Giants' Brian Daboll expresses regrets after staff turmoil

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll spoke with reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday and expressed some regrets regarding his alleged "madman" demeanor on gamedays. That demeanor reportedly upset assistants such as offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and former defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale. 

"I’m a very passionate person," Daboll explained, as shared by Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "But yeah, there are times where I wish handled things a little bit differently, certainly. So you continue to grow. You continue to evolve. That’s what I try to do every year." 

Kafka remains with the Giants after he was blocked from speaking with the Seattle Seahawks about their offensive coordinator role this winter, but Martindale and the club "mutually agreed to part ways" in January. According to Andy Vasquez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, Daboll did well on Tuesday to dance around questions related to what Giants co-owner John Mara referred to on Monday as a relationship between the coach and Martindale that "absolutely" did "blow up" during and after the 2023 season. 

Mara backed Daboll on Monday but also said he wishes the 48-year-old would "tone it down a little bit" as it pertains to dealing with other coaches. 

"I’m passionate about winning," Daboll continued on Tuesday. "I’m passionate about our team. When we lose, I’m very passionate. So my focus always is: What can I do better? How can I be a better coach? How can I be a better leader?" 

It was previously reported that "there was absolutely tension" between Daboll and Kafka this past season, in part because Kafka "had his play-calling revoked at points" and was essentially scapegoated for the struggles of the team. Per Slater, Daboll admitted on Tuesday he could open the 2024 campaign as the team's full-time offensive play-caller. 

"It’s something that I’m looking into," Daboll said. "I’ve been doing a bunch of research. But no decision has been made. I’m still going through that process and thinking about what we need to do." 

Winning often fixes behind-the-scenes issues for organizations, and it shouldn't be forgotten that Daboll guided the Giants to a road playoff victory in January 2023. If, however, he suffers a second consecutive losing season and runs more coaches out of town in the process, Mara may feel a need to make a major change roughly 10 months from now.