Transcript: Head Coach Brian Daboll

Head Coach Brian Daboll April 20, 2022

BRIAN DABOLL: How is everybody doing? We're in our second day here of our voluntary minicamp. Had a good day yesterday. I say a good two weeks leading up to this. Have a long way to go. Pleased with the guys that are here, the attendance. The guys are working really hard. Coaches have done a good job. Just another step in the process as we get going here with a long way to go.
So whatever you guys got, fire away.

Q. Is Kadarius Toney here today?

BRIAN DABOLL: K.T. is not here today. We have good attendance. I've had talks with some of the guys that haven't been here. But most everybody's been here, whether they were here the first week, the second week. We've had good attendance.

Q. Given some of his issues off the field as a rookie, is that a concern to you?

BRIAN DABOLL: Like I said, this is a voluntary camp. The guys that are here, we're going to work with. The guys that aren't, they're going to miss out on some things. It's voluntary for a reason. That's the nature of the rules.

I've had good talks with K.T., good talks with some of the other guys. I'm encouraged with where we are with our participation, what we've been doing. We're going to keep working in the right direction.

Q. Can he participate virtually or...

BRIAN DABOLL: We didn't do anything virtual. When he gets here, he'll get the playbook, we'll get him up to speed.

Q. Do you have a message for your group?

BRIAN DABOLL: Work hard and improve each day. That's really what it's been since we've been here. We're out here for an hour and a half at most. We've done a few seven-on-seven drills. Most of the stuff you'll see today is either individual or group. We've tried to tempo it the right way, whether it's full speed one period, kind of a jog-through the next period. It is interlaced throughout practice. Keep improving every day.

Q. What are the key elements with you and Joe Schoen putting your stamp on this group here?

BRIAN DABOLL: It's been a continual process, day by day. The guys have worked really hard. The guys that are here have been really good to work with, the players, the staff, bringing people together, starting to develop some chemistry, whether it's on the coaching staff or scouting staff. We're so far away from playing a game, we're taking it day by day.

Q. Have you started experimenting with different guys, maybe having them play different positions they haven't in the past, specifically on the defensive line, offensive line?

BRIAN DABOLL: This is our second day. I understand the question. We will. We're just trying to figure out where to go in a drill, making sure we're moving from drill to drill, practice the way we want to practice. When it is live, full-speed periods, we will do that. Flexibility has always been important defensively, offensively, in the kicking game. We get so many people to go to a game with. We'll get to that. Right now, we're learning where to go on stretch lines.

Q. You did an extensive review of the guys coming back. Have you seen film, we'll try this guy here...

BRIAN DABOLL: We're going to try a lot of different guys at a lot of different spots. There's not a depth chart, per se, there is more of a rep chart. You have to have position flexibility unless you are really, really good at one thing. We'll end up getting to that once OTAs start.

Q. Is Andrew Thomas locked in at left tackle or is there a scenario in the draft where you could add a player where Andrew moves to right tackle?

BRIAN DABOLL: We'll see. I can't answer that right now. Andrew has been a good left tackle for us. I have a lot of confidence in him. He's rehabbing to get back. We're going to take the best guys in the draft. Wherever they are, they are.

Q. What do the last few days look like leading up to the draft? Are you doing a lot of evaluating? How much have you and Joe been communicating?

BRIAN DABOLL: We've done a lot of work. I'd say the scouting department has been in there non-stop. We met with the scouting department as a staff, with Joe (Schoen). We did some yesterday, we'll do some today. I think it will be all the way through the weekend, early part of the week. Hopefully where we're kind of where want to be the early part of the week.

Q. Is the scouting done and you're getting to know the players now more?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, we've done a ton of evaluation. I think you're always going back, crossing your Ts, dotting your Is, looking at maybe another game, try to watch as much tape as you can. I would say there's conversations that go on daily, whether it's about the player, the person, making phone calls, whatever it may be. I don't see that really changing till probably midweek, early next week.

Q. As a position coach, you have some input in the draft. You've done that as a coordinator, now as a head coach. What has that been like for you as the head coach being involved? Do you think with this draft it will be more of your imprint on this draft class than you've had in the past?

BRIAN DABOLL: It's our imprint. Everybody works hard. Nobody has all the answers. Certainly, there are things you may see that I don't. You go back and talk about the player. You review them if there's a little bit of a discrepancy, whether it is coach to coach, coach to scout, head coach. Whatever it may be, we'll do this thing together.

Q. Your voice will carry more weight than it ever has, right?

BRIAN DABOLL: I don't even think about it that way. It's part of the whole.

Q. It's early, but what is your thought process right now on whether you'll call plays, how might you work through that this spring?

BRIAN DABOLL: That's a popular question. I understand it. We're not there yet. I'd say today during the practice, when you see it out there, Kaf (Mike Kafka) will be giving it to the quarterback, going off the script that way. I'll kind of be out and about with the players. Again, I'll let you guys know when we get to that.

Q. What has stood out to you about Joe Schoen since you two have locked arms together?

BRIAN DABOLL: I've known Joe for quite some time. He's a great teammate. He's a great listener. I think the one thing you see with him in this position is he's a really good leader, treats people the right way. He lets people do their job. He takes input, but at the end of the day he's charged with making the decision. He takes all the information. He's a really good leader.

Q. When you guys bring in a prospect for a visit, what are you trying to learn about them?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think it depends on who the people are that you bring in. We have a process that we go through. They meet a lot of people in the organization, people that we think are important to helping in their development if we select them or they come on the team.

