SEPTEMBER 1, 2025 BRIAN DABOLL PRESS CONFERENCE…
New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll addressed the media on Monday (VIDEO):
Q: Now that we’re in week 1, I’m curious how you’re going to manage the QB reps in practice?
DABOLL: We’ll have a walkthrough today and focus on today and then as the week goes on, the backup quarterbacks will get a lot of reps on the look teams and then we’ll decide what we want to do on some of the periods, but we’re full steam here on Washington.
Q: In the past, I feel like you basically had the number two quarterback take most of the look team reps. Is that correct? Are you maybe going to split that up a little more? Is that your plan? Is that what you’re saying?
DABOLL: We’ve done it a variety of ways, but we’ll do what we think is best for each week.
Q: I know you say you’re full steam ahead on Washington, but this is the last time to really look back I guess on the preseason because we are in game mode. With (quarterback) Jaxson (Dart) and the plan to develop and that obviously shifts to a different mode now. When you were in the training camp in the preseason, you could manipulate things. Were you focused more on building his confidence or having him deal with adversity or is there a balance there?
DABOLL: Yeah, no, I appreciate the question, but we’re on to the regular season here, so it’s all on to Washington.
Q: Obviously the proof could be in what we see on the roster as far as asking you about your confidence and your comfort level with your offensive line. I mean it’s the same group basically, so can you speak to that a little bit as far as what do you see from those five guys, hopefully (tackle) Andrew Thomas is in there, and the fact that you didn’t make any moves. What does that say?
DABOLL: Those guys do a good job of communicating with one another, have a lot of confidence in all those guys that play those spots. It’s a collective effort offensively. It’s not just on the offensive line, it’s on all the positions and we’re focused on playing good offensive football.
Q: Do you think that a quarterback can make a big difference in how an offensive line plays and how it looks?
DABOLL: Yeah, I think it’s on all 11 guys out there on every play. So, we’ll do what we think is best for all of our guys. Our guys are going to compete as hard as they can, but offensive football is a collective mindset. It’s everybody doing their job at a high level at every position.
Q: Anything on Andrew Thomas for Wednesday, do you have any thoughts yet on, even today, what’s going to happen with him?
DABOLL: Yeah, we’re going to have a walkthrough today and everybody will be out there participating.
Q: Kind of going on that note, whether or not Andrew is available, just how have you felt about (offensive lineman) James Hudson’s development at left tackle?
DABOLL: Yeah, like I said, I think all the guys in the offensive line room, players, coaches have done a good job throughout OTAs, throughout preseason, training camp. So, whoever’s in there will be ready to play.
Q: I guess specifically, like you said, you liked what he’s brought just as far as just filling in and stepping in that role and just holding it down, just his development. Is that what you expected out of him from signing him?
DABOLL: He’s a guy I’m glad we signed. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, just like all the other guys have. Offensive line is five collective guys seeing it through the same set of eyes, or two tight ends, one tight end, whatever it may be. So those guys are doing everything they can do each day to be as productive as they can.
Q: Since you are on to Washington Week, have you decided who the number two quarterback on game day will be?
DABOLL: Yeah, any roster decisions based on who’s going to be in the backup or who this player is going to be, we’ll have that out there on Sunday.
Q: So, does that go for maybe starting positions? Have you decided who won your right guard and cornerback two position battles?
DABOLL: Yeah, we have a good idea of how we’re going to play.
Q: You don’t want to share who’s the starter?
DABOLL: Yeah, that’ll all come out on Sunday.
Q: Then as far as Washington, obviously a team that was in the NFC Championship game last year. I’m sure you guys, I know you’re going to take it one game at a time, I’m sure you guys are not naive to the fact they were in the NFC Championship game last year. Does that help in terms of getting their attention, the idea that maybe this is a chance for us to start hot, make a statement, measuring stick kind of game?
