Giants Coaching Staff Facing Crossroads

Change is never easy nor fun when it's staring you right in the face, especially after a difficult stretch in which expectations fell far below what should have been. And for the New York Giants, who came into the 2023 season with high expectations for themselves following a 9-7-1 playoff berth the year before, the prospect of change is certain to occur inside 1925 Giants Drive.

As usual, there will be players on this year's roster who aren't back next year, replaced by new faces, a topic to be discussed another time. But the first step in implementing change will start with the coaching staff, the group of men and women responsible for running the football program in a way that breeds success.

At the forefront of the potential changes lie the three coordinators: Mike Kafka of the offense, Wink Martindale of the defense, and Thomas McGaughey of the special teams units. Whose seat is the hottest, and does it make sense to do a clean sweep and replace all three?

Mike Kafka

Of the three coordinators, Kafka, a hot head coaching commodity last year, probably faces the best odds of being replaced. To be fair, injuries hit the offensive side of the ball this season harder than they did the defensive side--left tackle Andrew Thomas, right tackle Evan Neal, quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley, and tight end Darren Waller all missed large chunks of the season. That forced the Giants, who had been counting on lots of formations with those five players on the field, to improvise, something they didn't seem ready or able to do.

The stats support it. The Giants' offense currently sits 30th in the league (271.6 yards per game), and its passing game, which was supposed to be opened this year, sits 32nd (161.3 yards/per game).

The running game is at 16th (110.3 yards per game), which isn't bad, but the offensive line is on pace to allow the second most sacks in league history, with quarterbacks being sacked at a league-worst 17.15 percent of their pass attempts. The team's 15.3 first downs allowed per game ranks dead last; its third-down conversion rate (29.49 percent) is 31st; its goal-to-goal conversion rate 26th (64.71 percent); and its points per game (14.9) is 30th.

The sum of all that, combined with some questionable play calls, such as what they ran on the final drive of last week's game in having Saquon Barkley try to run on a second down rather than attempting a pass, and the decision about the future at offensive coordinator is clear.

Kafka is not to blame for the injuries. The offensive line debacle is also not wholly his to own, as the job done by Bobby Johnson in getting guys ready to step in has left a lot to be desired.

But the head-scratching decisions and the inability to adjust to the injuries? That lies largely on Kafka as the offensive play-caller, even though it's unclear how much of the mess that is the Giants offense lies at the hands of Daboll.

But Daboll isn't the one who's on the hot seat. And with the Giants likely to bring in a new quarterback this year--they'd be foolish not to dip into the draft class where the quarterback talent is deep--Daboll, who has his roots as a play caller, is likely to take a major hands-on role in the development of a potential franchise quarterback, which could also include taking over the play-calling duties since Daboll's legacy would be tied into a quarterback he was responsible for hand-selecting.

Kafka? The feeling was that if he wanted a head coaching job, he might be better off starting at the college level. If the Giants do not retain him, it still feels like that's the direction his career path will take.

And if Kafka and the Giants do part, the most logical replacement would be Shea Tierney, currently the quarterbacks coach and a trusted Daboll advisor. Tierney would probably be the offensive coordinator in name only, with Daboll taking on the play-calling duties.

Wink Martindale

From a statistical perspective, Wink Martindale's defense wasn't much better than the offense. The unit currently sits 28th overall (365.6 yards/game), 29th against the run (132.4 yards/game), 20th vs. the pass (233.3 yards/game), 31st in sacks per pass attempt (5.31 percent), tied for 27th in first downs allowed (20.8), 24th in the red zone (61.4 percent), and 28th in points allowed per game (24.8).

Whereas the offense dealt with injuries, the defense has dealt with youth, particularly in the secondary. That unit, which has seen rookie Deonte Banks step in at cornerback and, more recently, Dane Belton at safety, has held its own. The result is the Giants have the 10th-best interception rate in the league (2.93 percent)

The pass rush, which has long been missing a true "Batman and Robin" duo--it has Kayvon Thibodeaux, but Azeez Ojulari has been a disappointment--desperately needs another threat. Linebacker Bobby Okereke has been a godsend, and Dexter Lawrence is still Dexter Lawrence.

