We’re already six months into the John Harbaugh era, and the New York Giants can’t escape the constant reminders of Brian Daboll.
By no fault of his own, Daboll has been the subject of revisionist history and a redemption tour narrative from the national media.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay contributed to the latest Daboll glazing on Tuesday, listing the Titans among five potential unexpected playoff contenders.
Naturally, Harbaugh and the Giants were omitted despite their young core, Jaxson Dart’s presence, and the players and coaches who followed Harbaugh from Baltimore.
The national media remains infatuated with Brian Daboll and Robert Saleh
To Daboll’s credit, he was the Bills’ offensive coordinator during Josh Allen’s ascent to franchise quarterback, and Dart impressed throughout his rookie season.
But let’s not pretend that Daboll or Titans coach Robert Saleh are genius savants who ran into bad luck with the Giants and Jets, respectively.
Daboll, much like Josh McDaniels, could very well prove to be a competent offensive coordinator who benefited from having an elite quarterback at his disposal.
What everyone seemingly chooses to ignore is that Ward played behind an atrocious offensive line, and the Titans opted not to address the front five in the first round.
Sure, the thought of Carnell Tate playing in a Bills-like offense sounds fun, but it means nothing if the Titans can’t keep Ward on his feet.
Ward also lacks the dual-threat skills that Allen and Dart have, and quarterbacks capable of extending plays with their legs are vital to Daboll’s offensive scheme.
Compare that to the Giants, who have Matt Nagy running the offense. Although the Bears were inconsistent during Nagy’s four years as head coach, he nonetheless maximized Justin Fields’ rushing skills.
Memes about his career aside, Mitchell Trubisky averaged 5.4 yards per carry in his three seasons starting for Nagy.
Additionally, the Titans are easily the AFC South’s worst team on paper. The division is not what it was 10 years ago, when the Texans would almost always win by default.
Jacksonville made significant strides under Liam Coen, and the Texans own one of the league’s most imposing defenses. The key for the Colts is Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor staying healthy; last year marked only the second time in six seasons that Taylor played every game.
We hate to rain on Titans fans’ parade, but Kay and the national media have been passing out the way-too-strong Kool-Aid throughout the offseason.
The Daboll and Saleh supporters might be in for a major surprise come Week 3, when the Giants host the Titans. That Sunday afternoon could very well be the day we’re reminded exactly why neither coach is still in New York.
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