Daboll has said he won’t take over play-calling, but we’ll see

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll reportedly took control of the team’s offense during meetings this week, the first time he has done that since becoming the team’s head coach prior to the 2022 season.

Per Pat Leonard of the Daily News:

This is the first week Daboll has taken this drastic measure. He was not only discussing game strategy and game plan. He was also coaching individual position groups and players on his expectations and adjustments for specific plays in those meetings.

That included detailed instructions for the Offensive line, his team’s Achilles heel.

Daboll’s success as offensive coordinator and playcaller with the Buffalo Bills is a big part of the reason he got the job as head coach of the Giants. Daboll has also been offensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL and for a year with Alabama at the collegiate level.

The Giants are 1-5 and are scoring a league-worst 11.8 points per game. Their quarterbacks have been sacked 33 times, with only Sunday’s opponent, the Washington Commanders worse. Their quarterback, Sam Howell, has been sacked 34 times.

The Giants have not scored an offensive touchdown since the third quarter of their Week 3 game against the San Francisco 49ers, a span of 205 minutes.

Daboll said “no” this week when asked if he would take over play-calling from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka for Sunday’s game against the Commanders. Still, it is something worth monitoring.

Daboll did say this week that the Giants would “do whatever we’ve gotta do to try to score.”

Daboll cannot be happy with the way the offense is functioning, even though much of that can be pinned on the injuries suffered by and the ineffectiveness of the offensive line.

We know Daboll was unhappy on the final play of the first half last week when quarterback Tyrod Taylor, subbing for Daniel Jones, checked to a run play that failed from Buffalo’s 1-yard line with :14 left and no timeouts. That led to the Giants getting no points in an eventual 14-9 loss to the Bills.

Daboll said there was communication to Taylor that the ball needed to be passed, but he was apparently given a play call that did include a run option.

During the Giants’ one solid half of offensive football this season, when they scored 31 second-half points in a comeback victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Daboll appeared to be more involved in the play-calling than at any other time this season. He was asked after that game if he had called plays as he was seen with a play card throughout the half, but denied having done so.

After the Giants were unexpectedly successful a season ago, going 9-7-1 in the regular season and winning a playoff game, Kafka received four interviews for NFL head coaching jobs.