Last week, New York Giants co-owner John Mara suggested that general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll will hold onto their jobs even if the club endures a second-straight losing season.
One wonders if Mara is already having second thoughts about those votes of confidence after he heard some of his players speak following Monday night’s 26-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that dropped the Giants to 2-6 on the campaign.
“The team needs to grow up,” pass-rusher Brian Burns said about the Giants, as Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com shared.
Star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence added that the Giants “have to show more passion as a team — or as leaders.”
Giants fans couldn’t be blamed for thinking Monday night was the unofficial beginning of the end of the current Big Blue regime. As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post noted, Daboll benched cornerback and 2023 first-round draft pick Deonte Banks in the second quarter of the Pittsburgh game after Banks’ effort during contests was questioned multiple times earlier this season. According to Dan Salomone of the Giants’ website, New York committed 11 penalties for 65 yards at Acrisure Stadium.
After the Giants recorded their first touchdown in 24 drives, they executed what may go down as the worst two-point conversion attempt of the campaign. Needless to say, a coaching staff is more often than not shown the door when its team produces losses coupled with embarrassing moments.
“I’m a passionate dude, and I put a lot into this game,” Lawrence said about calling teammates out on the sideline during the defeat in Pittsburgh. “I expect a lot to come back — and for my teammates also to give a lot to the game. I think I’m a little frustrated because we’re a good team and we keep beating ourselves every week. We can’t have that — and I addressed it.”
Slater mentioned last week how Mara has a history of quickly changing his mind about keeping coaches and/or front-office executives employed. Fans may want to expect more of the same from Mara if things go from bad to worse before Week 18.
“To me, it doesn’t come down to effort. I feel like guys play hard,” Burns insisted. “I think it just comes down to details and being super detailed in your job.”
Daboll will try to have his players better focused on certain details ahead of this coming Sunday’s home game against the 6-2 Washington Commanders. As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Giants as 3.5-point underdogs for that matchup.
