USATSI

What a difference a year makes. One year ago, the New York Giants were working in another first-year head coach following a 4-13 campaign. They had a big question mark at quarterback and holes to fill on the roster. Fast forward a year later and the Giants are coming off a 9-7-1 campaign and their first playoff win in over a decade. 

Head coach Brian Daboll orchestrated a quick turnaround in 2022, and won Coach of the Year because of it. Daniel Jones had the best season of his young career, as he completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, while Saquon Barkley got back on track with a career-high 1,312 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. This offseason brought forth some victories as well, as the Giants agreed to terms with Jones on a four-year extension and acquired former Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller for just a third-round pick. 

Daboll is quite the popular man in New York right now, and team owner John Mara recently joked during an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he's warned his head coach to remain humble. 

"We kid him, I mean, right now, he's Bono walking around New York City," Mara said. "But I've told him, I've said, 'In this business, it doesn't take long to go from Bono to Bozo. So don't get your head too big right now.' But he has been great."

The former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator has every right to feel like Bono right now. What he accomplished in 2022 was very impressive. Now, it's about building off of that success, and maintaining it in what historically has been an unpredictable division.