New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll isn’t too bothered about the fact many of his players will make their postseason debuts Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings.
“Really the experience is probably overrated, to be honest with you,” Daboll said, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN. “It’s how you prepare, how you practice and, ultimately, how you play the game and coach the game on whatever day it is.”
As Raanan mentioned, nine of New York’s 10 captains have never participated in an NFL playoff game. Quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley, the club’s top two offensive play-makers, are among them.
Daboll has never guided a team into a postseason matchup as a head coach, but he noted he was working as an assistant when “the quarterback didn’t have any playoff experience” but nevertheless helped the New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
That quarterback, of course, happened to be Tom Brady. Daboll and company can only dream of Jones following in Brady’s footsteps beginning with Sunday’s encounter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Barkley voiced his excitement over finally playing in a win-or-go-home playoff contest for the first time since the Giants made him the second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. New York last qualified for the postseason in 2016.
“We’re excited because this is the stuff you dream about as a kid in the National Football League,” Barkley said. “Not many people on this team had an opportunity to play in the playoffs. It has been a tough couple years here, and we finally have our shot.”
Big Blue gave the Vikings a battle on Christmas Eve but lost that game in Minnesota 27-24. According to OddsChecker, multiple sportsbooks listed the Giants as three-point underdogs for the rematch as of Monday afternoon.
As for Barkley and Jones, both currently are set to hit free agency when the new NFL year opens in March. Thus, they may be looking to extend more than just New York’s season against Minnesota.
