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Dart Concussion Plus Meltdown in Chi-Town Puts Brian Daboll in Crosshairs

 This has to be it. 

There is no coming back from this for Brian Daboll.

A head coach is responsible for three things: win games, establish a culture of success, and protect your players, even from themselves.  Unfortunately for Daboll that didn't happen in Sunday's disheartening 24-20 loss to the Chicago Bears in snowing Chicago. 

Not when quarterback Jaxson Dart left this game with a concussion, and didn't return. And in his post game comments, Daboll all but admitted that he had the quarterback he practically hand-picked in the NFL Drat last April, back onto the field with a concussion. 


When pressed by the media when Dart suffered the concussion, Daboll said he wasn't sure. 

 “As he was going back out on the field, it just didn’t seem right, so I called the trainers over and said, ‘Let’s get him out and make sure he gets looked at,’ Daboll told reporters. ”He went in and got looked at and he ended up being evaluated for a concussion.”

However it appeared the Dart might have suffered the concussion when he got sandwiched between a pair of Bears players, and fumbled the football while diving head-first on a second and six play, with the Giants leading 17-7 with 5:06 to play in the third quarter. 

Dart appeared woozy as he tried to get up off the ground. 


 

After the Bears converted the turnover into three-points to cut the deficit to 17-10, Dart went back out for the first play of the Giants ensuing drive and completed a three-yard pass. Then he was gone. 

Dart left the game after throwing for 242 yards, and rushing for 66-more yards and scoring two touchdowns. He even set a league record becoming the first quarterback to score a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games. 

The problem is twofold. Once Dart left this contest the Giants offense disappeared. Russell Wislon couldn't rally the troops as Big Blue blew its fourth game with a fourth-quarter lead this season to drop to 2-8. 

Moreover, this was the fourth time this year that Dart has been evaluated for a concussion. And twice this year Daboll has come under fire for the way he handled his quarterback's health scare. Earlier this year, Daboll committed a NFLPA violation when he entered the blue tent, and later implored that Dart get back into a game against the Philadelphia Eagles back in October. 

The Giants were subsequently fined $200,000 by the League office, with $100,000 coming from Daboll's own wallet. 

Yet, the coach hasn't learned a thing. He continued allowing his franchise quarterback to take huge hits.   Last week vs. San Francisco, Dart was seen crouching down on the sideline in pain after taking a hit against the 49ers. 

Now he's had to leave a game entirely. 

Dart is known to be extra aggressive on the field, and with injuries to Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, perhaps he feels it's on him to will the Giants to victories.  He takes way too many chances, rarely slides and has a propensity to use his body as a battering ram. How Daboll and the Giants have addressed this is behind closed doors, but it is clear that it isn't working. 

Daboll's first order of business is to protect his greatest assets, and in this case the quarterback he coveted and vouched for, should be his Number One priority when it comes to safety. 

Daboll has taken his plethora of heat from Giants' fans, many of whom want the coach fired as soon as the sun rises on Monday morning. 

The question is whether ownership has the appetite to do that. Bear in mind, both Daboll and General Manager Joe Schoen were on the proverbial hot seat entering the season.  

Also bear in mind that while owner and CEO John Mara explicitly stated last January that he wanted to see improvement, he's had his own personal battles of late with cancer. Is he ready to make a move now in the middle of all of this?  

If Dart can't go on Sunday against Green Bay, it will be Russell Wilson. The question is will Brian Daboll be there on Sunday? The Giants are in the midst of a five game skid, and it won't get any easier with games against the Packers, Lions and Patriots upcoming. The Giants bye week is not until Week 14. By then they could be 2-11. 

Dart's health isn't the only concern for Daboll. His defense has been awful, giving up 75 points in the fourth quarter in the last four games. Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen has taken plenty of heat as well from fans and media alike, and it might be time, if Daboll is to withstand Monday, to move on from his D.C. 

But the facts are the clock is definitely ticking now on the Giants head coach.  And the sad part is, it could have been avoided. 

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