Giants coach Brian Daboll is presented with a unique opportunity in the NFC divisional playoffs against the rival Eagles.
In the Super Bowl era, only three Giants coaches have won multiple playoff games. Daboll has a chance to join that group in his first season.
So, yeah, Daboll is more than just the excitable coach on the sideline who led New York's turnaround this season. He has legitimized a franchise that had not won a playoff game since 2011.
When you look at Daboll's coaching roots, it's easy to see it's not an accident.
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Brian Daboll age: How old is the Giants' coach?
Daboll is 47 years old. He was born in Welland, Ontario; a city approximately 25 miles away from Buffalo, N.Y. Daboll played safety for two seasons at Rochester before a helmet-to-helmet collision in 1995 ended his playing career.
Brian Daboll's connection with Nick Saban
Daboll spent two seasons as a graduate assistant for Nick Saban at Michigan State from 1998-99. Daboll would be a longtime assistant in the NFL after that stop, but he returned to the college game as an offensive coordinator for Alabama in 2017.
That stint was successful. The Crimson Tide finished 13-1 and averaged 37.1 points per game with starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, who will be the Eagles' starting quarterback on Sunday.
Alabama averaged 250.6 yards rushing that season and capped the year with a 26-23 victory against Georgia in the College Football Playoff championship game. Daboll would leave to take the offensive coordinator position with Buffalo after the season.
"Brian did a tremendous job for us this past season at Alabama," Saban said after the announcement. "I know he will do a great job for the Buffalo Bills. He is an outstanding coach and coordinator who put us in position to be successful each week."
Brian Daboll as an offensive coordinator
Daboll was an offensive coordinator for four different teams with mixed results before becoming a head coach.
The first three stints did not go well.
Daboll's first stint was with the Browns from 2009-10 under Eric Mangini. Cleveland averaged just 15.3 points per game in his first season and 16.9 in Year 2. He spent one season with the Dolphins in 2011 with Tony Sparano and Todd Bowles, then one more season with Kansas City with Romeo Crennel in 2012. The Chiefs finished last in points per game that season.
Brian Daboll's Bill Belichick connection
Daboll rebounded by taking a job as the Patriots' tight end coach in 2013. He coached Rob Gronkowski – who had back-to-back seasons with 1,000-plus yards and 10-plus TDs in 2014-15. That set up Daboll's stint with Alabama.
Brian Daboll with the Bills
Daboll took over as Buffalo's offensive coordinator in 2018, and that four-year stint was successful with first-round pick Josh Allen. There were growing pains the first two years, but Buffalo ranked in the top five in scoring and total yards in 2020-21. That, combined with Allen's success, helped Daboll land the job with the Giants.
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Brian Daboll in first year with Giants
The Giants made the playoffs after finishing 9-7-1 in the regular season. Quarterback Daniel Jones had a breakout year, and Saquon Barkley had 1,650 total yards and 10 TDs. The defense also improved around Azeez Ojulari, Dexter Lawrence and Kayvon Thibodeaux.
New York upset Minnesota 31-24 in the NFC wild card round. It was the first playoff victory for the franchise since the Super Bowl 46 run in 2011.
Brian Daboll vs. other Giants coaches
Who were those three Giants coaches with two or more playoff wins in the Super Bowl era?
Bill Parcells had a 8-3 playoff record from 1983-90 with the Giants – teams led by quarterback Phil Simms and linebacker Lawrence Taylor. New York won Super Bowl 21 and Super Bowl 25. Parcells got his first playoff victory in his second season with the Giants.
Jim Fassel had a 2-3 record with the Giants from 1997-2003. New York lost 23-22 to Minnesota in the NFC wild card round in his first season. He led the Giants to an appearance in Super Bowl 35 during the 2000 season – a 34-7 loss to the Ravens.
Tom Coughlin had a 8-3 record from 2004-15 with the Giants, and he led New York to victories against New England in Super Bowl 42 and Super Bowl 46. Coughlin did not win a playoff game until his fourth season with New York.
Daboll could join that group with a pair of playoff victories in his first season if the Giants beat the Eagles on Saturday.
Brian Daboll vs. Eagles
Philadelphia swept the regular-season series in 2022. The Eagles beat the Giants 48-22 in Week 14. Hurts had 217 passing yards, 77 rushing yards and three total TDs against his former coach at Alabama. Philadelphia won 22-16 in Week 18 in a game where kicker Jake Elliott had five field goals.
The Eagles and Giants have split four playoff meetings.
