Brian Daboll took the league by storm in his first season as New York Giants head coach.
Not only did Daboll lead the Giants to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and help secure their first postseason victory since Super Bowl XLVI, he completely changed the culture in East Rutherford.
Daboll steadied a sinking ship en route to being named the 2022 Associated Press Coach of the Year.
For those who know Daboll personally, none of his success came as a surprise.
“He’s the best. Very, very bright. Look, I’m not shocked, to be honest with you. I thought what he did with that team, knowing where they were at from a talent level, they shorten those games, they play pretty good defense,” Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said, via The Athletic. “(Defensive coordinator) Wink (Martindale) ran a real good scheme, but I thought that their ability to put the ball in the hands of (Saquon) Barkley, they get to a certain point in the game, you’re not getting that ball back.
“And that’s really a credit to knowing what he had on the roster. I thought they used all three phases. That’s the best Daniel Jones has played, just from afar that I’ve seen. I think he’s been around a lot of really good coaches and he’s learned. It was impressive, man. I think they got a winner over there in him.”
For many, it’s Daboll’s passion for the game that stands out.
“He did a great job. I’ve known Dabes for a long time — just incredibly passionate about the game. Just has a unique way of simplifying what appears to be a complex situation. So it’s no surprise he did well. I’m very happy,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said.
“I’ve known Dabes for a long time. It was just really having an attempt to go in and I don’t want to say change, just create a culture that you’d hoped would help develop a winning formula that sustains over a long period of time, you saw him do that. You just hear the way his players talk about him, both him and his entire coaching staff,” Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said. “I think the world of Dabes, both as a football coach — X’s and O’s — but also what really matters to him and how he goes about his business every single day. It’s not a surprise to me to see them do as well as they did this year and I know Giants fans are probably really excited to have him as their head coach.”
Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane, who has to say goodbye to both Daboll and Joe Schoen last year, is proud of what the duo accomplished in New York.
“I thought Dabes did a really good job. Obviously, he got coach of the year, so it was fun to watch what him and Joe got started in New York. I’m sure you see his passion, you see his energy, the guy that we got to know well in Buffalo, and so I’m sure those guys will continue to do very well in Year 2 up in New York,” Beane said.
The admiration from around the league is not something the Giants have seen since Tom Coughlin last coached the team.
