Daniel Jones

New York Giants: Get ready for the Trevor Lawrence hype train

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If the New York Giants don’t get it together, a lot of the narratives this season are going to be around the quarterback spot. And not about quarterback Daniel Jones, who has a fair share of criticism after the first four games of the season. Rather, the narrative will be about Trevor Lawrence if the Giants remain on course for the number one pick. Specifically, whether the Giants should take the Clemson star with that pick.

Right now, the Giants nearly do edge out the other bad teams in the league to claim the top spot in the Draft. They’ve made it onto the path to the number one pick, a pretty far spot from where most thought this team would be a few weeks earlier. And now that the Giants look to be on this path, there’s naturally speculation.

Lawrence is one of the most accomplished players in the college ranks right now, to the point where he may be an option for the Giants with the first pick even though they already have Daniel Jones. Assuming they get the first pick, that is. From the looks of it, they’re just one of a number of teams positioned near the bottom of the league standing.

As for Lawrence, his performances in college haven’t slowed down – and that will only boost his draft stock barring a big drop off in play or an injury. He has 73 touchdowns so far and he’s not even deep into his third college season yet.

He’s been called the most accurate college quarterback by PFF based on their data, too.

Daniel Jones, by comparison, has earned a lot of criticism through the first games for his vision and his inability to prevent turnovers. Jones is still a young quarterback, and his offensive line isn’t good, but when there’s a prospect like Lawrence available soon, it’s hard to only keep eyes on what the Giants have already.

Jones has the benefit of being relatively new – the Giants will want to give him a full chance before throwing him out. But that’s not the same thing as invulnerability. If GM Dave Gettleman goes, Jones will be another player of the previous regime. That’s not always the safest spot as a starting quarterback.

Currently. the Giants are set to draft number three as more games happen. But the season is still young and the team’s record may improve or get worse when given the rest of the season. So it’s worth keeping an out for potential prospects the Giants may draft soon.

The Giants may end up with the top pick and they may not. But wherever you stand on Daniel Jones, it’s time to get used to the takes about Trevor Lawrence to the Giants, because we should see a ton more of them as both sides continue through their seasons.

New York Giants: Why Daniel Jones isn’t to blame for the 0-4 start to the season

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants have started their 2020 campaign 0-4, but their struggles have been a bit more present than anticipated. In fact, the offense was expected to be their strength and defense their weakness, but the exact opposite has occurred with the lack of talent around Daniel Jones and the defense playing above their weight class.

Thanks to fantastic free agent signings on defense, the unit currently ranks fifth in the yards allowed per game. The Giants are also tied for 13th in points allowed. Alternatively, their offense has been the worst in the NFL through four games. They are averaging a measly 11.8 points per game, with the New York Jets coming in second place at 16.3. In terms of yards per game, they are tied for last with the Jets.

Can this be blamed on Daniel Jones? Maybe, but there’s plenty of blame to go around.

Listing why Daniel Jones isn’t at fault for the New York Giants 0-4 start to the season:

-WRs are creating zero separation from coverage

-The offensive line ranks near last in pass protection and run blocking

-Very little semblance of a running game

-Jason Garrett’s scheme is bland and lack creativity

-No pre-snap motions from scheme to test man/zone coverage

-Andrew Thomas has been problematic at left tackle

Let’s start with the wide receivers, who have struggled to gain separation this year for Daniel Jones. Veteran Golden Tate has been virtually useless, offering just 14 receptions and 103 yards through four games. His ineffectiveness in the passing game has forced Daniel Jones to pick up yards with his legs and throw underneath.

Opposing defenses are simply scheming Darius Slayton out of the game, after a strong start to the season. In week one against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Slayton scored two touchdowns but has been contained from the deep ball in recent weeks.

With Sterling Shepard still sidelined with turf toe, the Giants need to be more creative on offense and get their receivers open in space. In addition, tight end Evan Engram has not lived up to expectations, despite slimming down and improving his athleticism. He has dropped multiple passes this year and simply hasn’t been able to create a separation matched up against linebackers.

The offensive line is an entirely different story, putting Daniel Jones under severe pressure. The second-year quarterback currently leads the team in rushing yards and has been forced out of the pocket routinely. He is on pace for 56 sacks this season, an astronomical number that can’t be tolerated.

While the line did play better in week four, their pass protection was still spotty. However, the Giants did run for over 130 yards, showing that they can, in fact, perform at an adequate level. Again, the running game helps Daniel Jones, but a lack of protection in the passing game severely limits his abilities.

So far, we can make the assumption that Jones is not at fault for 90% of the Giants’ struggles. Despite the team being 0-4, the issues that surround the offense are greatly reliant on the wide receivers and inadequacies on the offensive front. Let’s not forget about the scheme, that utilized zero pre-snap motion and is as vanilla as a vanilla frappuccino from Starbucks.

