While it ended in embarrassing fashion, the Giants’ 2022 season was quite remarkable considering the circumstances. It was Year 1 for general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll. Nobody thought Daniel Jones would be the answer at quarterback, and New York had a terrible salary cap situation to deal with.
Yet, Daboll and his coaching staff squeezed every last bit of talent out of this roster to post a 9-7-1 record and reach the playoffs for the first time since 2016. And as if that wasn’t enough, Big Blue also collected its first playoff win since Super Bowl XLVI by beating the Minnesota Vikings on the road.
More hard work is ahead for the Giants, though. They’ll have to try and replicate this success next year after making plenty of critical roster decisions this offseason. But before that happens, there are still 2022 honors to be handed out. Daboll has been named a finalist for NFL Coach of the Year. He’s joined by Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers.
What’s the best way to sum up Daboll’s case to win the award? This tweet will do the trick:
There are good COY candidates this season, but none did more with less than Daboll#Giants PS Power Rankings:
BR: 25th
NFL: 26th
TD Wire: 27th
ESPN: 28th
SI: 29th
USA Today: 29th
Yahoo: 30thDabs did this w/ a terrible cap situation and a QB that was written off.
? the man
— Nick Falato (@nickfalato) January 25, 2023
Bang, bang. This is a bingo if I’ve ever seen one. That doesn’t mean each of the other finalists doesn’t have a case, though.
Shanahan’s 49ers finished much higher than New York or Jacksonville in preseason power rankings. San Francisco did have to handle a unique situation, though. After injuries to both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, the club has gotten itself one win away from the Super Bowl with third-stringer Brock Purdy.
If we look at the Jaguars’ preseason power rankings from various outlets, they didn’t finish too far ahead of the Giants. And in some cases, they finished behind New York. The biggest difference between these two squads is the situation at quarterback heading into the year.
Trevor Lawrence is a 23-year-old signal-caller who had just one year of NFL experience under his belt. The Giants had just declined their fifth-year option on Daniel Jones because the jury was still out as to whether he was capable of being the answer or not.
All three of these coaches are deserving for different reasons. But if we’re talking about the coach who did the most with a limited amount of talent, there’s no question. Brian Daboll should win these honors.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
