With the Giants facing 4th-and-1 on their own 45 on Sunday, just after the Commanders scored a touchdown to make it 14-7, Brian Daboll elected to punt, putting the trust in his defense to continue to keep Sam Howell and Washington at bay.
It was a move that did not inspire much hope from Evan, who wondered where the bold Daboll from a year ago had gone.
“On that same drive, that very same drive, they had a 3rd-and-1, and Saquon Barkley ran it for three yards,” Evan said, not accepting the counter from Morash that the Giants had been stuffed on multiple crucial 4th-and-shorts in the two previous weeks. “It’s a very loser-y kind of take. You’re afraid. It’s coaching afraid. Maybe I can’t get past our first impression. Our first impression of Brian Daboll was, ‘Wow, this guy’s got guts.’
“Now, he’s starting to build this reputation of being Brian Daboll: ‘Eh, kind of cowardly.’”
Daboll earned his reputation of being fearless when he went for a game-winning two-point conversion in his head coaching debut last year against the Titans, but Evan hasn’t seen that this season, especially not on Sunday.
“You’ve got a chance to continue a long, sustainable drive, after they scored a touchdown,” Evan said. “And if you have so much confidence in your defense, even if you get stuffed, you tell your defense, ‘They got the ball at midfield, stop them.’”
