The discussions for individual awards continue to heat up among NFL circles. Patrick Mahomes figures to run away with the MVP honor – let’s be real here, the man deserves it. Well, what about Coach of the Year? There are three names that are getting the most love right now: Nick Sirianni, Kyle Shanahan and NY Giants head man Brian Daboll.
Yes, both Sirianni and Shanahan have done unreal work for the Eagles and 49ers, respectively, this season and they’re surely deserving of the award. However, there’s no doubt in our mind that Daboll should win it. There are four reasons in particular we’re rocking with Daboll as our 2022 Coach of the Year.
4. Brian Daboll has NY back in the playoffs for the first time in 2016
Leading up to the season, countless experts out there predicted the Giants to win 4-5 games on the year. Not much was expected out of Big Blue and there figured to be plenty of growing pains for Daboll and Co. during their first year leading this team. However, that hasn’t been the case and the Giants have been so fun to watch.
Entering the Week 18 matchup with the Eagles, the Giants are 9-6-1 on the year. Again, this is truly unreal and something that not many people expected after 16 games. With the Giants most likely resting their starters in the regular season finale against the Eagles, there’s a good chance they close out the campaign at 9-7-1.
Still, that’s incredibly impressive for this group of guys and they’ve punched their tickets to the NFC Wild Card Round. For the Giants to be postseason-bound is a remarkable accomplishment and Daboll deserves a ton of credit. He has made so many people forget about the nightmare days of Joe Judge. That alone is a major blessing.
3. Daboll has helped save the career of Daniel Jones
How about the play of Daniel Jones in 2022? During the summer, NY supporters were calling for Daboll to go with Tyrod Taylor as the starter for the season. People wanted to see Danny Dimes on the bench and Taylor leading the offense out onto the field each Sunday. Goodness me, how things have changed since then.
Jones has put togetether the best year of his young career and there’s no denying that he deserves a new contract this offseason from general manager Joe Schoen. Jones will need to take out Daboll for dinner and beers once he puts the pen to paper on a new deal, as Daboll has 100 percent been the difference-maker for his improvement.
On the season, Jones has thrown for 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns, while only tossing five interceptions, tied for the second-fewest in the NFL. Not only that, but Jones has also rushed for seven touchdowns. This new offense has been a perfect fit for Jones. He’s been great to watch this year, and his relationship with Daboll is one of the best bromances from ’22.
2. NY Giants overcame unreal circumstances in 2022
From a roster standpoint, the Giants don’t even come close to having the same kind of talent as others in the league, yet that didn’t stop them from posting wins over the Packers, Ravens, Titans and more in upset fashion. That’s on Daboll, who 100 percent brought out the best of his players when their numbers were called.
One guy in particular who stands out is wideout Isaiah Hodgins. Everyone expected Kadarius Toney, Kenny Golladay and Sterling Shepard to be clutch for the G-Men this season. Toney ended up being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, Golladay (four receptions on the year) has been a total bust and Shepard suffered a torn ACL.
Hodgins was claimed off waivers and has become the No. 1 option for Jones. Daboll knew Hodgins from his days in Buffalo and the team decided to take a chance on him. That move paid off big time, as Hodgins will be a key figure once the playoffs arrive. This is a perfect example of what Daboll has been able to do as coach and getting guys to play out of their minds.
1. Daboll has completely changed the NY Giants culture
For Sirianni and Shanahan, not only is this not their first year with their teams, but they also have championship-caliber rosters they’re coaching up. Daboll doesn’t have that – not even close. Despite that, this guy has won over the fanbase with his aviators, goatee and incredible abilities in leading young men.
Don’t forget for a second how bad the Giants have been in recent years. NY has the worst overall record in the NFL over the past five years. Before this campaign, the Giants hadn’t won more than six games in five years. That’s insane to think about, which is why a lot of folks had the G-Men at 4-5 wins for ’22. Nope, Daboll has delivered with nine so far.
Despite having Super Bowl success in the past, people have been mocking the Giants of late because of how bad things have been. People continue to try and take down this team for the infamous boat picture ahead of the ’16 showdown with the Packers in the playoffs.
Now, though, people are starting to take this team seriously and another upset or two could be on the way later this month. Daboll is the man and he deserves an unreal amount of respect. From our chair, he has earned Coach of the Year. Give this man the hardware.
4 NY Giants who were a total disappointment during the regular season
Despite many players stepping up to the plate in order to propel this NY Giants team into the playoffs, these four players were extremely disappointing.