We'll never know if the New York Giants could've held on in Week 10 against the Chicago Bears had Jaxson Dart not left the game to be evaluated for a concussion, of course. But what we do know is that the G-Men were ahead at the time that he exited the game, and the contest didn't end that way. That, in itself, is enough to make head coach Brian Daboll's seat much hotter than it already was. However, the role that he played in Dart's injury, even if somewhat indirectly, ultimately should be the final straw to get him fired.
Let's be clear, I'm never rooting for a coach to be fired and a human being to lose their job. At the same time, this is a performance-based job and, through many iterations, the Giants haven't gotten the performance they were hoping from with Daboll at the helm. The biggest bright spot to cling to this season, however, has been Dart, who's been a revelation at quarterback. Throughout his rise, though, the concern has always been about his health, which is why Sunday's injury was so maddening.
Jaxson Dart needed to be protected from himself, and Brian Daboll failed
For all of the things Dart does well, protecting himself has never been one of them. That was an issue at Ole Miss, especially with his mobility, and it's continued to be a concern for fans when watching him at the NFL level.
Now, part of that is certainly on the quarterback. He needs to be smarter and understand that there's time to be a bit reckless and time to play with a bit more caution in regard to his own well-being. At the same time, the other part of that is on Daboll and the Giants coaching staff. They have to coach a young quarterback on how to best play it safe with his health and not take hits. They also have to give him the playbook on protecting himself.
We didn't see any of that, though, and it ultimately led to the rookie suffering a concussion. And while Dart might be somewhat at fault for that, the brunt of the blame should come down on Daboll. If there was a message about the QB protecting himself, it wasn't direct enought. And if there wasn't a message, then that's even worse.
More important than just the situation leading to Dart's injury, though, that is really just a culmination of everything that Daboll has done to this point. There is precisely nothing on his Giants résumé at this point. He's lost all benefit of the doubt.
Brian Daboll's isn't much longer for the Giants
There have already been reports that New York owner John Mara nearly fired Daboll after the Giants blew a lead and lost to Denver. According to those reports, Mara and others let cooler heads prevail and didn't make the decision then. However, the fact that there was a point where there were even heads that needed to cool down speaks to the lack of job security the coach certainly has.
Don't get it twisted, though — that's exactly the way it should be. The Giants posted a winning record in Daboll's first season at 9-7-1. Since then, the team has gone a combined 11-33. He failed to mine the talent out of Daniel Jones that it took essentially one offseason for the Colts to find. His play calling, game-management, and decision-making have all been spotty at their best. And now we have the way he's handled Dart and the health of the hopeful franchise quarterback.
It would almost be malpractice to not make a move on Daboll before the end of the season. That's harsh, sure, but what more do we even need to see with where things have been and where they are now? We're well past second chances with the Giants head coach, and with some truly bright pieces for the future, there's shouldn't be another chance given.