EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The words ring so hollow after hearing them so often.
“We’re not where we need to be.”
“Certainly got to do better.”
“The guys battled. We just didn’t get it done.”
You can predict the platitudes that will flow from Giants coach Brian Daboll after another demoralizing loss. So when Daboll meekly offered up that his team needs to “continue to improve” after Sunday’s 34-24 loss to the 49ers, it’s impossible to believe he’s capable of achieving that objective.
Sunday’s defeat was the Giants’ third straight, which is merely a drop in an ocean of losses under Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen. They are 5-21 since the start of last season. They are 11-32 over the past three seasons, which is only one game better than the Titans, who have been the worst team in the NFL over that stretch. Even when this regime’s successful 9-7-1 debut is factored in, the Giants’ .342 winning percentage over the past four seasons ranks 27th in the NFL.
“None of us did a good enough job,” Daboll said after his career record dropped to 20-39-1. “That starts with me. We’ll continue to work at it.”
Again, what have Daboll and Schoen shown to create the belief that they can fix this? It’s hard to find anything this team is even good at in the fourth year of this regime, other than the promise of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart and the excellence of outside linebacker Brian Burns.
The Giants won’t fire Daboll during the season unless there’s a meltdown that reaches 2017 proportions. And since Eli Manning isn’t around to be benched, Daboll will likely avoid that level of controversy. Plus, there would be no benefit to breaking up Daboll and Dart during the season.
But when forecasting the future, it’s becoming impossible to find a reason to maintain the status quo. Dart’s encouraging start shouldn’t save this regime. If anything, he’s the No. 1 asset the franchise has to attract a coveted replacement.
The life Dart injected into this season has worn off, even as the rookie remains a bright spot. Dart’s competitiveness is irrepressible, which is a wonderful trait. But it’s led to him taking too many big hits late in games that have been out of reach the past two weeks.
Dart completed 24-of-33 passes for 191 yards for two touchdowns and no interceptions, while gaining 56 yards on eight carries on Sunday. Much of that passing production came in the fourth quarter when the 49ers’ defense was able to relax with a three-score lead.
Dart was forced to pepper short passes underneath the 49ers’ zone coverage for the balance of the game. With no playmakers to threaten the defense, the offense returned to throwing hitches to wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and watching the 5-foot-8, 185-pounder get slammed down far short of the first down marker.
Watching Dart rubbing two sticks together to try to make a spark with this supporting cast could lead to calls for a trade to upgrade his weapons. Let’s set aside the absurdity of a 2-7 team being buyers at Tuesday’s trade deadline under any circumstance and drill down on why it would be particularly egregious for Schoen to deal away draft assets for an immediate upgrade: The reason the Giants are in this dire position is because of Schoen’s failures.
Yes, Malik Nabers was a hit with the No. 6 pick last year, and his torn ACL in Week 4 was a crushing blow. But the Giants still have Robinson, who was a second-round pick in 2022, Darius Slayton, who Schoen signed to a three-year, $36 million contract in the offseason, and Jalin Hyatt, who Schoen traded up for in the third round of the 2023 draft.
Schoen made this bed, so he should have to lie in it. If he makes a desperate trade for a receiver this week, it would further illustrate the mistake of keeping this regime for a hot-seat season.
The reality is that having bad receivers as a rookie won’t do irreparable damage to Dart. So the Giants need to operate with the big picture in mind, which means holding onto valuable draft picks, which, as usual under this regime, are on pace to be near the top of each round.
Brian Daboll has offered little to show that he can turn the Giants around. (Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
“We’ve got to do a good job of finishing plays around him,” Daboll said. “But he battles, and I’m proud of him.”
It’s not just the offensive playmakers letting down Dart. The defense continues to be an abomination. The Giants have surrendered 105 points in the past nine quarters, stretching back to the fourth-quarter collapse in Denver in Week 7.
The 49ers entered Sunday averaging 20 points per game, which ranked 26th in the league. They cruised past their season-high of 26 points as backup quarterback Mac Jones didn’t throw his first incompletion until the third quarter. It looked like a 7-on-7 drill for Jones despite a subpar offensive line needing to protect against a supposedly vaunted Giants pass rush.
The calls to fire Shane Bowen will intensify, and it’s impossible to defend the defensive coordinator’s performance. But there’s little reason to expect anything to change if defensive line coach Andre Patterson or secondary coach Marquand Manuel were calling the plays.
The Giants’ defense was shorthanded on Sunday, with top cornerbacks Paulson Adebo (knee) and Cor’Dale Flott (concussion) and top safety Jevon Holland (knee) sidelined. But this wasn’t the week to make any injury excuses.
The 49ers were without $53 million quarterback Brock Purdy, four-time first-team All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, former NFL defensive player of the year Nick Bosa and others. Somehow, Kyle Shanahan’s battered team left MetLife Stadium with a 6-3 record.
That’s the difference coaching makes. And building a quality roster prevents a team from collapsing when injuries inevitably strike.
The Giants call upon their past frequently because nostalgia provides a welcome distraction from the putrid current condition of the franchise. Sunday was a “Legacy Game” with the Giants wearing uniforms from the 1980s and the end zones replicating the design from that era.
Giants-49ers was a heavyweight rivalry in those days. Their playoff duels extended into the 2000s, highlighted by the Giants’ epic win in the 2011 NFC Championship Game. It’s been all downhill since then for the Giants. The 49ers experienced a similar rough patch in the middle of the 2010s, but they quickly rebounded and are back to being an annual Super Bowl contender.
The disparity in the proud franchises was on display on Sunday. MetLife Stadium was invaded by 49ers fans in a scene that is typically reserved for NFC East foes in December. But Giants fans clearly saw an opportunity to recoup some value on their season ticket investments rather than enduring their team’s latest pitiful performance.
It got so bad that the visiting crowd contributed to consecutive false start penalties on the Giants’ offense in the second quarter to turn a third-and-3 into a third-and-13 and a punt.
“That was interesting,” Dart said. “I’ve never played at a home game where I felt like it was kind of lopsided in that department.”
Sadly for Dart, he’s experiencing a lot of firsts during his rookie season. But these lowlights are nothing new for the Giants under this leadership.
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