Brian Daboll delivers long-awaited hope as Giants reward his faith

There is hope. You can feel it. You can taste it. It’s not an illusion, not after this. The Giants have wandered so long in the wilderness, and their fans have waited for signs — no matter how small — of better times ahead. Well, better times are ahead. 

And for a week, anyway, better times are here. 

As Randy Bullock’s 47-yard field goal wandered to the left, securing this 21-20 win for the Giants over the Titans at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, it was Brian Daboll whose smile could have fueled the airplane home. As well it should have. For it was Daboll who made a bold, brave choice in his first official day on the job. And was rewarded for it. A hundred fold. 

Before the last drive, trailing 20-13, Daboll gathered his offense around him. He had a message for them. 

“If we score,” Daboll said. “We’re going to go for two. You good with that?” 

His players’ message was immediate. 

“Eff yeah,” they replied. 

They scored. Daboll lifted two fingers. There wasn’t a soul among the 67,805 inside the stadium, or the thousands of Giants fans back home watching on TV, who didn’t immediately understand what Brian Daboll is all about in that moment. 

“We’re going to go for the win,” he would say later. 

They won, all right, and so they start a season 1-0 for the first time since 2016, and they showed a toughness that the pretenders wearing Giants uniforms haven’t much shown in years. They were on the verge of getting blown out and instead delivered one of the most satisfying victories in recent memory. 

Later, his players would give Daboll the game ball. He was uncomfortable with that. 

But damned if he didn’t deserve it. 

“Our coach told us: he’s going to coach us and sometimes put is in situations most coaches wouldn’t,” wide receiver Sterling Shepard said. “That’s what our mindset was the whole way. He’s not going to coach scared. He’s going to coach with his foot on the pedal.” 

For a while, there was a genuine Groundhog Day feel to this one, as the Titans eased to a 13-0 lead at the half that felt like 30-0, that in truth maybe should have been 30-0. But the Giants were still hanging around by the time Daboll was able to give them a talking-to at the break. And then, suddenly … 

BAM! Saquon Barkley, 2018 edition, showed up, reeling off a 68-yard run. A few moments later it was 13-6. 

WHAM! Daniel Jones connected with Shepard on a 65-yard scoring play. 

But there was more. There was a stout unwillingness to fold once the Titans came back and took a 20-13 lead. There was a stubborn refusal to allow a terrible interception by Jones in the Tennessee end zone to put a dent in their day. 

And then, after another long Barkley run and another short Jones TD pass, this one to Chris Myarick, came Daboll’s Defiant Decision: he was going to go for two. He was going to go for the win (or at least for the lead). He wasn’t going to allow the whims of the final 66 seconds of regulation, or of overtime, to play into this. 

He had faith in his team. And his team paid him back in full. And you could see the surge of confidence even before Barkley cashed the two-pointer. Daboll couldn’t have won his locker room over faster if he’d promised them all million-dollar raises. 

“We’re going to be aggressive,” Daboll said later. “We want our players to have that mindset, too. If we don’t make it? I can live with it.” 

Now, look, there have been a lot of lousy football teams who began their seasons 1-0. There have been a lot of forgotten and forgettable football coaches who have begun their careers 1-0. Even after such a brilliant win, Daboll low-keyed his press conference. He doesn’t want games like this to be outliers. He wants them to be the norm. 

And for the first time in a long time … it’s possible to truly believe they will be. 

“We’re trying to build something,” Daboll said. “We’re a long way away but it’s good to get that first W.” 

He did his part. He kept them believing then gave them a vote of confidence, and still had faith even as Bullock lined up for the 47-yarder that in so many seasons past would’ve undoubtedly split the uprights. By then Daboll had no big ideas. 

“I was hoping the SOB would miss it,” he said. 

He missed it. The Giants won. They are 1-0, and Brian Daboll is 1-0, and suddenly there are possibilities aplenty at 1925 Giants Drive. At the least, there is hope.