Members of the New York Giants’ locker room are beginning to voice their frustration after games.
A reporter brought this growing trend up with head coach Brian Daboll on November 4, following the Week 9 loss to the Washington Commanders. “Do you appreciate their passion? Do you understand their frustration? And do you welcome their comments?” The reporter asked.
To which Daboll responded: “Yeah… When you’re not getting the results you want, that’s fine. I would hope everybody is [frustrated]. We put a lot into this… spend a lot of time in the building, work very hard at practice, try and iron out all the details and that’s what you want out of competitors.”
“So, that’s what we’ll continue to do,” the Giants HC went on. “I don’t think anybody should be happy, but I understand from everybody, [the] level of commitment that these guys put into it. Not just the players, the coaches as well.”
Daboll concluded that his team will continue to “give it everything [they’ve] got, each and every week.” He added that every game, there are “a few plays” that a football team can make or not make, calling those moments “huge contributing plays to the results that you’re looking for.”
Dexter Lawrence Hopes to Spark Giants’ Future out of Frustrating Season
Among the players voicing frustration after Week 9 were big names like quarterback Daniel Jones, rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers and star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
The latter had a positive take on this theme during an exclusive interview with the New York Post on October 30, however.
“I’m not frustrated with being here as a player,” Lawrence told the Post. “It’s more just knowing that we can win and we’re not winning. We have to get better at doing the little stuff.”
Instead of turning off his passion as a player and not giving 100% — or worse, requesting a trade — Lawrence made it clear that he would like to be one of the leaders of the Giants’ eventual turnaround.
“I believe in servant leadership,” Lawrence said, “and that’s what I’m going to do until I can’t no more.”
To end the interview, the veteran also encouraged teammates to step up and do the same.
“As competitors, this whole team wants to get it turned around,” he noted. “I don’t think it’s on me individually. It’s on everybody. That’s what’s been expressed in a way.”
When football coaches talk about building a winning culture, they’re talking about players like Lawrence. And sometimes, one key figure can start a movement. Let’s hope the game-wrecking defensive lineman can become that figure for Big Blue.
Trusting in Their Youth, Giants Must ‘Grow up’ Fast in Order to Find Success
The Giants have built one of the younger rosters in the NFL under general manager Joe Schoen and Daboll. The plan — grow and develop these prospects into an eventual contender.
Unfortunately, when dealing with youthful personalities, growing pains occur more often than not.
New Giants star Brian Burns made headlines after Week 8 when he said that this Big Blue team needs to “grow up,” and that’s telling coming from a player who has already witnessed organizational chaos in Carolina. This NYG franchise cannot allow themselves to slip into a similar pattern under this new regime.
Ironically, Burns’ former team is the next opponent on the schedule — and it’s a very winnable matchup on paper.
Guys like Lawrence and Burns will be ready for it, no doubt, but the next generation makes up the bulk of this roster. They need to buy-in if this team is going to begin winning games, and that must start Week 10 in Germany.
