PHOENIX — As soon as the Giants traded for tight end Darren Waller, Brian Daboll went to work in the laboratory.
The head coach’s creative flow did not manifest itself by scratching notes on a piece of paper or opening up the laptop for a digital analysis.
Daboll preferred a marker in his right hand, attacking the white board with a fury of inspiration as he plotted out plays he might be able to use to get the ball in Waller’s hands.
“I’ll give ideas to Mike [Kafka, offensive coordinator] and the offensive staff,’’ Daboll said Tuesday at the NFL meetings. “I’ve got a lot of drawings on the board right now.’’
There will be plenty more drawings added in the coming days and weeks as Daboll learns more about Waller, whom he called “a pretty unique player,’’ before the Giants open their offseason workout program on April 17.
The first part of the roster improvement phase, free agency, imported Waller and inside linebacker Bobby Okereke as the marquee newcomers, on the scene to add explosiveness on offense and run-stopping on defense.
The draft will come at the end of April.
Daboll’s first season as a head coach was a resounding success, but the Giants, after winning a playoff game for the first time in 10 years, were ousted from the postseason in a rout by the Eagles.
Daboll has not forgotten that 38-7 thrashing, and he and general manager Joe Schoen are in lockstep that the assembled talent level must rise before the franchise can take further steps forward.
“What you do one year has no correlation to what you do the next year,’’ Daboll said. “What you do one game has no correlation to what you do the next game. I’m not saying we’re starting at ground zero, because they know our system, there’s a lot of things they know more than they knew last year. In terms of where we’re at and the things we got to do, we’ve got a long climb ahead of us.’’
Daboll was named Associated Press Coach of the Year after the Giants went 9-7-1, and he was amped up when he received the award in early February.
Asked if anyone at the meetings had congratulated him on the honor, Daboll offered a three-word dismissal.
“That’s old news,’’ he said and moved on.
A bit later, when hearing about the high bar he has set due to the Giants’ success in the 2022 season, Daboll quickly shot back, “Yeah, I got smoked in the playoffs.’’
A year ago, Daboll was getting to know Daniel Jones, a quarterback who was heading into the final year of his contract, seemingly about to fight an uphill battle to prove his worth and earn a new deal. Jones did it, and now will reap the rewards of familiarity.
Jones returns to the same offensive system, with Daboll, Kafka and quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney all in place once again.
Jones will have Saquon Barkley (for at least this season) in the backfield; Waller, Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder as new targets; and returning receivers Darius Slayton, Isaiah Hodgins and, back from injuries, Wan’Dale Robinson and Sterling Shepard.
“This is probably the first time [Jones has] had a little bit of consistency,’’ Daboll said. “Daniel will have some of the same guys he threw to back. Some new guys. We’re just going to have to keep evolving on what we do as a coaching staff, he’s gonna have to keep bettering the things we need to get better at. It starts all over again.’’
Daboll and Jones, who signed a four-year contract worth $160 million, are much more comfortable around each other.
A week before the 2022 season opener, Daboll invited Jones over to his house. The conversation turned to the offense and specific plays. “Tell me some other things you really like,’’ Daboll asked. Jones provided a list.
“And then I’d go in the next day and say, ‘Hey Kaf, put these eight plays in,’ ” Daboll said. “That’s evolving as a coach, trying to do what your players do best and what you’re comfortable with.’’
Daboll now knows what Jones prefers, and the quarterback can better anticipate what his head coach wants.
There was a possibility of upheaval on Daboll’s staff, as Martindale interviewed for the Colts head-coach vacancy, and Kafka met with the Panthers, Cardinals and Texans before those teams filled their head-coach openings.
Daboll has his top assistants back for a second year together, and that will benefit the Giants on both sides of the ball.
“You’re with each other for a year,’’ Daboll said. “Does it really matter for that game that you want to win? I don’t know about that. I do know you can draw on experiences that you’ve had, good and bad. ‘Hey, remember when we did this Week 4 last year? Maybe we should tweak this here.’ Just some common language that you have that maybe you didn’t have starting out.
“The biggest thing is getting better as a staff, getting better as players, coming together, that’s really what’s gonna matter most.’’
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