The New York Giants have begun their search for a new offensive line coach this week. They conducted their first interview with a candidate to fill the vacant position on Wednesday, interviewing Raiders offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo. But Big Blue is bound to cast their net far and wide as they search for their next offensive line coach and one familiar face could become a strong candidate for the job.
Could the Giants bring back a familiar face to coach their offensive line?
Dave DeGuglielmo is a name familiar to Giants fans as he has been with the organization in two separate stints during his coaching career. However, DeGuglielmo is currently out of a job and the Giants are once again out of an offensive line coach.
DeGuglielmo’s most recent stint in MetLife Stadium came in 2020. He replaced the terminated Marc Colombo as the Giants’ offensive line coach midway through the season before leaving the NFL to coach at the collegiate level for Louisiana Tech in 2021.
While DeGuglielmo’s second stint with Big Blue didn’t go as planned, he was a member of the Giants’ Super Bowl championship staff in 2008. DeGuglielmo served as an assistant offensive line & quality control coach for the G-Men from 2004 to 2008, leaving in the offseason to coach for the Miami Dolphins after winning Super Bowl XLII with Big Blue.
DeGuglielmo has coached all around the NFL and the collegiate football scene dating back to 1991. He’s had an incredibly successful coaching career and is regarded as an excellent coach, though, he’s not without his flaws.
Dave DeGuglielmo was recently fired from Boston College
A third stint with the G-Men could be possible for DeGuglielmo as he seeks the next chapter of his coaching career following his exit from Boston College’s football program. DeGuglielmo was with the Eagles for just one season after their offensive line turned in a historically bad campaign:
That marks just one season on the Heights for Coach Guge after being hired last offseason. The 2022 regular season was possibly the worst ever season for an offensive line in Boston College history. After losing all five 2021 OL starters to the draft, graduation, or injury, the 2022 unit struggled out of the gate and did not improve much over the course of the year, especially as they became even more injured themselves. As a result, BC was dead last in the FBS as a rushing attack, averaging just 63.2 rushing yards per game.
Curtis Flannery of SB Nation’s BC Interruption on Dave DeGuglielmo’s firing from Boston College
Why the Giants should go in a different direction
Not only was DeGuglielmo recently fired for coaching a bad unit, but he also has a personality type that might not mesh well with the Giants’ new culture. DeGuglielmo is known for having an abrasive and aggressive personality which might not fit in with head coach Brian Daboll.
“He’s a really good coach with an abrasive personality who can really rub people the wrong way,” writes Ed Valentine of SB Nation’s Big Blue View. “…Still, DeGuglielmo’s resume raises as many questions as it answers.”
Considering what just went down with Wink Martindale, it’s probably best for the Giants to avoid adding any more coaches with abrasive personality types to their coaching staff for the time being. While DeGuglielmo is a coach well-respected by many within the Giants’ organization, it would be best for the team to go in a different direction.
