Big Blue View
Brian Daboll’s meal ticket to keeping his job as New York Giants head coach is Jaxson Dart. Everybody, Daboll included, knows that.
If Daboll gets an opportunity, like Giants ownership gave him last season, to make a pitch as to why he should be retained as head coach despite yet another losing season, we know how it will go.
Daboll was the guy who pushed for the Giants to draft Dart. There have, in fact, been some reports that Daboll wanted GM Joe Schoen to use the No. 3 overall pick on the quarterback. Daboll will argue that you can’t fully develop a quarterback in one year, and he deserves more time to see what Dart can become. Especially considering the injuries to wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Cam Skattebo.
Whether those arguments hold any water with ownership, especially if the Giants end up with a third straight double-digit loss season, is anybody’s guess.
One thing, though, should GUARANTEE Daboll gets himself fired. That would be if he gets the prized rookie quarterback badly hurt by continuing to play him at the end of blowout games, especially if he continues to allow designed quarterback runs to be called in those blowout situations.
That is precisely what Daboll and the Giants have done the past two weeks.
Against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8, Daboll left Dart in the game after the Eagles scored to take a 25-point lead, 38-13, with 5:59 to play. Yes, the Giants. But, who cares? Two designed quarterback runs, one of which Dart scored on, exposed him to unnecessary hits.
Against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9, Daboll left Dart in for the final 4:13 despite the 49ers leading by an insurmountable 17 points. Again, Dart led a garbage-time scoring drive. Again, who cares? Was it really worth the risk to the future of the franchise?
During that drive, he took two fairly mundane hits in the pocket. On a 10-yard scramble, though, he took a fairly big hit taking on direct contact to get a first down.
Dart isn’t going to change how he plays no matter what the score is. It is the Giants’ job — Daboll’s job — to protect him from himself.
You can’t develop him if he is hurt and can’t play. Or, if he suffers a catastrophic injury that alters the trajectory of his career.
Daboll isn’t the first head coach to leave a star player in a game way too long. Dan Quinn knows Jayden Daniels’ elbow injury is his fault.
If Daboll wants to keep his job he can’t allow something to happen to Dart that might alter the course of his career at the end of a lopsided game the Giants have no hope of winning.
With Graham Gano now out for the second time this season and fourth time in three years with an injury, it is hard not to agree with former Giants’ placekicker...
