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Giants To Hire Brian Daboll As Head Coach

By | at January 28, 2022 5:20 pm

The league’s third head coaching hire has reportedly been made. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that the Giants are hiring Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their new HC. 

Daboll was thought to be the favorite for the job when he became the first candidate to receive a second interview in New York. That, along with the obvious connection to newly-hired GM Joe Shoen, had many speculating that the position was his to lose.

Of course, the Giants weren’t the only suitor for the 46-year-old’s services. He was named as one of three finalists for the Dolphins’ HC vacancy, and recently considered the favorite in Miami. Rapoport’s colleague, Tom Pelissero, tweets that the Saints also wanted to interview him.

Instead, he will be replacing Joe Judge in an attempt, along with Schoen, to reset the Giants on an organizational level. The two hires prove that the franchise’s stated goal of looking from outside New York to find its next HC and GM has been fulfilled.

Daboll will be tasked first and foremost with improving the Giants’ lackluster offense in what could very well be a make-or-break year for quarterback Daniel Jones. His job developing Josh Allen would certainly represent cause for optimism on that front.

Meanwhile, this news drops the number of remaining candidates set for second interviews with the Dolphins down to two: Mike McDaniel and Kellen Moore, the OCs for the 49ers and Cowboys, respectively.

Here’s a final look at the Giants’ coaching search:

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Vikings To Interview Patrick Graham; Giants DC Gig Still On Table?

By | at January 28, 2022 3:07 pm

Despite the Giants’ late-season nosedive, their defensive coordinator will meet with another team about its top coaching job. The Vikings are set to interview Patrick Graham on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (Twitter link).

Graham has also interviewed with the Giants and remains interested in sticking around as their defensive coordinator, provided someone else lands their HC job. The Giants are also expected to be open to Graham staying on as DC under a new coach, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY notes, adding that ownership will play a role in determining how Big Blue’s next HC proceeds here.

Serving as New York’s defensive play-caller during Joe Judge‘s tenure, Graham improved the unit considerably in 2020. The Giants ranked ninth in scoring defense, after their 2019 unit ranked 30th. But the team regressed this season, falling back to 23rd. DVOA slotted Graham’s second Giants defense 18th, however. The Graham-overseen improvement also caught the Steelers’ attention, with an interview request coming Graham’s way. Pittsburgh is expected to promote Teryl Austin to fill that role, however.

It is not the norm for prior regimes’ coordinators to stick around, and Graham has ties to both of the Giants’ top HC candidates. He was Brian Flores‘ first defensive coordinator in Miami and worked with both Flores and Brian Daboll in New England. Despite Flores letting Graham make a lateral move to New York, Graham said in December the two remain close friends. Nevertheless, ownership insisting on a partnership between the next Giants HC and Graham would be interesting.

Graham, 43, has been on the Vikings’ radar for a bit now. Minnesota’s coaching search figures to pick up steam in the coming days, with GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah now on board. Here is how that search looks:

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Steelers Request Interview With Joe Whitt For DC Position

By | at January 27, 2022 9:08 am

Another name has been added to the list of Steelers targets for their vacant defensive coordinator role. Joe Whitt, the passing game coordinator/secondary coach for the Cowboys, has become the third external candidate for the position, according to Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper. 

The team has recently asked to meet with Kris Richard, the Saints’ defensive back coach, to replace the now-retired Keith Butler. Prior to that, Giants DC Patrick Graham received an interview request from the Steelers as well.

Whitt is generating interest with multiple teams. Both the Seahawks and Ravens have put in requests to meet with the 43-year-old for their respective DC vacancies. The experienced DB coach has served on the staff of five different teams during his NFL coaching career, never holding a title higher than pass game coordinator. His role in helping the Cowboys’ defense become one of the league’s better units – rather than a liability, as it had been in recent years – has obviously earned him opportunities for a promotion either elsewhere, or perhaps in Dallas if DC Dan Quinn takes one of the many HC jobs he has interviewed for.

The Steelers still have secondary coach Teryl Austin as an option if they prefer to promote from within. While that is certainly a possibility at this point, the team is clearly doing its due diligence with regards to outside candidates.

