The assistant did something to displease the boss. The boss laid into the subordinate for all to see, caught on one of those omnipresent television cameras that seem to pick up every smile, frown, bead of sweat and nook and cranny of anyone and everyone stalking the sideline.
This happened Friday night in Detroit, involving Brian Daboll and Thomas McGaughey, the Giants’ special teams coordinator, with Daboll, red-faced, shooting one heckuva a glare at McGaughey after the Lions took a punt back 95 yards for a touchdown.
The glare is not irrelevant just because Daboll a day later declared it a “non-issue,’’ but anyone making too much — or much at all, really — of any of this is digging where there is not anything of great import to be uncovered.
Daboll is emotional. And emotive. He blows up in practice for the smallest things — a bad quarterback-center exchange, a jump offsides — because he knows the littlest details can mess up the biggest plans. Heck, we all saw it in his very first game as the head coach. The Giants were trailing 20-13 at the Titans and Daniel Jones came up painfully short on a back-shoulder pass to Saquon Barkley in the end zone, an errant throw that turned into an easy interception for Amani Hooker. When Jones took a seat on the bench there was no escaping the ire of the new boss man. Daboll ripped off his headset and lit into Jones, who remained seated, Daboll shaking his head in disgust as his quarterback took the verbal barrage.
Not long after that, Daboll clutched a pendant he wore around his neck that contain ashes of his maternal grandmother as the Titans lined up, and missed, a potential game-winning field goal, and Daboll, in tears, pointed up to the sky when the Giants’ 21-20 victory was secure.
Emotional. Emotive.
There was an eruption in Week 10 during what became a 24-16 victory over the Texans. Offensive lineman Jack Anderson was called for a false start as Daboll wanted to roll the dice and go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Houston 36-yard line. The 5-yard penalty forced Daboll to switch to a punt and he went ballistic, screaming at Anderson, wildly pumping his right arm in the air for emphasis.
A day later, Daboll admitted there are times he sees his reactions and wishes he kept his cool a bit better.
“I wear my emotions on my sleeve,” Daboll said. “At that particular time I just — not happy, and whatever I say, I say. And then I think I apologize later.”
Daboll has been on the other end of this. Lest we forget, 2022 was the first time, ever, he ran his own team as the man in charge. He spent 24 years working his way up the coaching ranks needing to please the head man.
It was New Year’s Day 2018 and Alabama was on its way to a 24-6 Sugar Bowl victory over Clemson in a national semifinal with Daboll as the offensive coordinator for legend Nick Saban.
This was the fourth quarter and Saban, hands on hips and in a slow burn, aggressively walked over to Daboll, who was wearing a headset and holding his play sheets. Saban got directly in Daboll’s face, pumping his right arm as he barked with fury. Daboll looked directly at Saban and had a quick response. That did not get it all out of Saban’s system. He walked away, then pivoted back and got in another shot at Daboll.
The sin committed by Daboll? He called a couple of pass plays when Saban thought Daboll should be more conscious of clock management.
“I guess I was being a bit of a fan,’’ Saban said at the time. “The fans always, if it works it’s a good play and if it doesn’t work it’s a bad play.’’
Daboll back then knew what he was getting into in his one year with Saban, saying after that game, “Anything that happens on the sideline or in practice, you’re in a competitive business, you’ve got a short memory, you move on. It’s really not a big deal.’’
Daboll needs to be surrounded by those who can take what he gives out. This brings us to the events inside Ford Field the other night in the Giants’ 21-16 preseason-opening loss. Daboll was not happy that the Giants had only 10 men on the field early in the third quarter while putting their punt coverage team in the game. They were called for a delay of game and on the next play Maurice Alexander returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown.
“The glare’’ then descended upon McGaughey.
“Non-issue,’’ Daboll said a day later. “I’m a competitive guy, we’re all competitive, we’re in a competitive environment. I hold everybody, not just T-Mac, myself, and everybody else, to a high standard. Love T-Mac.’’
Daboll at 48 is not new-age in his coaching mantras but he is serious about his role as a relationship-builder. Those who play for and coach alongside him understand he can run hot. He won the NFL’s Coach of the Year award by letting out what is inside him. He is not going to start holding it in now.
