ORLANDO, Fla. — There was one word Brian Daboll kept coming back to in describing the best way he attacks his job: passionate.
Striking the proper balance with that zeal is something Daboll admits he continues to work on as he embarks on his third yr as the top coach of the Giants.
There have been shots of Daboll during his first season blowing his stack on the sideline but his team compiled a winning record and so the eruptions were less glaring.
Those emotive incidents increased in frequency and ferocity because the Giants in 2023 lost eight of their first 10 games and finished with an unsightly 6-11 record.
Daboll is who he’s, but he seems to appreciate that he can improve results if he chills out a bit.
“Look, every yr there’s a self-evaluation process that goes on, whether I used to be a position coach, a coordinator, on this case a head coach,’’ Daboll said Tuesday morning on the NFL’s annual league meeting. “I’m a really passionate person but, yeah, there’s times I wish I had handled things somewhat bit in a different way, actually. So that you proceed to grow, you proceed to evolve and that’s what I attempt to do every yr.”
Daboll and Giants co-owner John Mara speak commonly and so what Mara revealed a day earlier — “There are occasions where I wish he would tone it down somewhat bit”— was not news to Daboll.
He knows he could be a bit just like the contents of an aggressively shaken can of soda — when he’s agitated, take cover.
There may be also the explosive nature to the aftermath of last season, when defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, angered that Daboll was firing two defensive assistants loyal to Martindale, blew up in a transient and profanity-laced meeting that resulted within the Giants hiring Shane Bowen to run their defense and Martindale eventually landing the defensive coordinator job at Michigan.
Daboll was asked several times during a 30-minute session with the media — his first because the day after the season — in regards to the unsavory way things went down and didn’t say Martindale’s name once.
“That is 24 years for me within the National Football League,’’ Daboll said. “There’s change every yr. I’m excited to have Shane here and among the recent coaches.’’
Asked if he could have handled the situation in a different way, Daboll said, “I at all times try to maintain things as private as they will, keep it in-house. The tip of the season stuff is the tip of the season stuff. I understand the query but looking forward to the 2024 season.’’
Bowen is certainly one of seven changes to Daboll’s staff, resulting in questions on how Daboll as a “passionate person’’ deals together with his assistants. He got here prepared with stats: 17 recent defensive coordinators, 16 recent offensive coordinators and 7 recent special teams coordinators across the league, although most of those comings and goings were the results of head coaching changes.
Daboll does have a call to make with Mike Kafka, the offensive coordinator who returns with a promotion, as Daboll added assistant head coach to Kafka’s job description.
The Giants’ coach made his mark within the league as a play-caller but in his first head coaching gig gave up those duties to pay attention his game-day give attention to the complete field.
With the offensive line in shambles, Daniel Jones out with a neck injury, followed by a torn ACL and the team forced to make use of a practice squad player (Tommy DeVito) at quarterback, the Giants averaged 15.6 points a game — only the Patriots and Panthers were more feeble within the scoring department.
In the course of the struggles, Daboll became more involved within the game-day offensive operation.
It is obvious Daboll is considering taking up the play-calling on a full-time basis.
“It’s something I’m looking into,” he said. “I believe there’s 20 head coaches at the moment that decision plays on each. Could be somewhat bit more. I’ve been doing a bunch of research but no decision’s been made. I’m still going through that process serious about what we’d like to do.
“Whatever I feel is best for the football team, that’s where I’ll go.”
Daboll said “actually’’ when asked if he missed calling plays.
“I did it for a very long time,’’ he said.
It has been an eventful two years for Daboll. He won the NFL’s Coach of the 12 months award after his debut season and the Giants were non-contenders in his second yr.
The pressure, Daboll said, comes from inside.
“I’d say I’m a really passionate guy,’’ Daboll said. “I’m captivated with winning, I’m captivated with our organization, I’m captivated with our team. After we lose I’m very passionate. My focus is at all times ‘What can I do higher? How can I be a greater coach? How can I be a greater leader?’
“Attempting to do one of the best job I can, try to enhance, give attention to the things I can give attention to to be one of the best version of myself to assist the team, to assist the players, to assist the coaches and do all the pieces I can do to assist us win. And that’s the enjoyment that I get out of it, winning football games. That’s why all of us do that.”