DABOLL: Yeah, I mean our focus is solely on this week on Washington and the players and their schemes. That’s unique about the first game of the season. You don’t know, you can study all the tape you want to study from the previous year schematically, the players, that helps quite a bit, strengths and weaknesses. But, you don’t know how they’re going to play or what they’re going to do different. They’ve had a whole off season to prepare and study and look at the things that they think they can do well. So that’s the first game of the season every year is being able to adjust and do the things you need to in-game. But no question, it’s a good football team. They’re well coached. They improved their scoring offense by nine points, a little over nine points a game from the season prior to that season, which is the biggest increase since 2020 of offensive teams. Six come from behind wins. Excellent special teams unit with three special teams aces in (Commander’ safety Jeremy) Reeves, (Commanders’ linebacker Nick) Bellore and (Commanders’ safety Tyler) Owens. And then a defense that is very opportunistic, that plays fast in the way I know (Commanders head coach) Coach (Dan) Quinn likes to coach. So there’s a reason why they were in that game. Again, our focus is on this year and doing the things we need to do to be as good as we can be.
Q. What do you expect from (Commanders quarterback) Jayden Daniels? You were around (Bills quarterback) Josh (Allen) when he went from rookie to second year and we know you were fond of Jayden as a rookie. What do you expect from him?
DABOLL: I just go off of the tape that I’ve watched. He’s a dynamic football player, he’s accurate, he’s good under pressure, he’s good in situations. He can bring his team from behind, he gives his players opportunities to make plays in the passing game and he’s unique in the running game, the way they utilize him. He’s a tremendous football player, so I expect to see a tremendous football player.
Q. Is there a change at all to how (quarterback) Russell (Wilson) comes into the building for a game week that you’ve noticed?
DABOLL: No, Russ is consistent as they come so his preparation in an OTA, preseason, training camp practice, is at an elite level and I know he’s been doing a lot of film work and I know he’ll show a lot of the young guys, particularly in the quarterback room but meeting with the skill guys, the offensive line, what it looks like from his point of view, which is, I’d say, very good at preparation. He knows the league, he’s done it for a long time, but it’s good to have a guy like that in the room.
Q. I know you said you’re onto this week but when you reflect on the preseason, what were the factors that went into you playing your starters more this preseason than in the past? What’s your confidence level you guys can get off to a better start with that adjusted approach.
DABOLL: Yeah, I appreciate the question again. We’re focused on this week, not much of what’s happened over the last month or last couple weeks. We have a good challenge ahead of us, a big challenge ahead of us, against a team that made it to the NFC Championship game last year and played really good football. Our focus is on us doing the things that we need to do to be as ready as we can be.
Q. You talk about how opportunistic the Washington defense is. From an offensive perspective, you guys have talked turnovers vs takeaways and how big of a difference that is in the NFL. Has it changed through the years or is it just a constant of finding that balance of not losing aggressiveness as a quarterback or play caller but also being wary of knowing how that one big mistake can swing things in the other direction?
DABOLL: I think it’s important for the players to be aggressive, the play callers to be aggressive. There’s a difference between being reckless and aggressive, and you really study how they create the turnovers. What are the situations that you’re in that are prevalent in terms of taking the ball away? How they run to the football, they play with tremendous speed and aggressiveness and they do a great job of gang tackling and get the ball out. It’s more of how they generate the turnovers and the situations that you’re in as an offense that gives them advantages to get the ball out. I never want the quarterbacks to go in and think like, ‘I can’t do this or I can’t do this.’ I want them to be aggressive and make proper decisions. When you have confidence, when you’re out here at practice and they do that, and they’ve shown to do that throughout OTAs, throughout training camp, that’s really where our focus is. How have they created the turnovers that they’ve created? Was it a huge score differential? Did you play a lot of third-and-long or second-and-long situations because they got you in some situations that are good for the defense, bad for the offense? Who are the players that do a good job of getting to the ball and taking the ball away when the running back has it? Our finish level that we need to have to make sure that we’re chasing the ball and getting those extra blocks for the guys that have the ball. How can the line protect inside out? The timing and the rhythm in the passing game. All those things that play into playing good offensive football. You’re always going to have some of those situations come up and you have to do a good job of coaching off of it and then players have to do a good job of going out there and executing when we’re in those situations.
THE PLAYERS SPEAK…
Transcripts and video clips of the media sessions with the following players are available in The Corner Forum and on YouTube:
WHAT’S UP NEXT…
The players are off on Tuesday and there is no media availability to the team. The players return to practice on Wednesday.