Dabs’ Digest: Week 2 conversation with Coach Brian Daboll

Q: You started five rookies last week, the highest total for the Giants since the merger. The top two draft choices (Malik Nabers and Tyler Nubin) played every snap. All six draft choices contributed. What are your thoughts about having a young core of promising players that can grow together?

DABOLL: “I would say they’re wired the right way, all these guys. In terms of their passion for their game, their leadership, and I don’t really care that they’re rookies or not, you can be a leader when you’re a rookie because of the style that you play with and because of the way you carry yourself and your mentality. This has been a good class to work with, skill set-wise and the right kind of makeup.”

Q: You just answered one of my questions, because the DBs have said Nubin is a very vocal guy, and it seems like he has already assumed a leadership role.

DABOLL: “I’ve talked to him about that these past couple weeks, because he is very vocal. And he’s smart. He communicates well on the back end. He’s tough. He’s got good traits in terms of bringing people along with him and leading. It’s good to have that as a rookie. I’d say Nabers is the same way.”

Q: I want to ask you about ­­two players. The first is (rookie inside linebacker) Darius Muasau, who got his opportunity to start when (Micah) McFadden got hurt. He’s a sixth-round draft choice, so I doubt you expected him to be your second-leading tackler on opening day. He advanced quickly.

DABOLL: “I’ll give a lot of credit to Ghobi (special teams coordinator) Michael Ghobrial on that one. He was with him in college (at the University of Hawai’i in 2018-19) and he was standing on the table for him. Exactly what he talked about before the draft, before we drafted him, in terms of the type of personality and his commitment to football and his instincts. Instincts are hard to evaluate watching it. You can tell a little bit, but unless you’re around the player, which Ghobi was. He’s an instinctive football player. So, regardless of where we got him, obviously it’s in a later round, but we’ve liked him since he’s been here.”

Q: And (defensive tackle) Elijah Chatman. I don’t remember a player going from a rookie camp tryout to starting opening day. And Dex (Dexter Lawrence) and Nacho (Rakeem Nunez-Roches) both said he might be the strongest guy on the team. What first caught your eye about him?

DABOLL: “When he tried out, Dre (defensive line coach Andre Patterson) was high on him. Then he started out on the bottom, and you keep making plays, and you show up on tape during training camp. Short but explosive, has long arms for a shorter guy. Just a guy that’s trying to soak up all the coaching, and he’s got some vets with Nacho and Dexter in the room. I would say with all those guys, there’s a lot to grow from Week 1 to Week 2, and hopefully continue to build with those players.”

Q: You signed (wide receiver Ihmir) Smith-Marsette this week, who is in the mix to return kicks. In general, is it easier when you add a player during the season and ask him to return, as opposed to learning the offense or defense?

DABOLL: “Yes. You have to catch the ball, and then know a couple returns, where to go. Offense, defense, there’s lot more to learn.”

Q: What are the specific characteristics of a (Washington Commanders offensive Coordinator) Kliff Kingsbury offense, (head coach) Dan Quinn defense, and a (special teams coordinator) Larry Izzo special teams?

DABOLL: “Well, they’ve been doing it for a long time, so they’re very experienced. DQ’s (Quinn) has had good defenses. He competed. Obviously, the last few years in Dallas. Played him in the Super Bowl when he was in Seattle, played him in the Super Bowl when he was at Atlanta (when Daboll was an assistant in New England). They have a certain style that they play with. Aggressive, up-field, get after the quarterback. Stop the run on the way to the quarterback. Pressure when they need to pressure. Kliff has obviously done it at a high level in college. He was at Arizona (Cardinals). Obviously, he’s got (rookie quarterback) Jayden (Daniels), so they’re a little bit more spread. He runs a variety of schemes. Quarterback’s a weapon with his arm and his legs. He had Kyler (Murray). He had (Patrick) Mahomes, he had Baker (Mayfield), a lot of different guys. Davis Webb, he had Davis before he transferred to Cal. Then Izzo. I coached Izzo in New England. He was one of the best special teams players in his era. He did a hell of a job at Seattle for those years he was there. They play fast, they play physical, they take on his identity as a player.”

Q: Daniels is a dual threat: 184 passing yards, 88 rushing yards in his debut last week. What makes those dual threat quarterbacks so tough to defend?

DABOLL: “First, they’ve got to be really good players, which he is. There’s the first play and then there’s the second or third play based on what he decides to do. But make no mistake about it, this guy’s a passer too. He was dynamic at LSU. Very effective throwing down the field, intermediate, short, and scrambling. Some quarterback runs. You go back and watch it against good opponents. You watch his Florida game, and it’s as impressive as it gets. Got the ball to his playmakers, made good decisions. Just overall, he was a really, really good quarterback in college. His first game, he created a lot of issues, too. He made good decisions with the football. I thought he was efficient, but he extended plays, and those hurt the defense. When you’re first-and-10 and you think you got it covered, he scrambles for 15 of and it’s first down. I don’t care how you get the first down, it’s effectively moving the football, and it creates, let’s say, a number of issues for defenses.”

Q: He didn’t throw to the wide receivers much last week, but they still have (Terry) McLaurin, (Jamison) Crowder, (Luke) McCaffrey…

DABOLL: “He made use of his checkdowns, which gained yards after the catch. Where they throw the ball or who you throw the ball to, that’s predicated on a lot of different things in the NFL. So, I thought he played well for his first time out.”

Q: Defensively in Washington, it has started with their line for a long time. They still have two outstanding tackles (Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne) in the middle.

DABOLL: Yeah, Roll Tiders (from the University of Alabama). They’re problems. Penetrators up the field, they’re playing a little bit of a different style than they played the last couple years. Hard guys to block. That’s where it starts for them, those two inside guys. They created a lot of negative plays, particularly in the running game against Tampa.”

Q: They supposedly signed (veteran linebacker) Bobby Wagner to be a mentor to their younger players and he led the team with 10 tackles last week.

DABOLL: “Status quo for Bobby. Been all-pro for a long, long time. One of the better linebackers to play in the last 10 years.”

Q: The Giants have had success against Washington. Daniel Jones has played well in the Commanders’ stadium. On the other hand, some coaches say history means nothing in football. Are you one of those coaches?

DABOLL: “Yeah. Playing well means something. That’s all that matters, playing well that week.”