Five days ago, Daboll was calling a Bills offense that amassed 422 yards and 36 points and came within 13 seconds of defeating Kansas City on the road in the divisional round of the playoffs. His work over the past four years to develop Allen into one of the N.F.L.’s best young stars was a top selling point for a team that is also hoping to chart a brighter future for quarterback Daniel Jones, the No. 6 overall draft pick in 2019.
Giants co-owner John Mara took responsibility for not creating an environment in which Jones had a chance to realize his potential, telling reporters earlier this week, “We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up since he’s been here.”
Hiring an offensive-minded head coach should be a step toward offering the kind of stability that Jones, who has already played for three different offensive coordinators, has lacked over his pro career. The Giants don’t know yet if Jones can be their franchise quarterback — they will decide this spring whether to pick up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract — but the team wants to be able to make that determination without the confounding variable of organizational chaos.
Daboll’s N.F.L. coaching career began in 2000 as a defensive quality control coach for Bill Belichick in New England. Nick Saban, whom he had spent the previous two seasons working under as a graduate assistant at Michigan State, recommended him for the job. Daboll later won a national championship with Saban as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017, before joining the Bills.
Allen’s raw talent as a rookie offered in equal parts promise and a project, but over time he and Daboll produced one of the league’s most exciting offenses. While Allen is uniquely talented, Daboll’s experience with a multidimensional quarterback will no doubt be useful as he tries to build a system for Jones, who was once clocked running at more than 21 miles per hour during a game.