Fourth and nine at the opponent’s 35, 2:23 to go in the half, leading 7-3 in a defensive struggle of a game, with the opponent already having exhausted a time out and wind meaning a 50-plus-yard field goal attempt was far from a sure thing.
If ever there was a situation where the time was right to go for it, that’s it…and Brian Daboll thought so, too, as the Giants indeed went for it and got an 11-yard pass that kept their drive alive and led to a touchdown that had them up 14-3 at the half.
“I think with where we were on the field and how it was going, I anticipated that a little bit,” said quarterback Daniel Jones, whose completion to Richie James converted in the big spot said. “Richie did a really good job winning on that route and getting some separation for us. That was a big play.”
Turns out, that’s something the Giants had been planning to do if the situation ever arose.
“We do that every week, because you don't know when those things are going to come up or how things are going to evolve,” Daboll said. “There are so many different things that come up, and you have discussions during the game. I have a line that goes to all three units and the coaches, and the amount of discussion and research that I'd say (offensive assistant Cade Knox and director of football data and innovation Ty Siam) do, we spend a lot of time on it.”
Of course, it’s not just as easy as “this is the time to go for it,” as analytics play a role, but so does game flow and feel – and in this case, the Giants trusted their defense if they didn’t convert, but saw an opportunity to, at the very least, get within better field goal range if they could convert.
“There's a lot of numbers and percentages, and there's also real conversations about the players, or the matchups. You kind of combine everything and I don't think you just take one thing and say this is what you do,” Daboll said. “I think you have to have a feel for the game, you gotta have a feel for your opponent, you gotta have a feel for the matchup, you gotta have a feel for the weather if something’s different. So, we are always in constant communication and we just try to do what's best for us."
And, he says, it was as much Knox and Siam with those analytics as his own feel that led to the decision, although Daboll deferred to his “two Ivy Leaguers.”
“They're really two guys that I lean on a lot during the week in terms of clock management, fourth down decisions, overtime decisions,” Daboll said. “That fourth down that we went for there…we knew that we would go for that in that particular situation on Wednesday after the morning meeting I had with those guys. So everyone contributed to the win. Those two guys were certainly a big part of it. Two Ivy Leaguers, so I try to listen to the Ivy Leaguers. They do a great job and spend a lot of time on it. We have a lot of good discussions. I might not always agree with them on Wednesday and Thursday but we keep talking about it and going through certain situations, trying to be as detailed and thorough as we can."
That decision left it up to the players to execute…and mission accomplished.
“Each game is different, and decision-making processes are different, but I have confidence in Daniel,” Daboll said. “We spend a lot of meeting time talking about those things, so when we get to the game, I can live with those decisions because we've studied them, discussed them and it's what we believe in to do for that particular game. If they work, it's a great call and if they don't, they don't. But I can live with the process of how we try to come to those conclusions each week because of the time spent.”
No bigger situation for the Giants, and nowhere else Jones would’ve wanted to be.
“That’s where you want to be as players; you want to be in those positions, big plays with a chance to deliver, chances to execute and do what you've got to do to sustain a drive or make a play,” Jones said. “As players, we love being in those situations."
It took more than just that for the Giants to win, but those seven points were huge in the end. And, even though Daboll said “I'm just happy to win the game” and noted that “it was a tough, hard-fought game on the road,” he’s elated to see his team fight through adversity and take control of their destiny.
“I think I got a feel for the make-up of our team since we've been here in OTA's, training camp, and all the games we've had,” the head coach said. “They are group of hardworking guys that focus on what's in from of them. That's a bunch of good guys to work with, and I was proud of the guys and the way they competed.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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