The problem with Martindale lies in the reported friction with Daboll. Both men are alphas. Both have a much different communication style; Daboll seems a lot more reserved with the media, reluctant to give them a headline. In contrast, Martindale isn't afraid to speak his mind, such as when Xavier McKinney questioned whether the coaches were hearing the team's leaders.

The friction has reportedly been so bad that it led noted NFL insider Jay Glazer of FOX Sports to report mid-year how it wouldn't be surprising if a mutual parting between Daboll and Martindale was imminent.

While no one is irreplaceable, if Daboll does move on from Martindale, that would be a mistake. The Giants' defense has its warts, but it also has a more solid foundation in place, unlike the offense, which needs major work from a schematic, play-calling, and personnel perspective--a project that is going to require every ounce of Daboll's energy in the coming off-season and 2024 season.

To have to potentially start over with a new defensive coordinator, even one as experienced as, say, Leslie Frazier, who held that role with the Bills before stepping back, puts the defense at risk of taking a step back if the players now must learn a new system, or if the currently rostered players suddenly don't fit whatever a new system calls for.

Again, Martindale won't be here forever. But if he moves on due to a personality clash with the head coach that just can't be resolved, that would be a big mistake given the timing and what lies ahead with the offensive reconstruction.

Thomas McGaughey

McGaughey is a rare bird in that he's survived three head coaches in a row, a telling factoid that shows how well respected he is at his craft. But critics will look at the Giants special teams performances over the last several years and argue that his time has run out.

First, a look at some current stats. The Giants punt coverage unit is seventh in the league )6.9 yards/return), and the kickoff return coverage unit is 23rd (24.2 yards/return). In the return game, the Giants are ranked 18th on punt returns (8.8 yards/per return) and 30th (19.2 yards/ per return) in kickoffs.

Not bad. Not great, but not bad.

McGaughey always likes to compare special teams with making gumbo with the "ingredients" he's given. Last year, for example, the punt gunner play was abysmal; that was more of a result of the defense needing Nick McCloud (arguably the Giants' best special teamer) for the defense.

This year, thanks to steady gunner play, the Giants' punting unit has looked much better, including the occasionally inconsistent Jamie Gillan.

And speaking of punting, general manager Joe Schoen took ownership of the botched decisions regarding punt returner, though he's since fixed that with the team's signing of Gunner Olszewski.

Place-kicking? For the first time in his coaching career, McGaughey has had to go through four different kickers. He's currently saddled with Mason Crosby, whose kickoff leg isn't what it used to be--and that has factored into the kickoff return average allowed to opponents.

To be fair, McGaughey isn't completely blameless for special teams shortcomings. The blocked punt against Dallas? That was an assignment error by a player resulting from some confusion that may or may not have been addressed in meetings. Not getting the right number of guys on the field? That's a coaching issue.

But overall, McGaughey, who admittedly isn't as creative as John "Bones" Fassel of the Dallas Cowboys, is probably the least of the problems and probably has as good of a chance of being retained as anyone.

Final Thoughts

The likelihood of head coach Brian Daboll replacing all three coordinators this off-season would be far too large of a risk to take. Although the record isn't good, the house doesn't need to be completely demolished and rebuilt. There are plenty of solid core young players on this roster that the team can work with and who would likely benefit from consistency regarding the scheme.

The offense, though, appears to be the biggest and most pressing problem that needs to be addressed, and it would be surprising if that's not where there is the most turnover on the coaching staff this off-season, both at the coordinator and position assistant levels.

If Daboll plans to take more of a hands-on role with the offense--and that would seem to make the most sense--it might just behoove him to leave the leadership of the defense and special teams in place until he can at least get the offense back up and running at a respectable level.