Yesterday, a massive controversy bubbled after New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll wouldn’t commit to veteran quarterback Russell Wilson as the starter for Week 2.

Today, when speaking with the media, Daboll addressed his statements and clarified that Wilson will, in fact, keep his job after a rough first game against the Washington Commanders.

“We’ve got to do a better job collectively coaching, playing. But Russell will be the starter,” said Daboll.

Giants HC Daboll stands behind Russell Wilson

The Giants’ Week 1 offensive performance was incredibly underwhelming. Aside from Wilson not surpassing a 50% completion percentage and being under 4.5 yards per attempt, the whole offense sputtered throughout the day. Running back Tyrone Tracy only ran for 24 yards on 10 carries. The offensive line allowed 22 pressures on Wilson. And Darius Slayton finished with zero catches on one target.

With all of those issues, Daboll made it clear to the media that all of the blame should not be assessed to Wilson. He also clarified his confusing statements on Sunday that he intended to watch the film before committing to anything in the future.

“It’s an emotional game. It’s a tough game,” said Daboll. “Didn’t play particularly well, I would say collectively, but, in terms of making any of those decisions, really at any position or schematic changes, I’d like to do it with a clear head and watch the tape and, again, like I said yesterday, that game … doesn’t fall on Russell Wilson.”

The primary point of Daboll’s comments is to establish that what he said after the game was not a reflection of how the quarterback situation stands. Speculation ran wild that his lack of clarity meant they’d pivot to rookie QB Jaxson Dart in Week 2. He affirmed more directly that Wilson is who they’ll stick with.

However, there is an aspect of Daboll’s statement that we must address. Daboll said, “Any position or schematic changes, I’d like to do it with a clear head and watch the tape.”

That means there was deliberation from the coaching staff on this issue. It wasn’t a forgone conclusion that Wilson would start in Week 2, and this wasn’t a situation where Daboll’s comments were miscontrued. Furthermore, this also serves as a positive sign that the Giants could start Dart in the near future.

The most likely game that Dart will start still appears to be Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints. Their next two games are against the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, and they both looked stout defensively on Friday night of Week 1. The Saints, on the other hand, were as sloppy as expected in their loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

It feels as though we’re inching closer to a Dart takeover. When that will actually be remains unanswered.