A report earlier this week noted that Giants head coach Brian Daboll did not consult his coaching staff or team execs in making a seminal starting quarterback switch from Russell Wilson to first-round rookie Jaxson Dart. It would be easy to read that report and infer some sort of disconnect between Daboll and his fellow coaches and/or team brass, but apparently that is not the case.
As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (subscription required) observes, depth chart configurations are always the HC’s responsibility, and in this instance, neither GM Joe Schoen nor co-owner John Mara offered any dissent to Daboll’s decision. Nor did they force the move, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required).
According to Russini, some objections to the change were raised, but she does not specify who made those objections. And now, she says, the entire organization is backing the head coach and his young signal-caller, though Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, who believes Daboll has summoned Dart in an effort to save his own job, describes the locker room’s response as “tepid” (while acknowledging the players support Dart personally).
Russini says several players on both sides of the ball, including team captains, contacted Dart as soon as the decision was announced to let him know he has their support. Likewise, third-stringer Jameis Winston has spent hours with Dart and ran through game scripts with him after practice until the rookie mastered them. And although Wilson is reportedly now considered a trade candidate — which Dan Duggan of The Athletic is skeptical of, given Wilson’s 2025 performance and his limited market this offseason — Schwartz says the organization believes Dart will benefit from continuing to be around the 36-year-old passer, who handled his demotion with the type of maturity the team expected.
Interestingly, Russini says the Giants considered naming Dart the starter after their Week 1 loss to the Commanders, and Schwartz says Dart would have started from the jump if New York did not have a veteran option with Wilson’s pedigree on the roster. While Schoen had previously voiced his hope that Wilson would stay in the QB1 role for some time, that was because such a development would have meant Wilson was playing well enough to merit the job.
Of course, Wilson’s performance did not prevent Daboll, whose job security is tenuous at best, from inserting the player he pushed for in the draft into the starting lineup. Despite a gaudy stat line in a Week 2 loss to the Cowboys – which was aided in large part by Dallas’ porous secondary – Schwartz says Wilson’s inability to consistently find the endzone was one of the triggers for his benching, along with the team’s belief that he was too quick to scramble instead of going through his progressions when he felt pressure.
Schwartz adds that a fourth quarter sequence at the end of Big Blue’s Week 3 loss to the Chiefs may have been Wilson’s final straw. In a first-and-goal situation at Kansas City’s 4-yard line, Wilson was flagged for intentional grounding on first down, ran for four yards on second down, and made non-competitive throws on third and fourth down.
Regardless of the impetus for the decision, Dart is now tasked with saving the Giants’ season and, perhaps, the New York futures of Daboll and Schoen. Even if he cannot do that — indeed, Leonard believes Daboll could be fired if his troops do not play well against the Chargers in Week 4 — he can still cement his status as the team’s long-term option at quarterback.
The smell of desperation to keep one’s job. Kid has a great preseason, but go with the vet to win and save the job. Vet doesn’t come through? Go back to the kid who was hot. When a coach has one foot out the door, decisions may not always be in the teams best interest, though I agree with this one. It was not going with him from the start that I’d question.
The latest episode of “As the Stomach Turns”
…”describes the locker room’s response as “tepid”.
The Giants players know they are riding on the Titanic so what other response should we expect? I think most every other HC would take a flyer on Dart to save their job too. What is Wilson going to teach this kid other than how to survive being sacked over 500 times?
I wouldn’t read anything into that. It smacks of the NY media grinding an axe. I don’t know how a reporter for the Daily News would even determine that the locker room is “tepid” but that they support Dart. They’re 0-3. They’re not doing cartwheels.
That’s probably what he was referring to, I’d guess. Nothing against Dart, the players probably just feel adrift given what’s happened. Daboll probably knows that, on his end. He’s probably hoping that Dart can inspire the team as much as he is hoping that he can win some games. If the situation were more stable, Winston probably would start, I’d guess.
I’d still personally rather see Winston-it just feels like that was why you signed him, and I worry about Dart in this situation. But I think I know why he’s doing it. Dart potentially gets you somewhere, but it’s irresponsible to throw him in now in my mind. In Dart’s case, you also have a player who played in a VERY different offense than most pro teams run, even with Daboll’s experience with a lot of college friendly concepts and RPO stuff.
Stay of execution. Nothing more.
On field talent can only mitigate bonehead play calling so much and for so long
What helped the Giants beat the Chargers? 340-pound Dexter Lawrence grabbing a tipped pass, rumbling toward the end zone, nearly getting a pick-6.
The only bonehead thing was Daboll using a no-huddle offense early in the game when the Giants should’ve let Dart settle down.
In this game … maybe.
Stupid decisions are only a play away with Daboll. Not kicking the FG in the final minutes is one of them.
I’m kinda surprised because I’ve read your posts and usually you point out how the Akers get trolled while the Giants go unscathed
*Jets not Akers
“According to Russini, some objections to the change were raised, but she does not specify who made those objections.”
Maybe she forgot how to spell Russell Wilson.
Why would anyone object to playing Dart, unless someone is aiming to get Daboll fired? I can understand why he would be secretive about his intentions, he’s fighting for his job and grabbing at anything he can to keep afloat.
Dart saved Daboll and Schoen atleast for this week. The big test is when the giants face the Eagles.