Giants’ Brian Daboll defends team’s curiously conservative play-calling
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The New York Giants haven’t scored more than 27 points or less than 13 points in a game all year. To say their offense isn’t dynamic is an understatement.
On Sunday, they scored their season average — 20 points — against the Washington Commanders in a game that ended in a tie. The Giants’ play-calling is starting to come under scrutiny with many labeling it too conservative.
At the end of the first half with the Giants down, 13-10, Big Blue had a third-and-1 at the Washington 11 yard-line with 19 seconds renaming. Plenty of time to take a shot into the end zone. Instead, quarterback Daniel Jones ended up taking the ball for a two-yard run, gaining the first down then hustling the team up for a spike to stop the clock with six seconds on the clock.
Graham Gano then kicked a 27-yard field goal to tie the score at 13 at the half.
After the game, Giants head coach Brian Daboll was asked why he didn’t take that shot at a touchdown.
“Was it a first down or not? We called the play that we thought that might hit it,” Daboll explained. “Obviously, didn’t get it and ended up with three points. Obviously, we want seven. But I thought Kafka handled that drive going down the field good.”
He was asked again if the team was looking to take a shot on third-and-1.
“We had one, but we threw an underneath play because they took it away with the coverage that we got. We had Saquon (Barkley) down the sideline on a wheel route. Another seven route. But Daniel made a good decision on it,” the coach said.
Daboll didn’t quite answer the question. Perhaps he was referring to the second down play, an eight-yard completion over the middle to Matt Breida.
Later in the interview, Daboll was pressed again about the third-and-1.
“He (offensive coordinator Mike Kafka) called one that we thought was going to hit. We definitely could’ve done that. But we didn’t,” he said.
Asked if he could overrule play calls, Daboll said that he could.
“Yeah, I can overrule it. Every decision that’s made, you can put on me,” he said. “I thought it was fine. I think he had a good feel for what he was doing. But every decision that is made, regardless of what it is, is on me.”
Daboll is not about to contradict his coaches in front of the media, especially without addressing the situation with them first.
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