Barber thinks Joe Schoen, Brian Daboll are leaning into the way the best Giants’ teams of old were built
After a pair of wayward seasons, former New York Giants great Tiki Barber believes the team is en route to forming an “Old School Giants” identity.
A guest on the ‘GoLongTD’ podcast with Tyler Dunne, Barber spoke at length recently about his frustrations with a team he said had become “unwatchable,” and how this offseason’s course correction has him feeling better about the team’s outlook.
“I see what they’re attempting to do identity-wise and it starts old school: “We’re going to run the football. We’re going to take some shots. And we’re going to play great frickin’ defense,” Barber told Dunne. “It feels Old School Giants in a way, and I kind of love that.”
Barber said that after going 9-25 the last two seasons after winning a playoff game in the first year of the Joe Schoen-Brian Daboll regime, it was clear that the Giants had to establish what kind of football team they were going to be.
Barber said the over-achieving Giants of 2022 knew what they were.
“It was coaching that got them to that point. And so we knew that they were going to play games tight and hope that one of their “stars” — whether it was Julian Love, whether it was Saquon, whether it was Daniel Jones, whoever — was going to make a play in the fourth quarter that would get them a victory,” Barber said. “And it worked for them. They got to the postseason. They beat the Minnesota Vikings. Dabes won coach of the year. It was a great stepping stone. The problem is, the plan fell apart in the subsequent two years.
“A lot of that was because of injuries. Maybe some of it was Dabes overextending himself in taking over playcalling duties from Mike Kafka. And so they lost themselves in those two years and it became a really unwatchable product. I called a couple of those games and it was just like, ‘What am I even looking at right now?’”
Before bringing Schoen back as GM and Daboll as head coach after an embarrassing 3-14 season, owner John Mara wanted to hear their plan for fixing the mess the team had become. He liked what he heard enough to give them a fourth season.
Daboll admitted that being tougher was part of the plan.
“Toughness all the way through the draft was something that we have talked about, both mental and physical,” the coach said following the draft. “I think you always add that element to your team in both areas. Mentally, the challenges that go with playing professional football and playing in New York, quite frankly, and toughness on the field. I think we did that in free agency and we did that in the draft.
“It’s something that we covet. I thought we did a good job of acquiring players that demonstrate both of those things.”
The best Giants teams have always been built on top-notch defense, physical and mental toughness, and opportunistic play-making from all three areas of the team — offense, defense, special teams.
Barber sees “old school” Giants football in the approach.
“I think this offseason it was, “We have to get back to a plan and create an identity.” And so much of that starts on the defensive side of the ball. And you saw it right in free agency bringing in Jevon Holland and maybe more importantly Paulson Adebo who is a big corner.
“We know that it’s going to be aggressive up front. Obviously Sexy Dexy is back and then there’s Darius Alexander. All those guys that they’ve brought in. It’s going to be about stuffing the front. You draft Abdul Carter. You have Thibodeaux and obviously you have Burns. And so now maybe you can get into that race-car package. Remember that from the Giants in the mid-2000 years when they had those 3D ends on the defensive line all at the same time on rushing situations? So I think it’s to create a tough, versatile defense and limit offensive possessions for the other team.
“And then let’s go make some big plays on the other side. It’s why you get Malik Nabers a year ago. It’s why you bring in Russell Wilson. As odd as a signing that might seem, the one thing that Russ has done consistently over his entire career — even if some of the things he says are corny — on the football field he makes big plays. You see it every single year. Now, he may not be as consistent and mobile as he used to be, but he makes big plays and he’s here to win games for them. So I see what they’re attempting to do identity-wise and it starts old school: “We’re going to run the football. We’re going to take some shots. And we’re going to play great frickin’ defense.”
You can watch the entire episode below. There is a lot more that I have not touched on.
