Brian Daboll wins Coach of the Year for stunning Giants turnaround

PHOENIX — When a team that most everyone expects will be bad turns out to be pretty darn good, there is plenty of credit to go around. In the case of the Giants, the majority of the credit gets directed at Brian Daboll, the first-year head coach.

He took a roster and molded it into a team. Not close to the most talented roster and not close to the most talented team but cohesive and prepared and ready to play most every week. There is no doubt the Giants were a well-coached group and the person who orchestrated it all Thursday night was deservedly recognized for his handiwork when Daboll was named the 2022 NFL Associated Press Coach of the Year during the NFL Honors ceremony.

Daboll, 47, as one of the three finalists, along with Doug Pederson of the Jaguars and Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers flew out here with his wife and two of his children.

When first-year general manager Joe Schoen was asked to characterize the 2022 Giants, he said, “Maybe we weren’t the most talented, but we did have a good team. Guys cared about each other. The culture was good, and the process we had in place – I think the dividends showed on Sundays.’’

This speaks directly to how Daboll was able to get more from less after inheriting a team that went 4-13 in 2021. The Giants started out hot, winning six of their first seven games, slid midway through the season and finished 9-7-1 to make the playoffs for the first time since 2016. They even won a playoff game, beating the Vikings 30-24 in Minneapolis, before getting crushed by the Eagles 38-7 in Philadelphia.

Previously, Daboll was named the Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association of America and was named the NFC Coach of the Year by 101 Awards. The AP award is considered the official Coach of the Year award. Daboll is the fifth Giants coach to win the award, joining Allie Sherman (who won it in 1961 and 1962), Bill Parcells (1986), Dan Reeves (1993) and Jim Fassel (1997).

Daboll became the fifth coach in the modern era of Giants history to lead the team to the playoffs in his first season, joining Sherman (1961), Reeves (1993), Fassel (1997) and Ben McAdoo (2016).

Daboll filled many different roles in his previous 21 years as an NFL assistant but mostly worked on the offensive side of the ball. His acumen in that area showed, as the Giants, devoid of weapons in the passing game because of injury and lack of productivity, were fourth in the NFL in rushing and set a franchise record by scoring a rushing touchdown in each of the team’s final 15 regular-season games.