Q. In your experience, is it typically easier to groom a quarterback who is maybe a little older a prospect or are you better off with a younger prospect who maybe hasn't seen as much?
BRIAN DABOLL: I think every situation is different, regardless of the position, regardless of the player. Obviously guys that have played in the league, that have certain experiences in the league, they've done it for a while, so there are some things that maybe they know that a young guy that hasn't played in the league knows.
Every situation is different, every position is different.
Q. What about in terms of systems? Does a certain system in a college program make it easier or is it also a matter of everybody is different?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I think any team you go to is going to do things differently than the way you've done them in college, so there is a learning curve for every position, for every rookie that I've ever coached, receiver, tight end, offensive lineman, quarterback, defensive back.
I've coached a variety of them, and there is a learning and process that you go through with all young players.
Q. So with the last few workouts you guys had, curious, I know you said you specialize and love doing that; what do you glean going into the last few days of this decision process before the draft? What do you learn, gain, see? How do you take that into your final deliberations this week?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I appreciate the question, understand the question. The draft process is -- we hold those close to the vest. There is still work that needs to be done. To get into the details of this helps, this doesn't help, we'll keep those private.
Q. Maybe just in a general sense. How does it help the process?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, look, you do as much work as you can this time of year for the draft. I really have great appreciation for Joe and the scouts that have put so much time, effort, and energy into this, as they do every year, of being on the road and meeting with people.
You try to catch up the best you can as a coach, so every touch point is important.
Q. What do you like about -- this is day where obviously players are in. First day of the workouts. Couple questions. What do you like about today?
BRIAN DABOLL: Well, you like that the players are back in the building. It's always -- you know, that's what you do as a coach. You sit down, meet with players. This is very introductory in terms of systems and our expectations and our standards, but the relationships that you built with the players that have been on your team, to get to see them and see how they're doing.
And then also the new players you added, to get a feel for those guys, albeit early in the process, but always better when the players are in the building.
Q. As a guy who has been around quarterbacks your whole football career pretty much, do you glean in on seeing like a guy -- Russell was in the building for the first time with a lot of the players. I know he's worked out with them out of the building. Kind of look and see how is he interacting with these guys? He's a guy who is going to be playing a lot. He is a veteran. This is a whole new group. Kind of look from afar or try to facilitate, like just let see how he's doing with the guys early and check on that as things come on?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I think that's important for the quarterback position. Again, Russell has been doing this for a long time, as has Jameis. Both of those guys, I asked them to get up this morning in front of the offense and talk a little bit about their story, kind of where they came from and who is important to them in their life and what's important to them in this game, and they both did a great job.
It's really early in the process, but they understand what leadership is. They've done it in a number of places; expect them to do that here.
Q. I feel like when we talk to you about quarterbacks you talk about intangibles, like how they are crunch time, two-minute drills. Is there a baseline where you need guys to have a certain level of physical traits?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, that goes for every position. You have to be a good player physically. Whether it's speed, quickness, accuracy, decision making. I'm talking about those last two for quarterbacks. Power, ability to bend, redirect.
Offensive lineman get off, ability to cover man to man, play the deep part of the field. I mean, there is obviously a physical skillset. You got to have good players to put yourself in good position that can do the necessary things physically you need them to do.
Q. And you and Joe have gone through the quarterback process multiple times now. Are you aligned in your evaluations of the group this year?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I think, again, the draft, it's really good to start catching up as a coach. Got a lot of work to put in. Our scouts and Joe have been doing a great job. I would say the process has been excellent every year.
There is really good communication, and not just with the quarterbacks, with each position. It's okay to disagree. You're not going to be disagreeable. Everybody has thoughts and opinions of what they evaluate and what they see.
There is great conversations. I mean, I really enjoy our process of how we do it with the assistant coaches, area scouts, national scouts, sometimes the pro scouts, with Joe, myself, people that are kind of in Joe's leadership group, our coordinators.
There is a lot of good give and take, and at the end of the day when you're drafting a player everybody is on board with who you draft and the process which we go through.
Q. Every year you come in there, I'm sure you have like a message to the team, a big overarching message that varies year a little bit. What was your message to this group this year?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, it's early. It's phase one. We're really -- our strength coaches are speaking to our team. Heads from departments are speaking to the team, different departments. Could be nutrition, sports psychology, training room, media relations, myself.
And then we break up. One area goes to lift, the other team, the offense stays to meet and then they flip. It's very introductory right now. We are just getting going here in phase one. Look forward to getting to work.
