Last season, the New York Giants took a significant step backward offensively. After Daniel Jones took a big step forward in the first year of the Brian Daboll era, things pretty much fell apart in 2023 -- even after the Giants spent resources on upgrading the weaponry.
The offensive line was a disaster, Jones got hurt, tight end Darren Waller got hurt ... everything was a mess. Now, heading into Year 3, Daboll is considering taking over play-calling duties, which to this point have been held by offensive coordinator Mike Kafka.
"It's something I'm looking into," Daboll said, via the team's official website. "I think there's 20 head coaches at this point in time that call plays in the league (either offensively or defensively). … There might be a little bit more. I've been doing a bunch of research, but no decision has been made. I'm still going through that process, thinking about what we need to do."
Play-calling head coaches include Andy Reid, Sean McDermott, Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan, Zac Taylor, Matt LaFleur, Kevin Stefanski, Mike McCarthy, Matt Eberflus (who is taking over in 2024), Mike McDaniel, Kevin O'Connell, Dennis Allen, Todd Bowles, Sean Payton, Shane Steichen and DeMeco Ryans. New coaches like Raheem Morris, Dave Canales, Jerod Mayo, Mike Macdonald, Brian Callahan and Dan Quinn could join that list this year. So, the number of coaches calling plays on their side of the ball is certainly quite high at the moment.
Daboll, of course, is an experienced play-caller, having been the offensive coordinator for the Browns, Dolphins, Chiefs, Alabama and the Bills at different times in the past.
"I did it for a long time," Daboll said. "There's a lot of things that go into it. Part of the evaluation that I talked about, there are some other things that I'm looking into. I take my time and do what I think is best for the team."
Daboll emphasized that he has yet to make a firm decision on whether he'll take over, but a head coach going into Year 3 deciding he's going to assume more responsibility isn't exactly unheard of -- especially when the team is coming off a poor season the year before. The Giants could also have a new quarterback this season, if they either trade up or land one with the No. 6 overall pick, and perhaps Daboll feels that a fresh start under center could coincide with a fresh start on the headset as well.
