In case you missed it, the New York Giants fired Brian Daboll yesterday. Amid a 2-8 season, owner Jon Mara said enough is enough and cut ties with his former Coach of the Year winner. It was a shocking move given the timing, and both Jason and Travis Kelce were taken aback by it, like many others.
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New York did show some promise early on this year before fizzling out. After beating the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football, 34-17, vibes were high. Rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart was providing excitement, while rookie running back Cam Skattebo was bringing the energy. And on paper, the defensive front was always menacing.
But after a catastrophic meltdown against the Denver Broncos, where the Giants allowed 33 fourth-quarter points, everything changed. New York was winning the game 19-0 entering the fourth and even led 26-8 with 5:15 left to play. But they allowed a miraculous comeback that saw them lose 32-33.
After blowing another double-digit fourth-quarter lead this past Sunday against the Chicago Bears, the Giants decided to fire Daboll. And Jason Kelce believes it wasn’t all his fault, but that it was a fair firing regardless.
“It’s not all Brian Daboll’s fault, it never is,” Jason said on New Heights. “But when you’re the head coach, you’re the one ultimately responsible.”
Sure, it wasn’t all Daboll’s fault. He did what he could with what he was given. But at times, he severely mismanaged games. This past week, for instance, he decided to kick a field goal on the 1-yard line while already up seven points. The Bears ended up scoring two TDs down the stretch and won 24-20.
However, one could argue that the Giants’ GM, Joe Schoen, should also get the boot along with Daboll. After all, he’s had some pretty major gaffes in recent years, gaffes that Jason made sure to list.
“Somehow, the general manager is abstaining from responsibility over this whole thing to date. Wink Martindale, the defensive coordinator, they moved on from him a couple of seasons ago. They moved on from Saquon Barkley, famously, last season. They moved on from Daniel Jones,” Jason listed. “And all three of these guys have had success at their next stops.”
Regardless of the outcome, Schoen has retained his job, and we’re now entering the Mike Kafka era. Although other names like Jon Gruden have been tied to the job opening as well. But we’ll have to wait and see how Kafka does first.
The Kelce brothers even took the time to talk a bit about Kafka. Coincidentally, both Travis and Jason have gotten the opportunity to be coached by or play with the former NFL QB.
“He’s got some hardware from his time in KC, won one Super Bowl there, and he’s been in New York the past few years since Brian Daboll got there,” Jason explained. “Now, the interim head coach. Can’t wait to see what Kafka can do up there.”
“It’s a tough situation for our guy Kafka to come into,” Travis chimed in. “But he is one of the best football knowledge and offensive gurus. When he was in Kansas City, just hearing him talk ball and about how the offense needs to get going, I always was just blown away by it.”
It sounds like New York has itself a solid interim coach who should be able to turn things around down the stretch. We’ve seen teams get a morale “bump” after firing their coaches in the past, although the Tennessee Titans are still looking for their first win since letting go of Brian Callahan after Week 6.
Notably, Jameis Winston will be the one starting his first game of the season with Dart out. The veteran QB has shown the ability to deliver magical performances in the past, even coming in cold off the bench. Let’s see how he fares in the Big Apple.
