In the aftermath of the New York Giants firing head coach Brian Daboll, we've read and heard opinions ranging from all over the place. But, one thing we hadn't yet found out were some of the brutal reasoning behind the scenes.
ESPN's Giants beat reporter Jordan Raanan peeled back the curtain in his most recent piece on the saga. And, some of the details don't exactly reveal the whole "Daboll didn't a fair shot" narrative.
"One player recently told ESPN of Daboll exploding and threatening to take away play calling from assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka after tight end Theo Johnson dropped a crucial third-down pass downfield against the Eagles," wrote Raanan.
Brian Daboll seemed to pin responsibility on everyone but himself
Now, before we dig into that idea, let's real quick establish the fact that there are those who believe Daboll was unjustly fired. Even Brian Burns feels as though it was the players who let him down.
But, there are some who have believed Daboll didn't get a fair shot. He didn't draft Daniel Jones (although that narrative can be put to bed thanks to this year's Indianapolis Colts). This was his first year with his own quarterback in Jaxson Dart. Injuries have piled up at key positions with guys like Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo going down for the year.
However, the explosive behind-the-scenes behavior and narcissistic characteristics say it all in Raanan's piece.
Daboll made it a habit of firing assistants, position coaches and coordinators so as to pass off the blame on someone else. As Raanan pointed out in his column, Daboll's firings didn't exactly lead to any particular position improving in a big way after the fact.
From the sound of it, Daboll made a habit out of threatening coaches' jobs and making it clear that he held all of the power. It didn't necessarily feel as though Daboll was genuinely going to take responsibility for issues -- at least, that's what this report suggests.
And, just before it was all said and done, Daboll seemed to know his time was up.
"Some players found out while in a bible study session when the news went public at 12:43 p.m. They weren't surprised because several players noticed Daboll's postgame message the previous day was unusually curt. In retrospect, they viewed it as being resigned to his fate," Raanan explained.
Now, does this mean Daboll knew and accepted his fate while also understanding the why behind it all? Who knows. If he's ever to get a head coaching shot again, though, it's clear that there are a few character issues which may need to be shored up.