Brian Daboll was just looking for something to hang his hat on.
The Giants’ head coach curiously left quarterback Daniel Jones in for almost all of their heinous 40-0 loss to the Cowboys in Sunday night’s season opener. Jones did not exit into the waning moments, taking hit after hit as Dallas dominated his offensive line. So why did it take so long to turn to backup Tyrod Taylor in mop-up duty?
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“I was going to let him see it through there, just until that last series,” Daboll told reporters after the game. “Trying to get something positive going, we didn’t have much going. I just wanted to try to get a positive drive and try to punch the ball into the end zone. But that didn’t happen.”
Brian Daboll on not taking Daniel Jones out of the game pic.twitter.com/0mjGnmRuQw
— Talkin’ Giants (@TalkinGiants) September 11, 2023
No, no it did not.
Jones was running for his life the entire game. And on a slick, rain-soaked field at that. The Cowboys sacked him seven times and hit him 12. And yet Daboll kept running him out there, playing with fire in search of a “positive” that was clearly never going to occur. It does not make much sense. And Daboll’s explanation was not exactly a good one.
Daboll and the Giants got away with it this time. But it is hard to imagine they will be that lucky forever. Especially when you consider Jones’ injury history, last season aside.
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James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @jameskratch.
