"From Bono to Bozo"

[MightyGiants]

Everyone got a chuckle when John Mara made that comment about his coach-of-the-year employee Brian Daboll.

It was an odd thing to say to his head coach, and it was even odder to share with the public that he said this to his head coach.   Now, after everything that came to light, perhaps there was a method to John Mara's "madness".    I was listening to Randy Mueller on his latest podcast.  As a former GM, he shared his perspective.  He admitted he doesn't have inside information, but he has seen the power, money, and fame of being a head coach change men.  I posted the link to the show below; you can hear about it at the 21:40 mark.   Perhaps that is what has happened, and it's what John Mara was seeing, and his remarks were intended to try and guide Brian back to the better path.


https://theathletic.com/podcast/211-the-athletic-football-show/?episode=913

Randy went on to say that Daboll's strength is his abilities as an offensive coach, and that is what he should be leaning into (rather than trying to get involved in all the other areas).  Randy said that the lack of stability and consistency the reports portray of Brian's behavior is not welcome by most NFL employees.  He did say the key is the locker room, and Randy doesn't know how the players view Brian's behavior (although he said some of the public dressing down of players is usually not very well received by players).

Also, here is Jordan's latest podcast on this issue

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7JkbFN0fPFSGczhGmqwaxz?si=443c7fe66dcb4ea9

[Painter]

That it is an issue which has led some to speculate that having been named COTY in his first ever season as an HC has sent Daboll off the rails. Whether it is accurate or not, it surely is a concern. And, of course, it's the sort of thing which in a worst case isn't likely to become obvious before damage has been done. In any event, if indeed there is problem, we are not the ones to solve it. All we can do is to hope for and assume the best future for all concerned.                                

[kartanoman]

Thank you, Rich @MightyGiants , for sharing this podcast and for offering up a point we really haven't isolated on its own merit (i.e. possible "over-blown self-worth" after last season's results and honors).

It's not to suggest that he cannot recover from this past season. Looking back in Giants' history to 1998 and 1999, after Jim Fassel's Giants won the NFC East in 1997, and his election as NFL Coach of the Year, the question marks were certainly out there as far as his coaching performance was concerned. Even in 2000, after the team started off very well, they had that two-game slip against the Lions and Rams where the question marks and pressure started to build up. Fassel took the bull by the horns, in his now-famous Las Vegas-style quote, "I'm putting all my chips to the center of the table. Anyone who wants in can get in; anyone who wants out can get out, OK? This team is going to the playoffs!" The Giants then go into Washington, where they hadn't won since 1995, and proceed to fight, claw and scratch every play. As if the fickle finger of fate finally turned, the (then) Redskins were lining up for a game-winning FG, and wouldn't it be Eddie Murray, the same kicker who had been a Giant killer in the 1990s; e.g., the infamous 1993 regular season climax against the Cowboys where he kicked the winner in OT to give the Pokes a 16-13 triumph and the #1 seed in the playoffs; the 1997 NFC Wild Card game where he kicked the game winning FG in the snow to give the Vikings a come-from-behind 23-22 shocking win and booting the Giants out of the playoffs. But in that November 2000 game, with the Giants leading 9-7, having fought the good and heroic fight, Murray was about to do them in again. His kick from 49 yards was straight, on the way, it was ..... short!!! The Gods who hath given him the magic twice, in the past, were no longer there as the Giants finally took down their rivals and put substance behind their coach's words.

Is such a turn-around possible for Daboll and his new and incumbent coaches? Surely, he is hearing all about it in the press. It took Tom Coughlin's inner circle, which included his immediate family, to get the message through to him that he needed to listen to what was being said about him. Only when his inner circle validated those messages did he finally take the actions, and make the changes needed to unite the team and execute a Giants' season for the ages.

But I don't put all of this on Daboll. This is a Schoen/Daboll owned issue which must be resolved by both of them and, as I've stated before, Mara and Tisch owe it to them to be brutally honest in their evaluation of both of their performances and hold them accountable to the mission statement, strategies/imperatives, goals and objectives they sold the owners when they accepted the job. The learning curve has been taken in its entirety and the bloom is off the rose. It's now time to deliver. With that being said, let's see what they do.

Peace!

[Philosophers]

Maybe it's on us for having too high a set of expectations built on a deteriorating foundation.

Think about it.  99% of the time we are in upper quartile of highest injuries.

We have a QB who didnt take the real leap to stardom.

We had so many questions and uncertainty about the OL yet we thought they'd all come together.

On and on.

[MightyGiants]

https://x.com/carlbanksgiii/status/1749180682226536734?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ


https://x.com/carlbanksgiii/status/1749184403417202714?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

https://x.com/carlbanksgiii/status/1749191185774633069?s=46&t=1vcQIN8GqF5J2oLdxEVEJQ

[TDToomer]

Unpopular take. I think Bono IS a Bozo. I am not a big U2 fan.

[Bob In PA]

I think the coming season is "put-up-or-shut-up " for Daboll (independent of his actual contract situation).

It could depend on whether Schoen believes he has acquired all necessary pieces to complete the puzzle.

Theoretically, Schoen's third draft SHOULD put them in a position to win something, especially considering that the Eagles are aging out, the Cowboys will likely implode, etc.  If so, then (assuming the Giants don't blame Schoen for another dud in 2024) it will be Daboll's neck that's sticking out.

Bob