For anyone expecting fireworks from the former New York Giants head coach, now offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, in his first public comments since being fired on Nov. 10, you were likely very disappointed with Wednesday’s press conference.
Brian Daboll made his first media appearance as the Titans’ new OC, and he made it clear very early on that there were no hard feelings toward the G-Men and that he wasn’t going to remotely entertain bad-mouthing his former employer.
Nothing suggested he was bitter about being fired, which is usually the case with most of these guys -- it’s hard not to take it personally. However, the fact of the matter is he didn’t win enough games in three-plus seasons to stay on as head coach.
Now the 50-year-old is back in the OC chair, ready to pilot an offense led by 2025 first overall pick Cam Ward. And he sounded happy to be starting fresh somewhere else:
“I am very happy to be where I am at right now and be part of this football team as the offensive coordinator. I’m always going to be here for Robert and the rest of the staff, but that’s a hard chair to sit in and having some experience sitting in it will help me relative to being the best teammate I can be for this staff. This is the place I want to be. I’m excited to be here."
Brian Daboll handles Giants questions exactly how you’d expect
Dabs is cut from the Bill Belichick and Nick Saban cloth. Of course he wasn't going to go nuclear. However, it would have been infinitely more fun. Imagine him at the podium, cussing out general manager Joe Schoen for letting all of their best players go. Or for whiffing on high draft picks. Could have been a time.
Instead, Big Blue Nation got a nothing-burger, which is probably the most professional and healthy way to handle things, but sometimes it's fun to lean into being a chaos agent. After praising his new situation, he turned his attention to his tenure in North Jersey.
When asked about what he learned from his time with the Giants, Daboll said:
“Look, this is my 26th year in the National Football League. You [reflect] every year at whatever stop you are at. There are a lot of things I learned along the way, whether as a defensive assistant, a quarterbacks coach, a receivers coach. You try to do a better job the next place you are at, and my role is to help our football team be the best offense we can be."
Ugh. Give us something. Show some emotion. One time. Please. Maybe next time.
At the end of the day, this is who Brian Daboll has always been. Buttoned up. Measured. Forward-facing. Giants fans might have wanted a little spice, a little behind-the-scenes tea spilling, something to chew on. Instead, they got exactly what you’d expect from a coach who’s been in the league for 26 years and knows how this works. Bully.