Notebook: Brian Daboll encouraged by physicality shown against Lions

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – It does not exactly make him unique among NFL head coaches, but one of Brian Daboll’s goals this year was to field a more physical Giants football team.

The early returns are encouraging.

A year ago, the Detroit Lions were the stronger and more aggressive team in two joint practices and a subsequent preseason opener vs. the Giants. This week, the Giants were the attackers against the Lions both in two practices and their 14-3 victory last night in the teams’ first preseason game.

In a team meeting prior to the first practice, running back Devin Singletary said Daboll, “brought the juice,” and exhorted his players to be physical against the Lions.

On a Zoom call with reporters today, Daboll was asked how he got his team to be “more physical and tougher” despite having “a lot of the same players from last year.”

“I think we have a lot of changes,” Daboll said. “Each year is different. Different players at different spots. We have players that have been here. We have different coaches. I would say we’ve put a high premium on that. I think the draft class is a bunch of tough young players.

“But you’re constantly reinforcing things that you’re looking for from your team. I would say from a foundational aspect. And this is a tough game. I think you have to be mentally and physically tough. I think we’ve added a lot of new pieces in our building that have helped contribute to that.”

The Giants demonstrated their toughness across the board.

On offense, they rushed for 155 yards and averaged 5.7 yards a carry. Detroit gained only 228 yards, including 118 on the ground. Without the 48 yards gained when quarterbacks Nate Sudfeld and Hendon Hooker scrambled, the Lions rushed for 78 yards and averaged 3.4 yards an attempt. The Giants’ special teams allowed no punt return yards and kept the Lions’ kickoff return team from doing any damage under the NFL’s new rules.

Daboll credited his two new coordinators – Shane Bowen on defense and Michael Ghobrial on special teams – with instilling a physical mindset to their units.

“I thought we brought guys in that have some toughness, young players, some veteran players and again, this is a physical sport,” Daboll said after the game. “Mental and physical, so being mentally tough, being physically tough, I think you’ve got to train that. You do that in training camp. It’s also the type of individuals you bring in. I think Ghobi does a great job with that. I think Shane does a great job with that, the new coaches we brought in. We’re a work in progress, but we’re going to try to be physical.

“We’ve got a long way to go, but the style in which I expect us to play is a physical brand of football. Is it always perfect? No, but the effort, the attention to detail, the concentration, the focus on the sideline, the communication from the coaches, the chemistry together, that’s what you’re trying to build. We’re not there yet but we’re certainly trying to build it.”

Next week, the Giants will have four practices before traveling to Houston to face the Texans on Saturday afternoon, Aug. 17. They will practice with the Jets on Aug. 21 before facing them in the preseason finale three days later.

Daboll and his staff will do extensive player evaluations, but they will also continue to focus on developing a tough, aggressive team.

“Now, where we go from here, we need to continue to build on that,” Daboll said. “We need to continue to lean on the physical aspect of our game. (It) starts in the trenches, but some good examples yesterday. Whether it was in a kicking game, whether it was safeties coming down on force or taking on guards or receivers. (Wide receiver) Isaiah Hodgins really made a good block down there on (Eric) Gray’s run in the red zone, where he blew up a secondary player. So, you’re constantly reinforcing that element to your players, which is something I think we all could have been better with. And we’re trying to do that.”