In 2017, Brian Daboll was recruiting as Alabama's offensive coordinator and traveled to California to visit Long Beach Technical High School.
Quarterback there, Matt Corral, is considered a prospect, and Daboll met with the school's head coach.
That head coach was former Giants Super Bowl winning linebacker Antonio Pierce. Corral ended up going to Ole Miss.
“I have a lot of respect for the Associated Press,” Daboll said on Nov. 1. “I remember meeting him in the office and talking about Matt in Cali, and of course I know what he did here. Over the last few years, I've built a friendship with him. .”
Heck, there's a scenario that could work out that would bring Daboll and Pierce together and bring Pierce back to the team that had the most success in the NFL.
Daboll needs a new defensive coordinator, and Wednesday's official announcement said the team and Wink Martindale have “mutually agreed to part ways.”
The Giants will definitely check Pierce's status.
Pierce is currently being considered to become the Raiders' full-time head coach and is looking for a bigger job.
Four days after Daboll talked about Pierce early last season, the Raiders defeated the Giants 30-6 in Pierce's first game as interim head coach, replacing the fired Josh McDaniels.
The Raiders were 3-5 at the time of his firing and 9-16 overall under McDaniels. The Raiders went 5-4 after Pierce took over, and he gained recognition and support among the players on the roster.
Pierce, 45, is an attractive option, and it will be difficult for Raiders owner Mark Davis to move past him unless he can land a bigger fish like Bill Belichick or Jim Harbaugh.
Pierce also could be among other head coaching candidates around the NFL if he doesn't remain in Las Vegas.
He maintains a strong relationship with the Giants and is highly valued in the Giants' build. Pierce has never been a defensive coordinator in the NFL, only serving in that position in 2020 and 2021 at Arizona State.
Pierce played just five seasons with the Giants before retiring after the 2009 season due to a lingering neck injury. He was the brains behind Steve Spagnuolo's defense and an inspirational leader during the 2007 season when the Giants became road warriors in the playoffs and upset the previously undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. there were.
Leslie Frazier, a respected defensive mind and former Vikings head coach, is also someone to consider given Frazier and Daboll worked together in Buffalo.
Frazier, 64, retired from football in 2023, but hopes to return as a head coach if possible. He will reportedly be interviewing to become the Chargers' head coach.
For now, Mike Kafka will be returning to the Giants for his third season as offensive coordinator. The Titans asked for permission to interview Mike Vrabel for the head coaching position after firing him.
A year ago, four teams met with Kafka about the director's job.
The Giants' offense was much more effective in 2022 because Daniel Jones stayed healthy all season than it was in 2023, when Jones appeared in just six games before going down with a torn ACL.
Kafka also had to deal with an offensive line that allowed a franchise-record 85 sacks. This was by far the most in the league and the second-most sacks in a season in NFL history.
Thomas McGaughey was fired as special teams coordinator, but one of his key players finished the season winning the award.
Punter Jamie Gillan was named NFC Special Teams of the Week for averaging 46.5 yards on five punts, with four of them inside the 20-yard line, in a 27-10 win over the Eagles. Selected as a player.
LB Tomon Fox, who spent most of the season on the practice squad, was signed to a reserve/future contract.
