It wasn’t a good day to be calling plays for the Giants.
In addressing his decision to keep general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll, owner John Mara seemed to hint that changes could be coming to the Giants’ game-day operation.
Daboll took over play-calling from offensive coordinator Mike Kafka before the season and oversaw a unit that finished ranked No. 31 in scoring (16.1 points per game), No. 28 in passing (189.9 yards per game) and No. 23 in rushing (104.9 yards per game). Their Expected Points Added Per Play (-0.88) was No. 28.
“I talked to him about, ‘Do you really believe that it’s in our best interest for you to continue calling the plays?’” Mara said. “I said, ‘I’m not going to demand that you do one thing or the other. But are you better off letting somebody else call the plays?’ That’s a discussion that we’re going to continue to have.
“But at the end of the day, he’s got to make the decision on whether he does that, on whether he wants to make replacements in the staff.”
It would be rare for a head coach to get to hire three defensive coordinators in four seasons, but that would be the case if the Giants move on from defensive coordinator Shane Bowen.
A behind-the-scenes blow-up between Daboll and Wink Martindale led to Martindale’s exit after last season.
Bowen was not the Giants’ first choice as a replacement but Daboll could not lure Bobby Babich from the Bills or convince Dennard Wilson to come to the Giants over the Titans.
The Giants were statistically better across the board on defense than offense.
“Quite frankly, I didn’t think our defense played very well this year at all,” Mara said. “I know that when you have an offense that performs like that, you’re putting more pressure on your defense. But we need to make improvements there. I’m tired of watching teams go up and down the field on us. So, I think that has to be addressed.”
Bowen is closely tied to Mike Vrabel — one of the hottest names available in the coaching carousel.
