Brian Daboll’s only plan is to win

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Brian Daboll insists he’s not conservative, but pragmatic.

The Giants’ coach is interested only in his team having the higher point total in any game, and not the style of play they use to score them.

“Each week, we just do what we think we need to do for that particular game,” Daboll said after the Giants defeated the Houston Texans yesterday, 24-16. “If it’s 60 passes, it’s 60 passes. That’s what we do as a coaching staff. That’s what we’ll always do.”

That’s what he’s charged to do. But the 7-2 Giants have found a formula for success, one that makes it very doubtful Daniel Jones will throw 60 passes in any game. Indeed, if the Giants maintain the pace they established vs. Houston, it will take them 3½ games to reach that total.

Jones threw only 17 passes yesterday, completing 13. The Giants still held the ball for 33:20 and never trailed for the first time this season because their rushing attack once again carried the day. They had 47 rushing attempts, their highest total in 12 years. Saquon Barkley had a career-high 35 for 152 yards and one touchdown.

The Giants are third in the NFL with 164.8 rushing yards a game. Daboll and his staff believe a stout ground game creates their best path to victory. How did they arrive at that conclusion?

“I think it starts after you go through (the process),” Daboll said. “The coaches and the players right now are meeting, going through our game. You make the corrections that you need to make on our game, and then you sit down with the advance scout. You go through the scouting report of the team you’re about to play (the Giants host the Detroit Lions on Sunday). You want to try to use your players’ strengths the best you can.

“It’s Week 11; I think we have a fair idea of what some of those are. But then the coaches sit down. They watch the opponent. They have a lot of discussions. When I’m looking at it, I’m looking at it holistically in terms of the kicking game, defense and offense and just how I think we need to play the game to win. … I’ll give them my thoughts on what I think we need to do collectively to win. And then they do a good job of communicating with each other and coming up with whatever that may be. It could be a certain type of run or a certain type of pass (that) we want to use. And then everything is talked about (and) put in. And we go through situations of what we like. And then I think ultimately at the end of the day, when you’re calling a game, you get a feel for how…