Mike Francesa has noticed a massive change in Brian Daboll’s demeanor.
The Giants lost 21-18 to the Commanders on Sunday to fall to 0-2, and Francesa spoke about the heartbreaker on his eponymous podcast on the BetRivers network after the game.
“I’ll tell you something — when I see Daboll now, I don’t see the coach who had a little glint in his eye and a little swagger in his first year. I see a guy who wants to jump off a bridge,” Francesa said.
“And I see a guy who just wants to give you short answers … You can tell that he’s up to here with all of it. And he knows he’s looking down the barrels at a long season.”
As the Commanders hit a field goal to cement the win over the Giants, Fox cameras captured Daboll slamming down his headset in disgust.
After the game, Daboll gave short answers to questions about why he did not have a backup kicker on the active roster, as Graham Gano entered Sunday with an injured groin and then suffered a hamstring injury as he chased down Commanders returner Austin Eckler on a 98-yard return that was ultimately called back due to penalty.
“We thought Graham would be OK. … He didn’t hurt his groin, he hurt his hamstring,” Daboll told reporters after the game.
Asked if the groin injury could have led to the hamstring issue, Daboll answered, “I’d say I’m not a doctor.”
Daboll was the AP Coach of the Year in his first season with the Giants, in 2022, but the Giants went 6-11 last season and missed the playoffs.