Maybe you, a Giants fan, aren't crazy about how diminutive head coach Brian Daboll opens the door to your soul and the soul of the team.
You have a better chance of getting Bill Belichick to talk about his current love life than having Daboll show any outward emotion before, during or after the game.
One of his catchphrases when asked about the team is that he wants to keep it “in-house.”
Like it or not, this is Daboll's method to head coaching madness. He is desperate to maintain his composure and that permeates the dressing room, keeping his players on an emotional roller coaster and distracted from the task at hand.
What Daboll does in the meeting room, on the practice field and in games should be the most important thing. Here he develops players and coaches.
Through five less-than-perfect games this season — the Giants are 2-3 heading into Sunday night's big swing game against the Bengals at MetLife Stadium — Daboll has made a difference for this team.
That's a positive difference.
His game plan in wins against Cleveland and last week against Seattle was the Giants' “12th Man” — with apologies to Seahawks fans who patented that nickname.
“His coaching is definitely a game-changer for us,” Giants linebacker Micah McFadden told the Post.
The Giants will face the explosive Bengals on Sunday, and they will need Daboll to be a difference-maker as they enter this game in a hopeless situation with just 1 win and 4 losses on the season. be.
The challenge that Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow poses to defenses is immense. And on offense, the Giants will be without their most explosive weapon, receiver Malik Nabors, for the second consecutive game due to a concussion.
This is where Daboll's creative game plans, synergy with his assistant coaches and trust in his players come into play.
“Mindset and attitude are so important, especially in this league, and that starts with 'Daveth,'” Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke told the Post. “The dog mentality, the training, the attitude, the will, the grit, we're talking about, it's real. It's not just lip service. That's our team's mantra. It's very much a 'next play' mentality. is. Never too high, never too low, just keep that positive mindset. It's like a tacit understanding. ”
It was an unspoken but effective move last Sunday in Seattle, when the Giants' offense went 79 yards on a 16-play opening drive that lasted 10 minutes until Eric Gray, a fan at the goal line. It was bullied and returned 101 yards for a Seahawks touchdown.
The incredible 14-point swing could have been broken if the Giants were a weak group.
But instead, the Giants responded and took control of the game en route to a 29-20 upset victory in one of the toughest NFL environments.
Two weeks ago, Gray's fumble on the opening kickoff in Cleveland led to a Browns touchdown that gave them a 7-0 lead with just 11 seconds to play, but the Giants could have been doomed.
But that wasn't the case. The Giants won the game 21-15.
There are reasons for that, and one of them is Daboll and the mental strength he helped develop in his players.
“When you have a coach who preaches one thing and you have players who believe in it and buy into it, it affects the whole team,” Giants guard Greg Van Roten told the Post on Friday. “There were games where we could have turned things around but we didn’t. From the beginning of the season, [Daboll] He preaches a lot about attitude, being positive, and picking up guys. ”
Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial called Daboll “a great leader for our team and a great leader for our coaches.”
“He empowers you as a coach,” Ghobrial said. It comes a week after Daboll hailed a plan to prevent Seattle from making a field goal to seal the victory.
Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen, who, like Gobrial, is in his first year on Daboll's staff, said Daboll's strength is “being able to stay calm because it's a tough league.” Things don't always turn out roses.
“We know there is adversity in every game, like last week. [in Seattle]We sit on the bench and go to our companions. [saying]“I've been here before. cleveland. We were there two weeks ago. “He does a good job of building determination within the team, within the guys.
“That's the culture. The players are playing with confidence and are getting to the point where they can overcome some things.”
If the Giants can defeat the talented Bengals on Sunday night, they'll fall to 3-3, but with the NFC East race in full swing, it's highly unlikely they'll be in the conversation this season. It wasn't.
