Why are Brian Daboll's Giants ...

New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney knew something was different early in Brian Daboll’s tenure as head coach. Soon after new general manager Joe Schoen hired Daboll, McKinney and the rest of the Giants' veteran leaders met to discuss what changes they’d like to see around the team. The players took their suggestions to Daboll and the rest of his staff and were surprised with the reception they received. “They were all in on it,” McKinney told Yahoo Sports. “Coach Dabes wanted to do what was best for us. And he wanted us to be able to tell him whatever it was that we needed, he wanted to make sure that he provided it for us. “So once that happened, everything was super smooth. We kind of knew from the jump: All right, we know what type of guy he is that made us have a lot of trust in him.” There appeared to be quite a mess to clean up after the departures of former general manager Dave Gettleman and former head coach Joe Judge, but the bond between Daboll and his new team quickly translated to wins. The Giants currently hold one of the best records in the NFL at 6-1 and trail only the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East. Fourth-year quarterback Daniel Jones is completing almost 68 percent of his passes and is on pace for a career season. Saquon Barkley ranks second in the league in rushing. The defense ranks sixth in points allowed. Even sideshow distractions, like big-money wide receiver Kenny Golladay voicing frustrations and the sporadic availability of 2021 first-round pick Kadarius Toney (who was traded Thursday to the Kansas City Chiefs), haven't derailed the Giants thus far under Daboll.

“He just makes it fun, man,” McKinney said. “I can't even really explain how enjoyable it has been compared to the last two years that I was here. It’s just been a huge turnaround.”

Brian Daboll has built genuine relationships with Giants

Daboll’s offensive prowess, having spent 11 seasons on Bill Belichick's staff in New England and 2018-2021 as coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, played a big role in his rise up the coaching ranks and his recent success. His humanity is another aspect of how he galvanized the Giants. As soon as he joined the team, Daboll made it a point to try and foster personal connections with players. This included frequent FaceTime calls, Daboll’s preferred method of communication. The players weren’t just numbers. They were people with personalities, families and lives outside of football.“You could tell that building authentic, genuine relationships was important to him,” Jones told Yahoo Sports. “I think that made an impression on a lot of guys and since then he's been that way the whole time. I mean, he's been authentic and he is the same every day.” Daboll did this frequently during his tenure with the Bills, according to former players Patrick DiMarco and Emmanuel Sanders. He’d usually call from a golf course or his swimming pool with a cigar pinned to one corner of his mouth. The conversations would range from game plan ideas to catch-ups to “Say hi to my kids!” “He’s the ultimate player’s coach,” Sanders, who played one year with Daboll in Buffalo, told Yahoo Sports. “He’s as real as they come.” Former Alabama Crimson Tide co-offensive coordinator Mike Locksley noticed something similar when the two worked together in Tuscaloosa under Nick Saban in 2017. Daboll constantly asked the offensive players their opinions on plays — what they liked, how they wanted to line up, where they wanted to be on the field when the ball was thrown, etc. This included a roster chock-full of NFL talent including quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa, running backs Josh Jacobs, Najee Harris and Damien Harris, and wide receivers Calvin Ridley, DeVonta Smith and Jerry Jeudy.