They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll might not be insane, but his decision-making definitely toes the line.
John Michael Schmitz Jr. has been catching a lot of heat recently for his subpar play. His struggles have been ongoing since they drafted him out of Minnesota with the 57th pick of the 2023 draft. We’re now two-plus seasons into the same ‘when will this guy figure it out?’ loop. It's been frustrating for sure, watching a struggling offensive line be anchored by the same bodies who have failed to provide it with consistency for years, but I give you your Giants, ladies and gentlemen.
Dabs has always been a JMS supporter, but his recent comments to the media post-Wednesday practice all but confirm he's proper lost in the sauce. And might have entered the void of no return.
Brian Daboll has a John Michael Schmitz Jr. problem in the worst way
Perhaps Schmitz has cast some sort of spell on Daboll — everyone snap your fingers or clap loudly to break it. Because whatever the HC sees, fans, analysts, and advanced metrics alike won't agree with his assessment of what he sees in the former second-round pick:
"John Michael is tough. He's smart. He does a good job of getting everything set up for the offensive linemen. I think he's a strong player. He's tough. He's a finisher. I think he's done a nice job for us."Brian Daboll to reporters after practice
If only that were the case. JMS seems like a great guy. Truly. There's no personal knock against him. But when the eye test and stat sheet both disagree with his assessment, it's time to be held accountable.
Pro Football Focus all but confirms Schmitz has done anything but a nice job for the G-Men. Here are his grades — followed by where he ranks out of the center position — from the last two-plus seasons:
Pass-blocking | Run-blocking | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|
2023 | 26.9 (53/56) | 51.3 (48/56) | 41.4 (56/56) |
2024 | 50.2 (54/64) | 67.0 (20/64) | 61.4 (35/64) |
2025 | 67.3 (12/37) | 52.5 (32/37) | 58.1 (29/37) |
That's unfortunately just not good enough. This team needs a more reliable starting center. Is it any surprise that Big Blue couldn't get anything going on the ground against the Commanders while their interior guy is performing as the 29th-best at his position? The Cowboys present a rare opportunity to exploit a defensive interior weakness with the ground game, but can fans even be remotely confident that it can happen with numbers like these? It's tough.
It's the same narrative. JMS had a brutal summer, which somehow turned into a worse preseason. It's time for Daboll to take some accountability and finally own up to the fact that he just might not be long for New York. Otherwise, he might just drive all of Giants Nation insane instead.