The New York Giants took a lot of heat after selecting Daniel Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Some fans completely lost it:
Some fans booed excessively:
Some fans, even, well:
The point is, this move was not exactly well-received among the fan base.
But Giants general manager Dave Gettleman didn’t care. He was “in full-bloom love.” He knew what he was looking for in his franchise quarterback. And, in the end, he got his guy.
Three games into the 2019 preseason, maybe Gettleman wasn’t so crazy after all.
The former Duke quarterback has been good. Like, really good. He’s completed 25 of 30 passes while throwing for 369 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He’s blocked out the noise, shrugged off the haters, and just gone out and delivered. It’s been quite impressive to watch, really.
And now, just like that, everyone seems to be changing their minds on young Jones — maybe he actually is the next great New York Giants quarterback. Or maybe people just need to take a page out of the Aaron Rodgers playback and R-E-L-A-X.
I’m not saying the young quarterback won’t prove Gettleman right. I’m just saying folks need to take a step back from the platform and not be so quick to jump on the ‘Danny Dimes’ hype train just yet. Here’s why.
Playing against backups
The Giants are 3-0 so far this preseason, beating the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Cincinnati Bengals. But ask yourself this: Who has Jones really faced?
He went 11 of 14 for 161 yards and a touchdown against the Bears. But he didn’t do it against the Bears — one of the premier defensive units in the game today.
Khalil Mack wasn’t in pads. There was no Eddie Jackson patrolling the secondary. Fellow Pro-Bowlers Kyle Fuller and Akeim Hicks didn’t take a single snap.
Sure, Danny has dropped some dimes. I’ll give him that. But he’s facing backups. Let’s pump the brakes until he faces the real competition.
No tape on the QB… yet
Jones throws a nice deep ball. He stands tall in the pocket. He’s an accurate passer who’s displayed nice touch on the majority of his throws. He’s not bothered when the pocket collapses around him. He looks the part.
I won’t deny any of these things. He’s been impressive. But, remember, it’s just three games. Three preseason games. There’s not much film on the kid yet. And we can’t forget that.
Opponents don’t know what he’s comfortable with. They also don’t yet know what rattles him. They don’t know how he does against disguised coverages, or how he responds to all-out blitzes. There’s just not enough film out there to really be sure of anything.
No one adapts better than defensive coordinators. Give them enough time and they’ll figure something out. If Jones is the real deal, he’ll be able to handle anything that’s sent his way. If he’s not, then he’ll get exposed. Time will tell.
Teams don’t scheme in the preseason
I can’t say this enough: It’s the preseason. Teams don’t scheme in the preseason. That’s not what this part of the season is about.
The preseason is about working off the rust. It’s about fine-tuning the little things and installing the most basic concepts. It’s about trying to get to the regular season as healthy as humanly possible.
Coaches have no intention of showing their hand; not when the stakes are so low. The fact is, no one’s out here game-planning for Jones. That would be an utter waste of time.
Now, if he usurps Eli Manning for the starting job — a less-than-ideal scenario for Giants owner John Mara — teams will adjust accordingly. That’s when we’ll know where Jones truly stands.
Statistics courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference and NFL.com.
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