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Brian Daboll, Leslie Frazier both to interview for New York Giants head coach job

The new GM has some familiarity

Matt Warren is Associate Director of NFL coverage for SB Nation and previously covered the Bills for Buffalo Rumblings for more than a decade.

Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen was hired by the New York Giants to run their football operation and the new GM is wasting no time going to his well of former colleagues in Western New York.

On Friday, Schoen interviewed Buffalo’s offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for their head coaching vacancy and he’s also expected to interview defensive coordinator/assistant head coach Leslie Frazier Saturday.

Schoen said in a statement released by the Giants, “My immediate focus is to hire a head coach, with who I will work in lockstep with to create a collaborative environment for our football operations.”

The Giants have already requested an interview with Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and are expected to request an interview with former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores.

Frazier and Daboll have both interviewed for openings with the Dolphins and Chicago Bears, as well. If the Bills win this weekend, the coaches won’t be able to interview again until after the AFC Championship Game. They can’t be officially hired until Buffalo’s season is over, either with a loss or winning the Super Bowl.

Daboll, who has served as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator and play-caller since the 2018 season, makes a lot of sense for teams searching for an offensive-minded head coach. He has overseen a Bills offense that has become one of the NFL’s best and highest-scoring offenses. In 2020, he was named the NFL’s Assistant Coach of the Year by the Associated Press.

Passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey is the most likely replacement for Daboll, should he get a head gig somewhere else.

Leslie Frazier would provide a calming influence to the scattered Giants, or any team looking to settle down a rocky situation. He would likely hire an offensive mind to run that side of the football in the same way Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott has done in Buffalo with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll. Other than the calming demeanor, Frazier has led an outstanding defense since coming to Buffalo and has shown an ability to defend the pass in ways many other coaches have failed. He was a finalist for the Houston Texans head coach job a year ago.

Defensive line coach Eric Washington makes the most sense as a potential replacement for Frazier. Washington led the Carolina Panthers defense a year after current Bills coach Sean McDermott left. Defensive backs coach John Butler is another interesting name.