The New York Giants have touched down in Germany for the team’s first international game of the season, but for head coach Brian Daboll, there’s no place like home.
The Giants are hoping that a new change of scenery will help turn things around when they take on the Carolina Panthers early Sunday morning at Allianz Arena.
New York Giants supporters queue outside the traditional ‘Hofbraeuhaus’ in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, ahead of the NFL match between the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants in Munich on Sunday. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
“It’s an honor for the New York Giants to be here and playing in Germany, and we look forward to it,” Daboll told reporters Friday after landing in Munich.
“Certainly grateful for the opportunity to be here and represent the National Football League here in Germany and look to go out there and compete well,” he later added.
Despite the apparent enthusiasm, coaches and players have long been skeptical of playing NFL games overseas as the travel and field conditions add a layer of unpredictability to their game day preparations.
People in Bavarian clothes pose with an NFL supporter inside the traditional ‘Hofbraeuhaus’ in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, ahead of the NFL match between the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants in Munich on Sunday. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
For Daboll, it seems he’d prefer to be home.
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“At MetLife Stadium,” the coach responded when asked where he would choose to play if he could pick from any stadium in the world. It’s worth noting that the field conditions at MetLife have long been criticized by players in the league for being injury-prone.
Daboll added that the team had an overnight flight, but not everyone was able to sleep.
“You try to adjust your time clocks the best you can. . . . We’ll do our best to get acclimated.”
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll attends a news conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. The New York Giants are set to play the Carolina Panthers in an NFL game at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Sunday. (AP Photo/Lennart Preiss)
Despite Daboll’s preference, the Giants have actually fared well overseas.
They are 3-0 in regular-season games played in Europe, winning in London in 2007, 2016 and 2022. In each of those seasons, New York has reached the postseason, including a Super Bowl title.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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