The added spotlight of Sunday Night Football can be a double-edged sword for players. Make a highlight reel play and you are the talk of the NFL, dominating social media for the night. New York Giants tight end Darren Waller had a lot of camera on him, but it was for all the wrong reasons.
After missing his block on a third-and-long play that could've sprung WR Wan'Dale Robinson for a big gain, head coach Brian Daboll tore into Waller. And the cameras caught it all. But to Waller, the coach's ire was completely justified.
“I don’t have a problem with it,” the Giants’ tight end told reporters, per the New York Daily News' Pat Leonard. “I’ve had coaches that coach me hard at every level and kind of get in your face. My college coach [Paul] Johnson at Georgia Tech and Coach Daboll’s sideline demeanors are pretty similar. So how fiery he is really doesn’t catch me off guard.”
In that primetime national game, the risk of players feeling shown up is heightened. But Waller is confident that Daboll's outbursts come from a genuine place.
“I mean it can become that for anyone, but it all depends on somebody’s intention,” Waller continued. “I feel like Coach’s intention was, ‘We need that block to try to get that play closer into potentially a better kick or to get points on the board.' So his intention was about the successful play and not so much him trying to be the big dog. You know what I’m saying?”
Of course, Daboll hardly needs justification for being angry with his players, the way the season is going for the 1-5 Giants. But it seems like a positive that, however bad things get, Daboll's players trust that he respects them and is not mugging for the camera when he goes red-faced.
Take the wins where you can get them Big Blue fans.
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