A lot is happening in Giants land right now. Just days after their crushing defeat to the Chicago Bears in a snowy Soldier Field, the team relieved Brian Daboll of his duties as head coach. Mike Kafka was named the interim head coach and Jameis Winston was named the starting QB for the game against Green Bay.
Daboll’s tenure with the Giants came to an unfortunate end as the Bears overcame a 10 point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat them and send them to a 2-8 record. This brought Daboll’s all time record with the Giants to 20-40-1 in 61 games. Enough was enough. It was time for Mara and Tisch to cut the leash and let him walk. I would say it was a shocking move, but we all saw it coming.
The real shock to me was that Shane Bowen was not sent packing with him too. He will continue to “lead” the defense for now as they will surely not blow any more leads, right? This man is a primary reason for a potential 5-5, or maybe even a 6-4 start, being a 2-8 one. The defense has been carved up each week and continues to be extremely lax in moments where leads must be protected. The lack of aggression is appalling and frankly unwatchable.
Jaxson Dart has been everything he was promised to me and Daboll still could not parlay that success into some job retention. I am sure his recent usage led to his concussion in Chicago and you could easily make a case for Daboll recklessly using him to get big yards and scores with no regard for his health.
I understand that last point could be weird. Two things can be true at the same time, though. On one hand, Dart has been perfect. He is making all the big throws and his receivers inconsistent production has left a significant amount of counting stats off his ledger. This has not slowed him down slightly and it has even further proven that he is the only real playmaker on this team that can make crucial conversions on 3rd and 4th downs or score in the red zone (especially with Nabers and Skattebo on the shelf). On the other hand, just because he is the only reliable playmaker, this does not mean that he should be running as much as he was. His concussion felt inevitable since he had taken multiple trips to the blue tent in previous weeks.
Dart is gritty and aggressive, so that can not be stripped of him, but good coaches would find better ways for him to use his physicality and agility properly and protect him from injury. The original “case” I said you could make would mostly be centered around Daboll pushing for more of these plays as a way to save his own job. If you have a stud playmaker like this, you might as well use him as much as possible to try and win games, right? Yes and no. Like I said, it was reckless to let this kid throw his body around at the rate he was doing it.
He is a super strong player and I hope he learns from this concussion that sometimes the extra yard is not worth it. He pushed hard for the extra yards to get that first down and he ended up getting hurt and fumbling the ball in Bears territory at a pivotal moment of the game. He got himself hurt and the shell of Russell Wilson came on to finish the job and blow the game. Maybe the next coach of this team will truly help him stay safe. There are plenty of examples for him to look at, like Josh Allen or even like a younger Aaron Rodgers. These guys use/used their legs to make plays all the time and stayed healthy doing it. I am hoping that Kafka, for the remainder of this season, and whoever is in charge for the future take this into account and prioritize it.
But that is enough of my weekly Dart content for now. It is time for something very special.
It is JAMEIS time in Metlife Stadium. Winston is expected to make his first appearance and start of the season today against the Packers and the fan base is feeling a bit of a buzz for it right now. With Dart sidelined, we are saved from another Russell Wilson start (I apologize again for celebrating this acquisition several months ago) and are instead rewarded with an appearance from the most electric man in professional sports.
This man could throw for 400+ yards and 3+ touchdowns or conversely end up with less than 100 yards and 3+ interceptions. He is a gunslinger who does not shy away from any risks and is not afraid to attack any team in his way. The results may vary, but one thing remains consistent with him. He is always going to be a great leader and motivator for his squad.
He is famous for his pregame speeches (we all remember and love the “Eat the W” speech in New Orleans). He is always going to care about winning the game and bettering his team. I said from the jump when the team signed him that it was a perfect fit. The locker room needed some juice and some leadership. There is no better option than Jameis Winston when this is the biggest hole a locker room has to fill.
He has been a backup QB for quite some time so we have not really seen much sustained success from him since 2021, but his tenure in Cleveland last year excited fans all over the league. He is just a great person who loves playing football more than anyone else in the league. His love for the game is infectious and it sometimes leads to monster performances. We just gotta hope that it happens for the G-Men this week in an eerie matchup against a beatable but also solid Packers unit.
Jameis will be coached by Mike Kafka in his first game as interim head coach and one could assume he is going to be taking this very seriously as it is a tryout for what will be a very coveted coaching position come this offseason. Bowen will continue to be trash, but Kafka could potentially be extra aggressive in his first game and with a proven free-throwing QB at the helm. The Giants are 2-8 and do not have much at stake right now, so offensive aggression could be the name of the game for both teams today. The Packers defense can be rather hard to rack points up against, but I am just simply hoping for some exciting football to watch on another glorious fall Sunday.
Lets see what Kafka has up his sleeve. Let’s see if Bowen changes anything on his end. Most importantly, lets see what Jameis is capable of in the year 2025 with not many weapons and against a legitimate playoff contender.
Lets Go Big Blue!