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Giants Owner: We Won’t Trade For Deshaun Watson

By | at January 26, 2022 1:06 pm

There will be plenty of new faces in the Giants’ locker room this year, but Deshaun Watson will not be among them. On Wednesday, owner John Mara told reporters that the Giants will not be trading for embattled Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). 

[RELATED: GM Says Watson “Likely” Done With Texans]

Mara cited the allegations against Watson and the Giants’ cap situation as reasons for staying out of the sweepstakes. But, beyond that, he says he is all in with Daniel Jones at QB.

“We do feel Daniel can play,” Mara said. “[And] we’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up.”

With new GM Joe Schoen at the helm, the Giants believe that they’ll be able to get Jones back on track. At his introductory press conference, Schoen said that he will be focused on upgrading the offensive line to better protect the QB and running back Saquon Barkley (Twitter link). Of course, that’s just the start, and Schoen will also have to weigh Barkley’s future beyond 2022 — the talented tailback has just one year let on his rookie deal.

And, before all of that, Schoen and Mara will have to hire a new head coach. Mara says he hopes to make it happen next week (Twitter link), though he won’t rush the process either.

As for Watson, the 26-year-old is “more than likely” done with the Texans, according to recent comments from GM Nick Caserio.

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Bills’ Leslie Frazier Books Second Giants HC Interview

By | at January 25, 2022 9:00 pm

Not long after Brian Daboll concluded his second interview with the Giants, the now-Joe Schoen-run team will meet with the Bills’ defensive coordinator a second time.

Leslie Frazier will meet with the Giants for the second time in less than a week, with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reporting (via Twitter) this second interview will occur Friday. Frazier previously spoke virtually with the Giants late last week.

Frazier, 62, has previous HC experience, from his time leading the Vikings in the early 2010s, and has attracted interest from multiple other teams during this cycle. Frazier interviewed with the Bears and Dolphins. Despite his early connection to the Bears and history with the franchise as part of their storied 1985 squad, Frazier is not believed to be a finalist for the Chicago HC gig.

Frazier worked with Schoen since their respective Buffalo arrivals in 2017. Daboll arrived in 2018. The Giants have zeroed in on both Bills top coordinators and Brian Flores for their HC job, and New York’s search will continue through at least Friday. Buffalo’s issues containing Kansas City’s high-powered offense in the teams’ historic divisional-round shootout aside, Frazier’s unit ranked first in both points and yards allowed this season. The Bills also deployed a top-three defense in 2019.

Here is how the Giants’ HC search looks as of Tuesday night:

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Giants To Conduct Second HC Interview With Brian Daboll

By | at January 24, 2022 10:55 am

The first finalist for the Giants’ head coach position has been revealed. As Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports (via Twitter), Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll will have a second interview with the team today.

Update (12:00pm CT): SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano tweets that Daboll’s interview will take place on Tuesday.

[Related: Giants’ HC Search Beginning With Brian Daboll, Leslie Frazier]

Daboll was the first candidate to take part in the initial round of interviews with New York. That certainly didn’t come as a surprise, between the HC interest he’s generated with the Dolphins and the Bills connection to newly-hired general manager Joe Schoen. Widely believed to be a target for the Giants once Schoen was brought in, the 46-year-old had finished his initial interview within a matter of hours of his former Bills colleague being hired.

That first interview was conducted via teleconference with Schoen and co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch. This time, the meeting will take place in person; the same is expected to be true of New York’s first interview with Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, to take place today. Quinn, one of the most sought-after candidates in this year’s hiring cycle, has already been linked to five other HC vacancies around the league.

Worth noting is the fact that Daboll cannot be hired right away, regardless of the outcome of today’s interview. As NJ.com’s Darryl Slater tweets, the Giants still need to conduct at least one in-person interview with a minority candidate to remain in compliance with the Rooney Rule. It must involve someone from outside the organization, so their upcoming meeting with current DC Patrick Graham doesn’t factor into that total. The likeliest way to meet the requirement would be a second interview with Bills DC Leslie Frazier, whose first meeting with the front office was conducted electronically, or an in-person sit down with Brian Flores.

