Frustration boiled over on the sideline following the second blowout the New York Giants have had to endure by the hands of the Dallas Cowboys this season. But running back Saquon Barkley was quick to downplay any tension between himself and head coach Brian Daboll.
Barkley addressed the “animated discussion” that took place during the game's first half. It followed a Giants drive that ended with a turnover on downs.
“We didn’t get the conversion on the 4th and 3. Was I frustrated we didn’t get it? Yes. So maybe it was a sign of frustration but there was no argument or nothing like that,” Barkley told reporters, per FOX Sports' Ralph Vacchiano.
Nothing new for Daboll
Sunday wasn't the first time Brian Daboll was engaged in some heated rhetoric with one of his players. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor and tight end Darren Waller have both been on the receiving end of Daboll's wrath after a mistake.
Both players brushed off any suggestion that the coach was inappropriate or out of line for how he addressed them. It sounds like Barkley was more blowing off steam, rather than engaging in a back-and-forth with Daboll.
There's plenty for the Giants to be frustrated about. Coming off a 2022 season that featured a 9-7-1 record and a playoff victory, the team has taken a giant leap back.
New York's second loss to the hated Cowboys lowered its record to 2-8. The Cowboys outscored the Giants 89-17 in the season series. Every other team in the NFC East has at least doubled the Giants' win total to date.
At this point, the playoffs are out of the question. Daboll must make sure his locker room doesn't resort to in-fighting, or this ugly season could somehow get uglier.