Brian Daboll, Giants coach, filled out the majority of his staff on Friday. He also hired the first female coach in Giants history and two new coordinators to New York.
Laura Young was one of the new hires to Daboll. She will be the team’s director for coaching operations, organizing and coordinating practices as well as game-day operations. Her experience in the NFL includes 18 years, including four years with Daboll in Buffalo where she was the Bills player services coordinator.
Mike Kafka will take over as the offensive coordinator, while Don “Wink” Martindale will manage the defense. Thomas McGaughey returns for the fifth consecutive season as special-teams coordinator.
Young will be joined by Bobby Johnson, the offensive line coach of the Bills, and Shea Tierney as quarterbacks coach.
DeAndre Smith was also appointed running backs coach by Daboll. Mike Groh will be the wide receivers coach. Andy Bischoff will supervise tight ends while Tony Sparano Jr. will serve as assistant offensive line coach. Andre Patterson is now the defensive line coach.
Four assistant coaches were retained by Daboll from the team of Joe Judge, who was fired. Jerome Henderson will return as defensive backs coach. Mike Treier will again be there to assist.
Anthony Blevins will take over as assistant special team coach. He was the same position he held from 2018-19 to 2021. Nick Williams will be the special team quality control coach. This is his third assignment in as many years. He previously served as an offensive assistant and was the offensive quality control coach.
The Giants hired Daboll to rebuild a team that had lost five consecutive seasons by double digits, with the last one being 4-13 under Joe Judge.
After being fired by the Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores, the hiring process quickly became controversial. Flores filed a federal suit against the NFL and the Giants as well as two other teams for their alleged racist hiring practices.
Flores, a Black man, claimed that the Giants had interviewed him after they had promised Daboll the job. Flores claimed that the interview was held to ensure the Giants met the NFL’s Rooney Rule requirements. This rule requires two interviews for minority candidates outside of the NFL in order to fill open managerial and coaching positions.
The Giants refuted the allegations.
Kafka was with the Kansas City Chiefs for five seasons, two of them as the quarterbacks coach and coordinator of pass games for Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
It is not clear if Kafka (34), will call the plays. Daboll, the Bills’ offensive coordinator indicated that he would like to call plays, but Joe Schoen, their new general manager, hoped he wouldn’t.
One of the worst offenses in the league is the Giants. The line must be rebuilt, and quarterback Daniel Jones is still a work in process heading into his fourth season.
Martindale, 58 is a veteran coach with 35 years of experience, 17 of which were in the NFL. Martindale spent the Baltimore Ravens’ previous 10 seasons as a coach, with four of those years as the defensive coordinator. After a disappointing 2021 season, he was fired.
Martindale was interviewed for the Giants head coach job in 2020. Judge accepted his offer. Martindale also worked as the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator in 2010. His NFL coaching career began with the Raiders.
McGaughey (48), is currently in his second Giants stint after serving as an assistant special teams coach between 2007 and 2010. He has also been a coordinator with the Jets and San Francisco 49ers, as well as the Carolina Panthers.
Giants opponents averaged 17.8 yards per kickoff return in 2021. This was a NFL-low. Graham Gano made 60 of 65 field goals in the past two seasons.
