GM said it was simply something he had always wanted to experience, not a reflection on Brian Daboll
I guess we can call it ‘Headset-Gate.’
Remember during the season when New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen spent a few games plugged into the headset monitoring sideline communication between head coach Brian Daboll and his assistant coaches?
Schoen spent time on Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine explaining what took place, and why it happened.
The GM pushed back on the idea that he was on the headset because of concerns about emotional outbursts from Daboll making it difficult for assistant coaches to do their jobs.
Reports of friction between Daboll and now former defensive coordinator Wink Martindale had surfaces the morning of that Commanders game. Schoen said that had nothing to do with him getting on the headset.
“No. That didn’t happen. Dabs and I have a great relationship, so when I go to him and say what happened on game day or what happened on this play he articulates that to me. Or, if it was a coaching issue or somebody wasn’t where they were supposed to be he’ll tell me that, too. So, that wasn’t the reason.”
The GM said it was simply something he has always wanted to do, and circumstances made that game the right opportunity.
“So it’s something I’ve wanted to do for quite some time. We were at Washington and I could show you guys some time, but where they put us, it’s not a good sight line, it’s not a great spot to watch the game,” Schoen said. “So I went and did it and it was amazing just the communication of the coaches from an evaluation standpoint. If I talk to John Mara after the game or my personnel staff, I can say, yeah, player X screwed that up. Or, yeah, we called this but this happened. Or, the safety was over and he was supposed to be that way or whatever it may be. You just have an intimate knowledge of what went on and why during the game.”
Schoen insisted that the reason his presence on the headset continued for four games was superstition. The Giants won, so Schoen kept staying on the headset until they lost to the New Orleans Saints four games later.
Schoen said he “thoroughly enjoyed” the experience.
“So it was a really good experience for me and my staff. ‘Cause then I could articulate to my staff what happened as, as we’re watching the games,” he said.
One of the stories that surfaces around the Daboll-Martindale controversy was regarding the idea that Daboll’s volatility, both on the sidelines during games and behind closed doors during working hours, makes life miserable for his assistants.
Does Schoen belive that Daboll needs to reassess some of his behaviors?
“We’re all gonna learn and grow over time, and we have to,” Schoen said. “It’s the first time we went through adversity. I’m sure there’s a lot that we all learned about ourselves going through that. And as leaders, myself included, we’ve all gotta get better in terms of how we handle those situations. And I think we’re all gonna reflect this off season on how things went and what we could do better. And I would put Dabs in that, that category as well.”
Daboll, of course, replaced Martindale, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey and several other coaches this offseason. Shane Bowen, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, is the new defensive coordinator. Former New York Jets assistant special teams coach Michael Ghobrial replaces McGaughey.
“I’m excited about the staff that we had. We brought in some really good coaches and, you know, I wish some of the guys that left nothing but the best,” Schoen said.
Schoen also denied reports of tension between Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who has said to have had play-calling duties taken away from him multiple times last season.
“There’s no tension there. Mike’s a really good coach, he’s a great teammate. He’s an asset around the building and he’s a young coach. He’s been a coordinator for two years and we elevated and gained the new title ‘cause we’re gonna continue to develop him as a head coach,” Schoen said. “Obviously there’s a lot of like for him around the league. He’s in demand. He was a finalist for two jobs over the last couple years and he’s earned it. He’s a really good coach. He’s got a bright future and he’s an asset to the organization. So yeah, there’s no tension between Mike and, and Dabs.”
There has been some speculation that Daboll — not Kafka — will call plays in 2024. Schoen has in the past said he would rather have the head coach be a CEO and not a play-caller. Schoen waffled on that stance on Tuesday, while saying a decision has yet to be made.
“I’m never gonna tell him what to do. I mean, that’s his world. I’ll be a sounding board, I’ll give advice, but I’m never gonna tell him what to do as a coach,” Schoen said.
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