They meet with the coaches. You're going to try to gather how they learn, the process, how you can teach them. Maybe they come here, I should have done this. We test 'em football-wise.
I think as many people as can get the person to give their input of what they think of them as a person first, then we look at them and evaluate them as a player.

Q. What are your impressions of Saquon, looking at him?

BRIAN DABOLL: He's been here. Great in the meeting room. He's elusive, quick, he's fast. Again, we've had 12 plays in seven-on-seven here, a couple individual periods. But excited to work with him.

Q. You said to us the last time we talked about making an emphasis to be in every meeting room, knowing it's not just offense.

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah.

Q. When it translates to the practice field, just one day on the field, will you take the same approach? I don't know if 'force' is the right word, but will you consciously go to different groups rather than just being with the quarterbacks?

BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I walked around yesterday. I got my miles in during practice. God knows I need 'em (smiling).
Yeah, I think it's important to watch how the coaches are teaching the material, how they're going through individual drills. It's important to see the players.

I've talked about this before. You can watch as much tape as you want to watch from previous years. Until you get them in your system, ask them to do the things that you might think they're going to do, you're going to have to (indiscernible) with that, keep your eyes on as many people as you can.

Q. From a value standpoint, left tackle has always been seen as that premium position. With the way teams are passing now, how much has the right tackle position caught up in value?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think they're all important. Five guys working in unison, keeping the depth and width of the pocket in the passing game, getting to the line of scrimmage.
The game has evolved so much, RPOs, up-tempo. The right tackle, left tackle, just as long as you are a good tackle.

Q. Is there a chance you and your staff see Saquon more as the play-maker he was coming out of college as opposed to 'just a running back'?

BRIAN DABOLL: We've evaluated him all the way back to year one, all the way through. Again, it's hard right now. We're going to ask him to do some things out here, get a feel for him. I think he's a very talented player. He's a really good person. He's a good young man. You can tell it's important to him. He has worked hard. As much as he can handle, that's what we'll give him.

Q. In these days of the voluntary workouts, what is the key to establishing a new culture, making sure everybody is buying in?

BRIAN DABOLL: I think that's part of leadership, building something that the guys can be proud of, take ownership, then finding ways to unite them as their head coach, as a position coach, finding different ways to inspire 'em. Again, we're a long way away. Right now, all I ask them to do is focus on today, what can we do to get better from yesterday, not make more out of it than it is because we have a long way to go.

Keep building that chemistry together, go out together to dinner, go see a basketball game, go to a hockey game. I think that's important. Off-field relationships. They don't have to be best of friends, but it helps because you have each other's back when you do. When things are tough -- they'll get tough, they always do in this league -- you can lean on the guy next to you when you are having a tough time. You know that guy has got your back. That's important.

Q. Are you still FaceTiming them?

BRIAN DABOLL: I FaceTime quite a bit. It's about the only thing I know how to do (smiling).

Q. What is it like to be head coach of the Giants?

BRIAN DABOLL: It's been great. Dream come true. A lot of work. Work with a lot of good people. Let those people do their jobs, try to lead 'em the best way that I can. Again, each day is a new day. There's always something to do. But I'm really enjoying it. I’ve got a long way to go, too.

Q. Throughout the spring here, not just this week, do you plan to give Tyrod Taylor any reps with the first team offense?

BRIAN DABOLL: We haven't even talked about that. He's going out there. There's not even really groups right now. There's reps. That's what we're doing, so... Until we’ve got to get ready to make those decisions, I think everybody has to know what they're supposed to do when they're called upon to do it when they call a play in. Know their role, assignment, do it the best they can.

Q. After the first two weeks, this minicamp, what are the one or two things you hope the players get out of it?

BRIAN DABOLL: You teach them for two weeks in a classroom. How can they apply it to the field? Again, we're throwing a lot at them. Some of the stuff is going to stick on the wall, a lot of it is going to fall off.

I want to see some good juice here in practice, move around from drill to drill. When we're going full speed, go full speed. When we're in teaching periods, dig in, take the stuff you learn on the film, classroom, apply it to the field. We're going to make our share of mistakes. Everybody does. But just learn from 'em, come out the next day and be ready to go.

It's a good opportunity to come out here in this third week and be able to do something like this. Obviously, we're a new staff. So just to see the players, how they move, their quickness, their hands, their ability to bend. Those are some of the things you're looking at.

It's not really like they missed this play. You're going to teach that. Twelve plays, seven-on-seven, we're not using the full amount of time as it is.

We have, I'd say, a good amount of players here, almost everybody. We're going to make sure that we're continually -- kind of like the next phase, in between Phase I and Phase II, making sure we're taking care of our players.

Q. You have morning and afternoon practice days.

BRIAN DABOLL: 10:45 today? 10:45 tomorrow. When we get to the next rookie camp, we'll sit down and talk about it. For the season, it's open. I've been a morning, afternoon, night guy right now since taking the job. You just tell me your golf schedule, we'll work around that (smiling)?

Q. You hadn't worked with Wink Martindale before. What have you learned about him?

BRIAN DABOLL: Wears the same wardrobe every day (smiling).

Q. Is that good or bad?

BRIAN DABOLL: You'd have to ask him. I'm not one to give fashion advice. Good man. I'd say a good teacher in the classroom. I think the players respect him. Has a good way about himself.

Q. Do you consider James Bradberry a part of this team still? Have you talked to him at all?

BRIAN DABOLL: He's on the roster. It has not really changed from what Joe has talked about. Joe is coming out here at 1. You guys can talk about that.