On Monday, the New York Giants decided to fire head coach Brian Daboll and name offensive coordinator Mike Kafka as their interim head coach. The Giants are 2-8 on the year, and were 20-40-1 since Daboll took over as head coach in 2022. With New York regressing in each year of Daboll’s tenure, the franchise decided to end things now.
While the news became official on Monday, it seemed like Daboll had a pretty good idea of his fate during Sunday’s game.
As the Chicago Bears prepared to kneel out the clock, securing their win over the Giants, the FOX broadcast captured Daboll with a look of despair on his face. After wiping his face and adjusting his hat, he stared off into the distance as if he knew it was only a matter of time.
Brian Daboll’s hopeless look in Week 10 loss makes it seem like he knew his fate
Of course, this could’ve just been a competitor’s reaction as the realization of another loss set in, but Daboll also knew what was at stake.
As much as coaches say they don’t pay attention to the outside noise, they know when they’re on the hot seat, and coaching for their job. Those were the circumstances for Brian Daboll entering this season, and his emotions all year showcased that he was acutely aware.
The way the former head coach interacted with Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, two things were clear: 1. Daboll believed in Dart and really wanted him in New York; 2. Daboll was hoping that the talented young quarterback could save his job. From all the screams, fist pumps, and outbursts, it was obvious Daboll is a naturally emotional guy, but his emotions this year revealed a man who knew his job was on the line.
Understanding those circumstances, he certainly fought for his job. The Giants, despite their record, performed much better than expected in several games, and could have won even more. With Dart under center, New York had a new energy and looked like they were heading in the right direction. In the end, that simply wasn’t enough, as the Giants still didn’t win games. Instead, they just had more embarrassing losses in very close games, and Daboll had to answer for that.