In the 2019 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick. Giants fans across the globe were wondering what general manager Dave Gettleman was thinking when he selected a guy that was projected to go in the second round.
Even though Jones had a pretty successful rookie campaign, his second season was very underwhelming. Jones threw for only 2,943 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. Losing the football was also a cause for concern for the Giants signal-caller as he fumbled the ball eleven times throughout 2020. Not a very impressive statistic.
Despite these stats, I truly think that Daniel Jones is still the answer for an up-and-coming Giants team. He will be the man that will lead New York back to the promised land.
New York Tough
Daniel Jones is one of the toughest players in the NFL today. From the moment he got drafted he was already facing adversity. The Giants fandom wanted him out of town before he even took a snap. The media however was even worse. Sports talk show hosts such as Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman berated the Giants for taking Jones with the sixth overall pick. Kellerman stated that Jones “better be a Hall of Famer” and that he must be a “great quarterback, not a good one.”
Even when fans and the media were on his back from day one, Jones never complained or whined about the immense pressure of being the quarterback for the biggest market in the world. Instead, he focused on preparing his body for the NFL and keeping an Eli Manning-Esque mindset. Something that is needed to succeed in New York. All because you’re a talented player does not necessarily mean you will be great in New York. Just look at how Matt Harvey’s career turned out.
Jones isn’t just mentally tough but physically tough as well. Jones has been sacked a whopping 8.4% of the snaps he’s taken throughout his short career. The Giants’ offensive line has never given Jones an opportunity to be consistently safe in the pocket. Even after taking hit after hit behind the line of scrimmage, Jones never trashes his teammates. He never puts the blame on others. He just gets back up and keeps going. The definition of New York tough.
Never Had A Proper Team Built Around Him
The New York Giants have failed to build a competent offense around their franchise quarterback. Giants’ wide receivers were seventh in the league in drops last year with 22. One of those drops included a pass to Evan Engram that should’ve sealed the deal against the Eagles on the road. Instead, the Giants had to punt and Philadelphia marched down the field to eventually win the game. To put the icing on the cake, the Giants had one last opportunity to drive down the field. It ended with a sack of Jones that resulted in a fumble.
This game is the epitome of what Daniel Jones has dealt with in New York so far. How is he supposed to win games if his receivers can’t catch? How is he supposed to win games when his offensive line can’t block for him with the game on the line? It’s impossible for any quarterback even of the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady to succeed in the NFL without a proper supporting cast. Daniel Jones never had a shot in 2020.
A Young QB In Unfortunate Circumstances
Daniel Jones dealt with the greatest challenges out of all of the NFL quarterbacks in 2020. Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the NFL could not have proper offseason preparations. With the Giants hiring a new head coach in Joe Judge and a new offensive coordinator in Jason Garrett, Jones had to learn an entirely new system on zoom calls. If you think that online school is bad just imagine trying to learn an NFL offense on zoom with having the entire world watching you. It’s not the ideal setting for success.
Last year can’t be used to judge Jones because of how he had to learn a new and completely different system. Now that the pandemic has already been around for almost a year, Jones has now had ample time to adjust to an entirely different world.
The Verdict
Daniel Jones is the future for the New York Giants. As long as the organization builds a competent team around him he will go down as a New York sports legend.
