Big Blue View
Anthony Cantore asks: Ed, I read your appraisal of the failed daft Giants picks. However with so many of the picks not living up to where they were drafted, how much of the that is on Daboll’s coaching? You brought up JJ McCarthy. What gives you any confidence that Daboll would have developed him like Kevin O’Connell was able to do? That goes for several of the players. What player has gotten better under Daboll coaching? I’m for firing them both.
Ed says: Anthony, there is no way to know if Brian Daboll would have been successful with McCarthy. The Giants obviously felt McCarthy wasn’t right for them. If Daboll had felt as strongly about McCarthy as he did — and does — about Jaxson Dart, he would be a Giant. If McCarthy turns out to be really good, we just have to give the reminder that he was there for the Giants to take.
As for Daboll developing players, what I say all the time is that Daboll is not a position coach. He is the overseer, he doesn’t conduct position meetings, run the position drills, etc.
Andrew Landman asks: I hadn’t noticed this when watching, but a caller on Big Blue Kickoff Live pointed out that Jamie Gillan kicked off to start last week’s game. Apparently Gano performed the rest of the kickoffs. Any insight into why Gillan handled the first one? Strategy, an equipment malfunction for Gano, something else?
Ed says: Andrew, Brian Daboll said that was a strategic decision based on the type of kickoff the Giants wanted to employ. I don’t know the schematics of kickoff plays well enough to know exactly what the Giants felt Gillan could do better on that kickoff than Gano, but that is the explanation we were given.
Peter Smyth asks: Watching the game last Sunday, I thought Washington’s defensive front was overwhelming and excellent. Reading several of your pieces this week, your team feels it’s our O-line that was terrible. How do you know for sure what the cause was? Maybe Washington is just really damn good? Could that be part of our bad play? Or is it just clear we stink.
Ed says: Peter, in 2024 the Commanders were a middle of the pack defense that did not rush the passer well. This offseason, the only significant addition was a well past his prime Von Miller. The fact that you thought that defensive front was “overwhelming and excellent” is in itself an indictment of the Giants’ offensive line. That front seven is not as good as the Giants made it look.
There were blocking mistakes or misses on almost every running play. On passing plays it wasn’t a jailbreak in Russell Wilson’s direction, but the Giants really didn’t give Wilson the opportunity to get the ball down the field. Which is what he does best.
*Jeff Jenkins asks: Is there any merit to switching personnel on the OLine and letting the backups play? Also, I...
