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Coach Daboll Weekly Q&A

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Dabs' Digest: 'We've all got to do our job'

WENDYS-BRIAN-DABOLL

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Dabs' Digest, Giants.com's weekly conversation with head coach Brian Daboll:

Q: You seemed to have come up with a winning formula. You're running the ball very well. You're second in the league in rushing attempts. You don't turn it over. Your time of possession is good. (You convert on) third downs. You say you do what you have to do to win that week. That kind of formula seems to be one that would work in a lot of weeks. Would you agree?

Daboll: "I think it depends on the team you play and ultimately how you execute your offense when you're out there playing a high-executing defense. We try to play a complementary game; we've had close games pretty much every game so far. The one that wasn't a one-score game (in Seattle), we turned it over a few times. And then play well at the end of the game and the second half. However we chose to play, it comes down to execution of the plays, ball security, situational football, smart play calls, decision-making. Everybody's got a hand in it, and we've all got to do our job the best we can."

Q: As an offensive coordinator, you developed a reputation as a coach who likes to pass the ball. Everybody remembers the Tampa Bay game last year when the only runs you had in the first half were (Buffalo Bills quarterback) Josh Allen's. Have you used this style in the past?

Daboll: "I have. I had (former running back) Peyton Hillis one year (2010 in Cleveland). That's what we chose to do and how we played. (Former Kansas City Chiefs running back) Jamaal Charles, where we ran the ball quite a bit (in 2012, when Hillis was the backup). I don't subscribe to one set system or one set style. I think that it's just what you have to do to try to win a game. You have to try to put your players in the best positions you think they need to be put in to help you win a game. And ultimately, they have to go out there and execute it. All we try to do each week is come up with things on all three sides that we think that, 'These are our musts. This is what we've got to accomplish.' And if we do, we have a chance. And if we don't, we won't (have a chance)."

Q: You're fourth in the league in time of possession. I was a little surprised when I looked. Buffalo was fifth last year. You have six games in a row with over 30 minutes and six games in a row with at least six third-down conversions. It seems that if you keep the ball away from the other team, which you're doing, it's going to increase your chances to win.

Daboll: "I think time of possession, too, (is a big indication.) Teams that run it more, do they have more time of possession? Probably. But I also think that's an element of executing plays and sustaining drives. I think we're up there in terms of long drives for scores this season. We haven't had a lot of big plays. To march down the field and score without having a lot of plays, that isn't an easy thing to do because a lot of things have to go right. Those series that we are going down to score, we're executing at a high level. And the ones that we're not, we're not."

Q: And if you don't have those chunk plays, does that make the third downs even more critical?

Daboll: "Absolutely, because everybody knows third down for an offense is the hardest down in football. It's a high percentage the other way for the defense having success. And the longer you go, the harder it is to pick up. So, producing on early downs is really critical for us."

View photos of head coach Brian Daboll's time with the New York Giants.