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By Robert Marvi
Contributing Sports Writer
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Days after firing Brian Daboll, the New York Giants continue to conduct a search for their next permanent head coach. While Mike Kafka, their interim head coach, could eventually end up getting the job, one has to assume that they would prefer to hire someone who is more proven and has more experience.
The Giants are 2-9, but they do seem to have some building blocks for the future, including rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart. Therefore, they will need to get this decision right, especially considering they have made the playoffs just twice since winning the Super Bowl championship during the 2011 season.
Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer wrote in a recent mailbag that Robert Saleh, who is the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator under head coach Kyle Shanahan, could become a serious candidate for New York's head coaching vacancy. Breer even surmised who Saleh may hire to be his offensive coordinator should he get the job.
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"He’ll interview well, he’s very close with a lot of the Shanahan-[Sean] McVay tree offensive coaches (so finding a good OC won’t be a chore), and he’ll be able to energize a franchise that’s fallen on hard times," Breer wrote. "I could see the [Tennessee] Titans or the Giants taking a long look at him, paired potentially with a Mike McDaniel (if he doesn’t make it in Miami) or Mike LaFleur to run the offense."
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San Francisco first hired Saleh to be its defensive coordinator in 2017 after he had served three years as a linebackers coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played a big role in the team's quick rise from the basement to the top of the NFC, and he helped it reach the Super Bowl while becoming a defensive powerhouse in 2019.
He left following the 2020 season to become the New York Jets' head coach, but after he was fired midway through last season, he returned to the Bay to reclaim his old role with the Niners. While the Niners' defense showed signs of improvement early this season, it has regressed more recently after a rash of injuries that sidelined defensive end Nick Bosa and middle linebacker Fred Warner for the season.
The fact that Saleh has been a head coach in the New York City media market before certainly couldn't hurt his chances of landing the Giants' head coaching job.
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While the Giants are one of the NFL's worst defensive teams, they do have viable players to build around on that side of the football. Outside linebacker Brian Burns is second in the league with 13 sacks, and fellow pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is a rising stud. Abdul Carter, the No. 3 pick in April's draft and last year's Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, has had an underwhelming rookie year, but his potential remains intact.
It is thought that other candidates for the Giants' head coaching job include Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy and possibly even controversial former coach Jon Gruden. Per Jordan Raanan of ESPN, this job is "highly coveted" across the NFL due to the team's young and promising core.
For more on the Giants and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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