If you are just waking up from a year-long nap, Sunday’s game will feel like Bizzaro World when the Titans possess the ball.
Calling the offensive plays will be last year’s Giants head coach Brian Daboll (2022-25).
Calling the defensive plays will be last year’s Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson (2024-25).
They changed teams during the offseason like two ships passing in the night.
Titans head coach Robert Saleh didn’t retain Wilson after he was hired to replace Brian Callahan, the former Titans head coach who is now coaching quarterbacks for the … you guessed it … Giants.
“I’ve known (Saleh) for a while and most of the people on the staff either I worked with or I know,” Wilson said.
“I knew it was time to move on. I’m happy where I’m at. I love being a Giant and I’m not looking back. All respect to that organization and the coaches and the players there. I still talk to (Titans defensive lineman) Jeffrey Simmons all the time and numerous players. So, it’s a lot of love for a lot of people in that building.”
Daboll avoids bulletin-board material – really, any insight into his thinking on any subject – at all costs.
“I’ve faced a lot of former teams before,” Daboll said. “I have a ton of respect for the people in that organization. Very grateful for the opportunity that the Mara and Tisch families gave me, but it’s about our players and getting ready for a game.”
Giants running back Cam Skattebo and receiver Malik Nabers – two young playmakers who Daboll drafted and empowered to have strong personalities – said they lost touch with Daboll after he was fired last November.
“Dabes is my guy,” Nabers said. “Drafted me here, had a good relationship. I implemented a couple routes for myself in (his playbook), so he’s pretty open-minded.”
Free agents Cor’Dale Flott (three tackles), Wan’Dale Robinson (six catches for 47 yards), Daniel Bellinger (one catch for seven yards) as well as offensive linemen Austin Schlottmann and James Hudson III followed Daboll to the Titans for a combined $147 million bill.
Assistant coaches Carmen Bricillo, Shea Tierney and Cade Knox also made the Giants-to-Titans move.
“No bad blood between us,” Robinson said. “Excited to see all those guys.”
The Nabers-Flott matchup, two LSU products, should be full of trash talk.
“No hard feelings,” Flott said. “(General manager) Joe Schoen gave me an opportunity to be in the league now. I went in another direction. I’m just going to compete.”
One Giant who would’ve had emotion seeing Daboll was his handpicked quarterback Jaxson Dart, but he is out for the season and headed for knee surgery Friday.
“Obviously, he’s devastated with what happened,” Daboll said. “Prayers to him. We’re in a competitive industry, but we’re in a human industry, too. It was a tough one to see. I have a lot of respect for him, a lot of love for him, and I know he’ll come back stronger than ever.”
