Brian Daboll: Kadarius Toney ‘working back,’ more takeaways

Brian Daboll ran his first game as an NFL head coach on Thursday night, seeing his New York Giants defeat the New England Patriots, 23-21, in their preseason opener.

On Kadarius Toney’s absence ...

Toney, the second-year wide receiver and 2021 first-round pick, was one of the players who did not make the trip to Foxboro, Mass. The Giants have appeared to be managing Toney’s reps throughout camp as he returns from offseason knee surgery. He reportedly left practice early on Tuesday.

“I hope so,” said Daboll when asked if Toney would return to practice during the upcoming week. “I think he is working hard. Again, everything we do, we talk about and try to do what’s best for the players, so we’ll see. They’ve had a couple of days here, yesterday, today, tomorrow, and recover and see where we’re at.”

Daboll would not get into specifics of Toney’s injury, simply saying he is “working back.”

On not calling offensive plays ...

Daboll has, of course, been an offensive coordinator several times. He was hired by the Giants after running the Buffalo Bills offense the past few seasons.

“I tell you when it was strange was before the game and the night before. You’re going through so many things in your head and thinking about situations. Whether it’s the preseason, regular season, or the playoff game, whatever it may be. You know, it’s a tough job to call plays, and you have to really put a lot of time and effort and energy into it, and Mike [Kafka] has done a good job with it.,” Daboll said. “Again, it’s his first game. Certainly there’s no game-planning going on, but, again, the operation of calling it, getting it in quick to the quarterback, giving little reminders. I thought he did a good job.”

On offensive lineman Ben Bredeson ...

With Lemieux and Douglas injured, Bredeson, fighting for a roster spot as a backup center/guard, played a monstrous 64 snaps and did well.

“I think he has had a good camp. He has been flexible for us inside and snapping and also playing guard. He is smart, tough, dependable,” Daboll said. “Again, I have to go back and watch all the tape, but boy, is he competitive on the sideline too. Tells you what he sees. Good communicator. He is a good player for us.”

Sounds like a player you can pencil in as a backup guard ... provided he remains healthy.

On Aaron Robinson’s tough night ...

“I thought he competed well. You are playing corner. You are playing a lot of man-to-man. In the preseason gets a good evaluation, and I thought he competed,” Daboll said. “We’ll learn from that penalty that we had down there, but I thought he competed.”

On the sideline operation ...

“I thought the organization on the sideline was good. Didn’t have any wasted timeouts on substitution errors or getting calls in late,” Daboll said

“I lost the challenge. I was upset about that. That was my first one. I just thought the coaches did a good job in their respect. I think Wink had his staff really organized. Kafka did a really good job. I think he communicated well throughout the game,” Daboll said. “Again, we’re not making a ton of adjustments here. I was pleased with that. Again, pleased with the substitutions. It’s our first step. I’m pleased with the way they competed, but we’ll go back and watch the tape and learn from it and try to get better.”

No wasted timeouts? That is something we got used to seeing the last two seasons, so that was good.

On why Daniel Jones played a second series ...

Jones returned to the game after a 12-play opening drive.

“I was going to play him the first quarter. That was the plan. I kind of stay true to plan, and then we played with Tyrod the second quarter, and Davis the last two,” Daboll said. “So, in terms of the play time, most of it stuck true to what we talked about before the game. There were things we had to adjust here or there based on a guy coming out, but I thought the coaches did a really good job. They were organized with that and just keep on grinding away.”

On Sandro Platzgummer ...

The Austrian running back carried three times for 21 yards, including a 15-yard run, on the game-winning drive.

“We were down there towards the end of the game, and there were some guys that hadn’t played yet, so I wanted to make sure that everybody that came on the trip had an opportunity to play,” Daboll said. “That’s not the easiest situation either when they’re trying to rip at the ball, and you’re not loose, and you warmed up. He is such a good young man. I was happy for him. I think his teammates were too.”

On the debut of Roy Mbaeteka ...

The 6-foot-9 Nigerian left tackle played the final three snaps, the first three snaps of football the 22-year-old has ever played.

“Just impressed. I can’t imagine coming to a different place and playing a sport you haven’t really played all your life. The communication, I mean, where to put your knee pads, how to turn them. There are so many things that you just take for granted,” Daboll said. “He is such a good young person. He is physically talented, and we’re working with him every day to help him learn this game the best we can.”