The Giants’ head coaching search began officially on January 21, literally the day the team named Joe Schoen the new general manager, and according to Schoen, the hiring committee – himself, co-owners Steve Tisch and John Mara, and Player Personnel VP Chris Mara – “cast a wide net” with “an extensive list of coaches we’d want to speak with.”
After six candidates were interviewed once and a pair twice, the team “came to the conclusion that Brian Daboll would be the best candidate.”
And so, here we are, just before the calendar turns to February, the Giants’ two staffing searches wrapped up within three weeks of the end of the regular season – and on the day he was introduced 20 days after his predecessor was dismissed, Brian Daboll stood at the team complex beaming as he held his first media session.
“This was a dream come true, and while I understand the challenges with the New York Giants, this is a historic franchise and a great opportunity afforded to me and my family,” Daboll said. “I’m very thankful and honored to be in this position, and I look forward to the journey and being a part of this.”
It was noted that the Giants have not had a winning season since 2016 and have had just two since they won Super Bowl XLVI a decade ago.
However, it’s truly a new era all around, and Daboll believes Big Blue already has one key element in place to change the culture: a leadership group in lockstep.
“It’s hard to win in this league, but there are some foundational pillars that help an organization. One of which is the leadership group – ownership, the GM, and the head coach – being aligned, otherwise things can go astray,” Daboll said. “I can’t guarantee anything, but when you’re aligned, you can communicate and develop a plan. We’re starting from scratch, and after we build that plan, we have to bring in the right kind of people, so it’s important we have a shared vision and the same core principles.”
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That said, he knows there are no assurances in the NFL – just ask any of the last three head coaches, who all lasted two seasons or less – but he’s ready for the challenge and wants to do it the right way.
“The NFL is an unstable world no matter where you’re at, so your job is to do the best you can to build a good program,” Daboll said. “It’s not about me, it’ about us as an organization collectively from top to bottom. We had good conversations with a lot of people, because it takes everyone. There are no guarantees, but if you have people working together in lockstep, that’s the start of something.”
Maybe not what a long-suffering fan base wants to hear in terms of a quick turnaround, but again, just like Robert Saleh noted in his own introductory presser last year, even the Taj Mahal needed a foundation poured first.
“This is an enticing job, to work with Joe and build something special, but we have a lot of work to do, and we’re not going to make any promises or predictions,” Daboll said, before uttering the quote that hopefully will embody the vision of starting from scratch when it comes to the patience of the fan base: “Let's just start crawling before we walk.”
Easier said than done, especially in New York, but he’s ready to do it right.
“We’re just gonna try to do things the right way. There’s pressure with every job in this business, and we understand the market, but we’re going to do everything we can do to build an organization the right way and develop everyone in the building,” Daboll said. “If you’re prepared, the pressure is less. We’re gonna do all we can to put together a good product on and off the field.”
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