When Brian Daboll may have known he was about to be fired by Giants

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton said that "it was definitely a shock" that head coach Brian Daboll was fired less than 24 hours after the Giants fell to 2-8 on the season via a 24-20 loss at the Chicago Bears.

It appears others within the Giants were less than stunned that Daboll was shown the door ahead of Thanksgiving. 

Why some Giants players "weren't surprised" by firing of Brian Daboll

"Several players told ESPN that word of the decision to fire Daboll spread before Monday's team meeting at 1 p.m. local time," ESPN's Jordan Raanan revealed in a piece published Thursday. "Some players found out while in a bible study session when the news went public at 12:43 p.m. They weren't surprised because several players noticed Daboll's postgame message the previous day was unusually curt. In retrospect, they viewed it as being resigned to his fate."

A report surfaced on Nov. 6 claiming that Giants ownership was ready to fire Daboll after the club surrendered 33 fourth-quarter points en route to suffering a brutal 33-32 loss at the Denver Broncos on Oct. 19 before "cooler heads prevailed." The defeat in Chicago was the fourth time this season that the Giants squandered a double-digit lead in what became a loss. Meanwhile, the Giants have gone 11-33 since the start of the 2023 campaign. 

How Brian Daboll didn't do himself any favors other than his record

Daboll's outbursts during games and behind the scenes, along with his alleged temper, reportedly resulted in then-defensive coordinator Don "Wink" Martindale "mutually" agreeing to part ways with the Giants in January 2024. That same offseason, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka reportedly wanted to speak with the Seattle Seahawks about their OC opening but was blocked from doing so by the Giants. The Giants later added assistant head coach to Kafka's title, and he's now the club's interim head coach. 

"One player recently told ESPN of Daboll exploding and threatening to take away playcalling from assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Kafka after tight end Theo Johnson dropped a crucial third-down pass downfield against the [Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 26]," Raanan added. "Meanwhile, Daboll had already taken playcalling from Kafka at times during the 2023 season and then full-time for 2024. That didn't go well to the point that [Giants co-owner John Mara] made a point of recommending he give it back to Kafka this season."

Kafka now has an opportunity to win the full-time gig if he can help prove that the Giants roster "is significantly better" than the team's record indicates. As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had the Giants as 7.5-point underdogs for this coming Sunday's home game versus the Green Bay Packers (5-3-1).