The New York Giants' runaway train of a season has found itself barreling toward consequences.
New York won its third game of the season in Week 17, a win that's biggest impact could come in April. The win snapped a 10-game losing streak that defined the season and potentially sealed head coach Brian Daboll's fate.
He'll have one last audition on Sunday, when the Giants travel to take on the Philadelphia Eagles' JV squad. As things stand, New York remains undecided, perhaps putting an outsized (and poorly weighted) impact on Week 18's proceedings.
The Athletic's recent reporting suggests that the Giants are leaning towards breaking up the marriage between Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen.
"As for the Giants and Patriots, it's all been very weird, to say the least," Dianna Russini reported. "Inside those buildings, it seems like most people believe they'll get more time - specifically the head coaches. But from the outside looking in, there's a sense from those around the league that moves are coming for both franchises. The chatter continues to be that Joe Schoen will remain the Giants' general manager while Brian Daboll will be let go. Owner John Mara is expected to make the final call very soon."
Frankly, that's a decision that makes little sense – and none at all after Mara's public comments about continuity. Too many times, the Giants have taken half-measures when hoping to redirect the franchise. Firing Daboll while keeping the general manager responsible for a bottom-five roster is asking to limit the pool of potential Schoen replacements, presumably asking them to hitch their wagon to a coach they didn't hire.
A clean reset would mean that the rebuild failed, that Mara swung and missed again. But letting Schoen get extra at bats for the sake of saving face makes is a recipe for disaster, perhaps only delaying the inevitable.
Daboll and Schoen were brought in together. Through three years, they've watched over one playoff appearance and two unmitigated disasters, all without a true franchise quarterback. Their performances – especially with Daboll not losing the locker room – are disentangled. With more talent, Daboll would deliver more wins. With a better coach, Schoen's roster would be perceived more favorably.
It's hard to consider anything a doomsday scenario for New York, but unless the organization hits a home run at head coach, it's awfully hard to buy the Giants as an organization with good-process principles and an encouraging chance at turning things around.
