New York Giants offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said Thursday that he will call plays from upstairs Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys, giving the team a different game-day setup for a nationally watched matchup.
Nagy said the change is familiar territory in some ways. During the preseason, he experimented with calling plays from the sideline and from a booth high above the field, and he said Thursday that the box gives him a better overall view of what is happening on the field.
Why Nagy prefers the booth
“You can see a lot more from up there,” Nagy said, adding that the sideline removes some of the back-and-forth communication that comes with being near the players and coaches. At the same time, he said there is “a calm in the box” that helps him process the game and make quicker decisions.
Nagy also said he trusts the people around him to relay what they are seeing in real time. If he needs to connect directly with quarterback Jaxson Dart, he said, “we’ve got the telephone, too.”
This will also be Nagy’s first time in the role as a play caller with the offensive coordinator job, a point he acknowledged while explaining why the booth feels like the best fit for this game. He said he has “always been down on the field,” but noted that he spent one year in the box when he was a quality control coach.
How Nagy got here
Nagy pointed to the coaching foundation he learned in Philadelphia under Andy Reid and Marty Morningweg, then carried to Kansas City and Chicago before arriving with the Giants. He said that background shapes how he views the job now.
“It’s our offense,” Nagy said. “It’s no other offense from prior history. You know, it’s ours.”
The setup also matters because the Giants are preparing for Sunday night football against the Cowboys, a stage Nagy described as one with “a lot of emotions going on.” He said the goal is to help Dart play fast and stay himself, adding, “He’s a special talent.”
For Nagy, the move upstairs is about seeing the game better, keeping the communication clean and giving the Giants the best chance to settle into a fast start. “Cut it loose and have fun,” he said.
