Safety Xavier McKinney suggested on Monday that the Giants were in danger of the season going “sideways.” Daboll, the reigning Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year, maintains that hard work is the only prescription for Big Blue’s current sickness.
“I mean, my thinking is come back ready to work tomorrow and talk about the things we need to improve and go out there and improve and ultimately play better on Sunday,” Daboll said when asked about McKinney’s comments.
It is the offense’s need to play better that has been at issue more than anything. In the Giants’ three losses, they’re averaging five points per game. New York is dead last in the NFL in points scored (46) and 31st in yards (1,366).
Jones, particularly after signing a $40 million per-year extension, is the face of the Giants’ tribulations, even if he was running for his life on Monday. He was sacked 10 times and threw two interceptions, but was also the team-high rusher with 66 yards and accounted for 269 of New York’s 315 yards gained.
Daboll maintains that he and his quarterback are on the same page and though these aren’t the greatest of times in Gotham, they’re working together toward improvement.
“Again, things aren’t going great,” the head coach said. “Again, I’m not exactly sure what the cameras did or did not show, but Daniel is a coachable guy. I like working with Daniel and we’ve got some things we’ve got to do better.”
Progress is a must if the Giants are to salvage their season. The stats and a 1-3 start don’t lie.
At the end of Monday night, there were more tablets thrown than touchdowns, 1-0.
“Again, the tablet thing, I’d have to go back and see it,” Daboll said. “But again, I remember exactly what it is. We were talking about a particular play, and I just tossed it off to the side.”
More than likely the “tablet thing” will get tossed to the side in the coming days, but the losing thing will not until the 2023 Giants begin to resemble the 2022 club that made the playoffs.