The New York Giants fought admirably in their first contest after firing head coach Brian Daboll. Yet, despite not being physically present or involved in the game plan, his presence was felt courtesy of the team's running back, Devin Singletary.
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Singletary -- a Daboll disciple -- didn't start in New York's Week 11 loss to the Green Bay Packers. However, he was certainly a key factor from the jump. The Giants leaned on him early and often, particularly in high-leverage situations, and his efforts rewarded them repeatedly throughout the day.
It wasn't a pretty box score, though Singletary made a strong mark on a valiant Giants showing against the Packers. So, by the power of transitive property, Daboll did too.
Giants RB Devin Singletary made ex-HC Brian Daboll's presence felt in loss to Packers
Because of Singletary, the Giants pushed the Packers, who entered the contest as considerable betting favorites, into a tightly-contested affair. Given his ties to Daboll, it was fair to wonder whether he would see a reduced workload down the stretch. Yet, the early results of the new norm in New York proved to be the opposite, which was quite surprising.
While backfield mate Tyrone Tracy Jr. was more efficient, Singletary took on a bruiser role for the G-Men and handled it well. The latter converted a crucial fourth-down attempt in the third quarter, but not before finding the end zone twice in the first half.
New York could've easily strayed away from Singletary in favor of the younger Tracy. Instead, they turned to the former near the goal line on multiple occasions just days after relieving Daboll of his duties. It's a good reminder that despite the optics and linkage, these things aren't always linear.
Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were instrumental in bringing Singletary to the Giants. They all overlapped during their time with the Buffalo Bills before rejoining forces in New York last offseason.
Schoen was Buffalo's assistant general manager when they drafted Singletary in the third round of the 2019 draft. Daboll was in his second campaign as their offensive coordinator at the time, helping develop the seventh-year tailback into a reliable contributor.