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Steelers Request Interview With Giants DC Patrick Graham

By | at January 24, 2022 9:55 am

The Steelers have begun an external search for their new defensive coordinator. The first name on the list of desired candidates is Giants DC Patrick Graham, whom the team has requested an interview with (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero). 

[Related: Steelers DC Keith Butler To Retire]

The news comes just one day after it was reported the team was expected to fill the vacancy internally. It was believed senior defensive assistant/secondary coach Teryl Austin, who had been in Pittsburgh for the past three seasons, would be promoted to DC, a position he had previously held with the Lions and Bengals. While he may still be hired, the team is clearly looking outside the organization as well.

Graham, meanwhile, has been with New York on two occasions. After seven years with the Patriots, he joined the Giants in 2016 as their defensive line coach. One-year stints in Green Bay and Miami followed – including, in the latter case, DC duties – before he came back to New York. His work with the Giants’ defense has earned him head coaching interest before, as he was on the Jets’ radar during the 2020 hiring cycle.

It is important to keep in mind that Graham will be interviewing with the Giants for their HC vacancy. While other names, such as Brian Daboll, Dan Quinn and Brian Flores are also in contention for the job, the fact that Graham is a candidate to take over in the Big Apple means the Steelers may have to keep looking for their next DC.

 

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Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

By | at January 24, 2022 8:55 am

The Divisional Round has come to end, and after each game was decided on the final play, the season has come to a bitter end for another four teams. That brings the total number of squads locked into their first round draft position to 28. Interestingly, the Rams and 49ers are still standing after they each parted ways with top draft picks this past offseason. San Francisco’s first choice is currently slated to be 61st overall, while the Rams aren’t projected to be on the board until the 101st pick. For Los Angeles in particular, the decision is certainly paying off so far.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.

Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
  2. Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
  3. Houston Texans: 4-13
  4. New York Jets: 4-13
  5. New York Giants: 4-13
  6. Carolina Panthers: 5-12
  7. New York Giants(via Bears)
  8. Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
  9. Denver Broncos: 7-10
  10. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
  11. Washington Football Team: 7-10
  12. Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
  13. Cleveland Browns: 8-9
  14. Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
  15. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
  16. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
  18. New Orleans Saints: 9-8
  19. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
  21. New England Patriots: 10-7
  22. Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
  23. Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
  24. Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
  25. Buffalo Bills: 11-6
  26. Tennessee Titans: 12-5
  27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
  28. Green Bay Packers: 13-4
  29. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
  30. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
  31. Detroit Lions (via Rams)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5*

* = Remaining playoff teams

6 comments 2022 NFL Draft Arizona Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tennessee Titans Washington Commanders

Giants Interview Lou Anarumo For HC Post

By | at January 23, 2022 10:07 am

The Giants are interviewing Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo for their vacant head coaching position today, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). This appears to be the first time Anarumo has ever generated HC interest.

Anarumo, 55, began his coaching career as the RB coach at Wagner College in 1989, and he joined the NFL ranks over 20 years later, becoming the Dolphins’ defensive backs coach in 2012. He was briefly promoted to defensive coordinator partway through the 2015 season and resumed his role as DB coach for the 2016-17 campaigns under Adam Gase.

He served in that same capacity for the Giants in 2018 before being hired as the Bengals’ DC in 2019. When he took the job, Cincinnati was coming off a season in which it finished dead-last in total defense. In his first two years working under head coach Zac Taylor, the Bengals still fielded bottom-10 defenses, and Anarumo’s unit wasn’t much better in 2021 in terms of yards allowed. However, the defense did perform well this year when it mattered most, including last night’s divisional round win over the Titans, which featured three interceptions of Tennessee QB Ryan Tannehill.

Anarumo, a New York native, has ties to the organization that go beyond his one year as DB coach. He and Big Blue’s new GM, Joe Schoen, spent a few years together with the Dolphins, and while Schoen’s connections to other head coach candidates — namely, Bills OC Brian Daboll and DC Leslie Frazier — are more recent and probably more meaningful, the new top exec clearly sees something in Anarumo worth exploring.

Here’s an updated list of the Giants’ HC candidates:

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