Brian Daboll is exactly where he didn’t want to be.
Only nine days after saying the Giants were “not going to make a week-to-week change” at quarterback, Daboll declined to name a starter for Sunday’s game against the Rams.
He must choose whether to stick with undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito for a seventh straight start after benching him at halftime against the Eagles or go back to career 56-game starter Tyrod Taylor, who provided the sought-after second-half “spark” in a 33-25 loss.
“We’ll talk about it as a staff,” Daboll said Tuesday. “We’re finishing up [reviewing] this game and we’ll talk about it tonight.”
Daboll said the decision to keep a short leash on DeVito wasn’t premeditated but rather made at halftime because of the “collective” offensive failures.
“I just felt for that particular game,” Daboll said, “that was the decision that I needed to make.
So, what should Daboll decide moving forward?
The case for DeVito
The results of the final two games of the season don’t matter over the long haul nearly as much as gaining proper individual evaluations.
Why use two more self-scouting opportunities on the he-is-who-he-is 34-year-old free-agent-to-be Taylor when the 25-year-old DeVito’s resolve in the face of adversity can be measured?
One habitual issue with the Giants over the last decade is overvaluing their own players through rose-colored glasses, so accurately determining whether DeVito is a capable No. 2 quarterback at the salary-cap-friendly charge of $915,000, a practice-squad-caliber insurance policy, or a total flash in the pan is of utmost importance to avoid spillover uncertainty in 2024.
Especially with the possibility that the No. 2 quarterback will be the Week 1 starter while Daniel Jones finishes rehabbing his torn ACL.
Daboll comes from the Bill Belichick School that ball security is a quarterback’s top priority.
Well, DeVito has thrown 137 consecutive passes without an interception.
He only has two turnovers in his last five starts, so he is not putting the superior defense at a constant disadvantage.
Another Belichickian principle is not to be a prisoner to the moment.
Yes, the Giants have just three field goals to show for their last 14 DeVito-led possessions, but he “earned” the job by throwing for three touchdowns in a win against the Commanders and directing a flawless game-winning two-minute drill against the Packers on his way to NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Dec. 12.
If DeVito plays well and wins one or both of the last two games, he gains confidence headed into the offseason.
If he plays poorly and loses, the Giants improve their draft positioning without the stench of tanking accusations.
Taylor’s play style leaves him susceptible to injury, so there is a strong chance that DeVito will be needed one way or another, anyway.
The case for Taylor
If DeVito kept the job over a returning-from-injured-reserve Taylor in Week 14 to stick with the hot hand responsible for two straight wins, shouldn’t Taylor get the same treatment now?
Against the Eagles, the Giants managed three offensive points and 101 yards with DeVito compared to 14 offensive points and 191 yards with Taylor.
Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale reportedly told Fox sideline reporter Pam Oliver that his players need “to embrace the challenge” of “the need to outplay the opponents’ offense and their defense.”
When one side of the ball isn’t holding up its end of the bargain, it can fracture a locker room — it happened with the 2021 Giants — and, in this case, further the clash between Martindale and Daboll, the offensive architect.
There is a school of thought that no player should lose his job due to injury — and DeVito Mania never would have happened if Taylor had not suffered four broken ribs on Oct. 29. He entered the season No. 2 to Jones on the depth chart and is paid (two years, $11 million) to be one of the NFL’s top backups.
Taylor led all Week 16 quarterbacks in Average Depth of Target (15.7 yards) and Air Yards to the Sticks (8.2), while DeVito ranked last in both categories (1.1 and -8.1, respectively), according to NextGenStats.
In other words, the Giants were aggressive with Taylor, whereas DeVito relied on receivers to gain yards after the catch.
The scrambling Taylor is sacked about half as frequently (per dropback) as DeVito behind a porous offensive line.
The Giants have Dexter Lawrence playing on one healthy hamstring, Saquon Barkley risking his next contract and other veterans who are not shutting it down after playoff elimination.
Daboll owes it to them to play the best quarterback who gives the team the best chance to win and set the lasting tone that he runs a meritocracy — and does not answer to the fans who identify with DeVito’s North Jersey Italian-ness.
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