Giants HC Brian Daboll Jokes He Can Run a 40-Yard Dash in Under 7 Seconds

Highlights

Giants head coach Brian Daboll jokingly claims he could run a seven-second 40-yard dash for Buffalo wings.
Daboll’s claim comes during a
Hard Knocks
clip showing wide receiver Rome Odunze’s 40-yard dash.
The Giants eventually drafted LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers, not Odunze, highlighting the draft’s inexact nature.

We all, at least sometimes, think that we can perform at the same level as a professional athlete. Almost none of us can, obviously, and even retired pros can no longer perform at that level.

Then there are those who played sports at a high level in high school and/or college, but never were quite good enough to be pros.

Finally, there’s New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who was either joking or was delusional when he claimed he could run the 40-yard dash in seven seconds flat. At least if he had a certain type of incentive.

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At least he’s funny

It was obviously a joke, but Daboll still took flack from other Giants front-office personnel. Perhaps because he stated his case with such confidence.

Daboll was a letterman and two-year starter at safety at the University of Rochester, and he lettered in football in high school, too. So he was fairly athletic in his youth.

That said, it’s still pretty hilarious to hear the 49-year-old Daboll, who isn’t exactly svelte and muscular, crack wise that he could run a seven-second 40. That would be less than three seconds behind the prospect shown running a 4.47 40-yard dash.

Daboll then makes it clear he’s joking by saying he’d need an incentive in the form of Buffalo wings to achieve that time. This all takes place during a clip from Hard Knocks: Offseason With the New York Giants on HBO.

The show follows the Giants front office as the coaches and executives work towards the draft and free agency. The 45-second bit of levity with Daboll trying to assert his straight-line, short-distance speed came as he and other members of the front office and coaching staff watched wide receiver Rome Odunze, who ended up drafted by the Chicago Bears, run a 40-yard dash.

Joe Schoen, the Giants’ senior vice president and general manager, then asks, “so you think you can be less than three seconds behind him?” before cracking into a big grin.

Daboll repeats the claim and then asks Tim McDonnell, the Giants’ director of player personnel, if McDonnell thinks Daboll can do it. McDonnell just shakes his head and mouths the word “no.”

Then McDonnell notes that he’s seen Daboll run, implying he knows how slow Daboll is.

It’s all fun in that moment, but selecting the best rookie in the draft actually requires a lot of work — and it’s not an exact science. While Odunze is shown in the clip, the Giants eventually took LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers at number six.

Odunze, who played college football at the Unversity of Washington, fell to the Bears at number 9. Some pundits had Odunze as a better prospect than Nabers, though Nabers still had an outstanding college career.

Perhaps Daboll was just trying to keep the mood light as the Giants’ staff went through the grueling, work-intensive process of trying to draft the best player. Or maybe the workouts got a little boring and Daboll wanted to provide some entertainment.

That’s hard to say — though it’s unlikely Daboll was serious. Unless there really are wings at the end of the 40 yards. Few among us wouldn’t sprint for wings.

Source: Ari Meirov

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.