intensely competitive and also has individual achievements to strive for. He has 104 catches and 1,140 yards this season after Sunday’s monster performance.
Outside linebacker Brian Burns has been in foul trouble all season, but he continued to play hard on Sunday. He recorded three tackles for a loss and pressured Colts quarterback Joe Flacco into a game-clinching interception by cornerback Dru Phillips.
INT for the rook!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/Yzs0eESBpF
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 29, 2024
Burns’ hustle was on display when he chased Colts running back Jonathan Taylor all the way down the field on a third-and-1 throw at the Giants’ 23-yard line midway through the third quarter. Burns’ pursuit sent Taylor out of bounds with no gain. The Giants stuffed Taylor on the next play for a crucial turnover on downs.
It was the kind of effort that confirmed that players will never be involved in fueling for a draft pick.
“This isn’t basketball; it’s not a wave; it’s not tennis; in football you get hit. I’m not going to go out there and just let people pass on me just to gas up,” said wide receiver Darius Slayton, who caught a 32-yard touchdown pass Sunday. “At the end of the day we always try to win. I think we showed that fight today.”
While players and coaches will give their best every week, the implications of Sunday’s victory cannot be ignored. The Giants’ three wins with DeVito last season cost them the opportunity to draft Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye.
It’s questionable whether Sanders and Ward are on the same level as those quarterbacks, but the prospect of the No. 1 pick has been the light at the end of the tunnel during this miserable season. Just don’t expect players to share fans’ fears about Sunday’s win hurting the team’s draft position.
“I don’t believe in tanking at all,” said Jermaine Eluemunor. “I understand that if you’re having a losing season, it’s best in the fans’ eyes to just keep losing so you can get a draft position. But then you start to create a culture of losing, and that’s not what you want to do. That’s why you have a GM. You’ve got all those assistants, and you’ve got all those scouts to put yourself in a position to get who you want in the draft.
Good Nabers
Look on the bright side of potentially missing out on a top quarterback prospect: Nabers may be so talented that he doesn’t need an elite QB. The No. 6 pick in this year’s draft had his best game as a pro Sunday, showcasing the yards-after-catch ability that made him a star at LSU.
Nabers did most of the work on his two touchdowns. He caught a screen from Lock in the first quarter and broke a tackle to race for a 31-yard score. Oddly enough, the Giants didn’t target Nabers on their first three possessions of the second half, but they wisely entered him early in the fourth quarter. Nabers caught a simple curl route, split two defenders and outpaced everyone for a 59-yard touchdown.
LEEEEK 59-yard TD
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/TLYk5pUqdX
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 29, 2024
Nabers added a leaping 34-yard grab on an underthrown fade and an accurate 19-yard catch on a back-shoulder fade that set up Lock’s 5-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
“What a beast,” said Lock. “He’s going to be great for a long time.”
Fellow rookie running back Tyrone Tracy added to the explosive offense, breaking off a 40-yard run behind quality blocking in the first quarter. It was tough sledding the rest of the day for Tracy, who finished with 20 carries for 59 yards.
Tracy increased his rushing total to 780 yards and his receiving total to 277 yards. That gives him 1,057 yards from scrimmage, making Tracy and Nabers the third starting teammates to gain 1,000 yards from scrimmage in NFL history.
Grounded
Cloudy weather spared Mara the embarrassment of planes flying over the stadium with reports on the franchise’s standings for the third home game in a row. Disgusting fans had reportedly ordered three different bannersincluding one with a message asking Mara to “clean house or sell the team.” The planes were on the ground Sunday, but it’s a good bet they will fly into Philadelphia next week, weather permitting.
(Photo: Vincent Carchietta / Imagn Images)