Q. And then how to you balance your time? You have the team here now and you also have the draft this week. Are you guys -- are you close to being done on the draft side? Where are with that and how do you split your time there?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, Joe goes all the way up. He'll have a good idea what we're going to do, but there is conversations still to be had.
As a coaching staff, myself and the assistant coaches, from the players that are in here, all our focus is on our players and who we have in our building.
Then there will be other meetings after that. That maybe might bring a coordinator in or a position coach that has evaluated a certain guys, someone that was a late add-on.
But there is conversations all the way up until the day.
Q. You guys were as injured at the end of last year as any team I can ever remember. As you get going here -- I know you're not on the field yet -- but as you get going, do you have anybody that you expect to be out for a while? You expect most of the guys injured at the end of last year to get going this spring? Anybody you don't think we'll see until camp?
BRIAN DABOLL: It's early. All the guys that had some injury are rehabbing. They've done a great job throughout that process from the time they been gone up until now.
Q. And then the Giants were nice enough to post like 68 photos online of report day. I don't see one od Malik Nabers. Is he in the building today?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, I'm not going to get into who is here and who is not here. We have very good attendance. The people that are not here, it's for a specific reason and they'll be here shortly.
Q. What happens -- like how do you reach that consensus? You gave us a very good answer on the process. What if it's Wednesday and Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen don't agree on who the third overall pick should be? Or it's Friday and you don't agree on the 34th overall pick. You make it seem like you always reach an agreement. Does that mean somebody has to give in?
BRIAN DABOLL: No. I just really appreciate our process. Having done this a long time in a variety of places, I appreciate our process, our communication, the scouts', the coaches' communication.
Once we come up with who we're taking, regardless of when that is, there is an agreement on all parties. We look forward to bringing that player, whoever that player may be, into our building and try to help develop them.
Q. Along with what Jordan asked in terms of messaging, from your perspective, how much time and thought do you put into the messaging to the team? And maybe it's a bigger scope. The idea of not just today, but three weeks from now and what you want to say for the season's message.
BRIAN DABOLL: Sure.
Q. Or what's important in mini camp. How much do you think of that in terms of when you meet in front of the players and you assemble your coaching staff and things of that nature?
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, quite a bit. I think messaging is important. I think having a detailed plan of how you want to go through each meeting is important.
I give expectations for the position coaches and for the coordinators leading up to this of messaging and things that I think we can do a better job of as a staff and me as a head coach, and then what we're looking to get out of each particular phase, phase one, phase two, phase three.
You don't go too far ahead. You kind of stay where your feet are and put everything in this particular phase one of the program.
But I have obviously things that down the line when it comes to phase two, phase three, touch points I think are important. Those will evolve with getting to know the players, the relationships with the guys, how things are going in phase one, and making sure you adjust and adapt accordingly.
Q. That carries through the entire season, right? That's really a part of your job once you become the head coach, you got to be involved in all of that.
BRIAN DABOLL: Yeah, absolutely. You have good meetings in the offseason with different departments, people responsible for other areas of the building and how I can serve them better and what I can do for them to help with the players. I think that's important, first and foremost, looking at yourself, and then getting ideas.
At the end of the day you have to put things together or present things that you think will be for the benefit of the team. That's certainly what I always try to do. Will always try to do.
Q. I guess what are the conversations like when there is disagreement on a prospect and if you guys aren't aligned on someone? Joe said last week I think he's tasked with making the final decision on a player.
BRIAN DABOLL: It's just that. You just have good conversations. You are together all the time. Been together for a long time.
So again, it's like getting ready for a game. People are going to throw ideas out, plays that might not necessarily be something that you had in mind. Then you open to listen and say, oh, I see it that way.
Again, there is not -- there is very professional conversations that we have and we're all trying to do the same thing: improve our football team.
At the end of our process, whatever that may be, regardless of the position, everybody is entitled to give their thoughts and opinions, which I think are important.
Then you listen to other people. Again, whether that be a scout, position coach, national scout, someone else that's double checking from the other side, whatever it may be. It's professional conversations and you come up with the person or persons that you think would be good in that spot.
First round, second round, third, whatever it may be. And you come to a consensus of this is the player that we want, or players, because you're going to have to have multiple players based on what happens in front of you.
And it's a process that I believe in. I got a lot of respect for everybody's thoughts and opinions and the work that they put in. You put a lot of work into this.
At the end of the day you have your conversations and you come up with a certain amount of players that you would pick in each of those areas.
It's a very good process. I enjoy it. It's a lot of work. The conversations that we have, you know, Joe and I listen to a number of people, and then at the end of the day we'll have a conversation and pick the player we think will best be suited for the New York Giants.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports