The truth behind Brian Daboll, Wink Martindale, Mike Kafka and the Giants’ drama

[shadowspinner0]

https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/01/15/the-truth-behind-brian-daboll-wink-martindale-mike-kafka-and-the-giants-drama/

Here's an exert from the article

[EDjohnst1981]

Can someone post the full article. I cannot access the NYDN news in Europe.

[uconnjack8]

So is this a Par Leonard clickbait article or the truth?

If it's true, it's not good.

[DaveBrown74]

If it's true, it's definitely not good. I have no idea if it's true or exactly true though. Much of the time you only get partially true versions with this stuff, or you read things that are out of context etc.

Still, none of it sounds great. Guy seems like a hothead who speaks to other adults in ways that he shouldn't.

[BluesCruz]

This is more than concerning

Meanwhile Belichick, Vrabel, Caroll, Harbaugh are all out there a phone call away

very concerning.

[MightyGiants]

I had previously posted the Giants' side of the story via Giants Insider.  This appears to be Wink's side of the story, as there was nothing in the story that put Wink in a negative light (it sure puts Daboll in a damning light).


It's behind a weak paywall.  If you don't subscribe click the link and when the story pops up hit the stop loading button on your browser, that should stop the paywall from appearing and you can read the full article (as I did)


https://www.nydailynews.com/2024/01/15/the-truth-behind-brian-daboll-wink-martindale-mike-kafka-and-the-giants-drama/

Some of the claims in the article

-  That Joe Schoen spent about four games this season listening on the headsets because of complaints about Daboll's finger pointing during games. 

"You're gonna lose this game just like you lost us the Jets game," Daboll griped on the headset, according to numerous sources in the building.

Daboll was blaming the defense for the Giants' infamous 13-10 overtime loss to the Jets on Oct. 29, in which the offense had thrown for -9 yards and Daboll's late-game mismanagement had opened the door to a full-scale, team-wide meltdown.

Daboll's divisive finger-pointing wasn't out of the ordinary. That's one of the reasons why, sources say, Giants GM Joe Schoen had begun listening in on the coaches' headsets on game days that week in Washington — although the GM also was taking a step that both the Texans' Nick Caserio and the Cowboys' Will McClay have done to gain a better understanding of the game day operation.

- coaches complained about Daboll's lack of composure

-  Supposedly things are so bad at the Giants one staffer advised and assistant coach "not to come here"

-Daboll took playcalling away from Kafka multiple times, according to sources, and gave it back each time. He gave it to QB coach Shea Tierney for the second half at Dallas in Week 10, per sources.

Daboll receives advice on his headset in those moments from an analytics and game management team. But one source called that collaboration a "broken process," saying it's not thorough or advanced. And regardless of what is discussed during the week, Daboll's game day decisions become up-for-grabs, impulse calls without guardrails.

"It's like, 'Wait, what did we have that meeting for?" the source said. "There's a lot of inconsistency or doing the direct opposite of what we had talked about. The rest of the league is too far ahead, and you see it affecting the results of games."

When the offense struggled to start camp, Daboll allowed a perception to grow that he had tipped off the defense to play calls in order to create a challenge for Jones.

But the reality, according to sources, was that Martindale's pressure packages were giving the offense fits. So Daboll told Martindale he was putting a limit on his blitzes for the rest of camp.

That set the tone for an offense vs. defense coaching culture that did not go in the offense's favor, especially this season.

More at the link (use the trick I mentioned)

[sooners56]

Sounds like the Giants need a new coach! I'd be ok with starting over at GM and coach. Daboll is a bad leader and Schoen can't draft

[Ed Vette]

Can someone post the full article. I cannot access the NYDN news in Europe.

Yes full article please.

[MightyGiants]

Yes full article please.

I sent you the article.  If you click the link, you need to hit the stop button right after the article appears.  Otherwise, the paywall will pop up to block you. 

Anyone struggling to get it, PM me

[londonblue]

Truth and Leonard are strangers to each other but there are enough different perspectives out there for us to conclude Daboll has to change and Schoen has to help him change...or eventually fire him.

[spiderblue43]

Bad vibes here. Some of it (Daboll's temper) was obvious. Adversity is known to reveal character. He looked so angry at his pressers; his head was ready to explode.

Players have to have "controlled rage" but stay within team boundaries. Is this a fatal flaw with Daboll?

[MightyGiants]

Truth and Leonard are strangers to each other but there are enough different perspectives out there for us to conclude Daboll has to change and Schoen has to help him change...or eventually fire him.

As I mentioned, considering there was nothing unflattering about Wink, this was Wink's side of the story.  We had Daboll's/the Giant's side with the Giant's insider podcast report.  I think Raanan was just doing more traditional reporting using his own sources.


I agree that Daboll needs to re-evaluate and change the way he does things (ala Coughlin), or it will not end well for him or for the team.  You can't expect to manage others if you can't manage yourself.

[katkavage]

True. False. Or something in the middle? Either way, it just adds more heat to the hot seat Daboll will be occupying next season.

[uconnjack8]

If Daboll is really pointing fingers for losses on the radio headset during games, he is not the right guy for the job.

That kind of stuff is about as bad as you can do as a leader.  Again, if.

[Gman329]

Wow! This reads like a true account, coming from many leaks inside the building - and not just Wink. There is a Daboll quote, horrible if true, that is too specific to be made up. It's also in line with a bunch of other accounts with the same story - Daboll's lack of emotional maturity and tendancy to lash out in tight moments. 

Now that all this toothpaste is out of the tube, how does Daboll come back from this? Does he make some private apologies and vow to do better?  What he's doing is simply not sustainable going forward. 

I also wonder of the Giants know they have a problem and are leaking this stuff around, greasing the skids for Daboll's exit.