Jones is a solid quarterback who can operate at a high-level with the pieces around him doing their jobs appropriately, but that simply hasn’t been the case. Now, that doesn’t mean Jones is void of any mistakes, as we have seen in the past few games. His turnovers are still a major issue, and a late-game interception with about a minute on the clock against the Rams sealed the Giants’ fate.

Making bad decisions at the end of games is unacceptable for a franchise quarterback, and if he continues to replicate these issues, Big Blue might be forced into a decision they simply can’t afford to make.

New York Giants: Rookie OT Andrew Thomas suffering from growing pains

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New York Giants, Andrew Thomas

The New York Giants made it a point of emphasis this offseason to rebuild their offensive line. The Giants drafted three offensive linemen, signed a new offensive tackle in free agency, and gave Nick Gates a contract extension. The biggest investment of all of these being the Giants’ first-round draft pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

With the fourth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected left tackle Andrew Thomas. Andrew Thomas was an excellent offensive tackle prospect out of Georgia. He was the top offensive tackle on Pro Football Focus’s draft board, but most draft boards had varying rankings on the draft’s top four offensive tackles.

Four games into the fourth pick’s career, and Giants fans are beginning to feel underwhelmed. For the other teams that selected an offensive tackle in the first round (the Jets, Browns, Dolphins, and Buccaneers), their rookie tackles have all met or exceeded expectations. Andrew Thomas has been struggling with growing pains and failing to meet expectations through the first quarter of the 2020 NFL season.

Andrew Thomas Growing Pains

According to Pro Football Focus, Andrew Thomas has allowed 3 sacks this season, tied for the most in the NFL amongst offensive tackles. His overall grade is also a 53.7, which is the worst of the top-four tackles from his draft class.

In yesterday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Thomas allowed four total pressures from 32 pass-blocking snaps, with one of them resulting in a sack (PFF). Head coach Joe Judge also recognized Andrew Thomas’s struggles:

“He’s been baptized by fire. … We’re not going to write him a pass for being a young guy or for being a rookie.” – Joe Judge on Andrew Thomas via Art Stapleton

Andrew Thomas truly has been baptized by fire, as Judge said. He has faced some serious competition to begin his career. Judge continued on, saying he has seen a lot of positives from Andrew Thomas as well.

All in all, it has been a somewhat disappointing start to Andrew Thomas’s career. But, this is a long season, and Thomas has another twelve weeks to turn it around. Additionally, a draft pick is not made to serve a one-year purpose. Andrew Thomas is destined to be the Giants’ left tackle for the next decade- he was a long-term investment. He has time to turn things around and prove he has the makings of a franchise left tackle.

New York Giants: Joe Judge confirms ‘Daniel is our quarterback’

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

There is an awful narrative brewing for the New York Giants and quarterback Daniel Jones. Through four games in the season, Jones has thrown five interceptions and fumbled three times, indicating a step backward in his professional development.

While he has cut down on the fumbles significantly, his interception totals are increasing, but the wide receivers can shoulder some of that blame for a lack of separation.

Jones has totaled 889 yards to the air but has earned just a 68.3 QB rating and 42.9 QBR. Comparably to last season, Jones finished the 2019 campaign with an 87.7 rating and 57 QBR. He was sacked 38 times last year and has already gone down 14 times, which puts him on track to go down 56 times this season.

The New York Giants need to stick with Jones and give him more talent to work with:

There’s a lot of blame to go around for why Jones has struggled this season, and a lack of offensive snaps is undoubtedly a part of it. Let’s compare his snap count to Nick Mullens in week three when the Giants faced off against the San Francisco 49ers.

Jones took just 52 snaps on offense while Mullens enjoyed 77, a significant difference. Thanks to a lackluster offensive line and poor performances from his playmakers, Jones has had to shoulder most of the load himself.

That attests to his excessive rushing yards through four weeks. He has already picked up 137 yards on the ground, putting him on pace for 548 yards.

On Monday, following the loss to Los Angeles, head coach Joe judge was asked about Daniel Jones and if he is the quarterback for the future.

Judge confidently said, “Daniel is our quarterback.”

The narrative that the Giants should tank for Trevor Lawrence is already getting tired, and while Lawrence represents a potential generational talent, spending another top 10 pick on a passer is not the ideal way to build a successful team.

Jones completed his 16th game as an NFL player against the Rams, which theoretically still makes him a rookie. He will finally make the transition to sophomore against the Dallas Cowboys in week five, and he will need to bring everything he’s got if the Giants wish to walk away with a victory.

New York Giants: This Daniel Jones statistic needs to change soon

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants are relying a lot on Daniel Jones this season. Arguably, they’re relying on him too much. Everyone expected Jones to be a big part of the passing game, but not many would believe it if you said Jones would also be the leading rusher on the Giants come week four. But going into a game with the Rams, that’s the case. Jones is the leading rusher by a decent margin and the second place player, Saquon Barkley, is out for the season.

The Giants having rushing troubles in the first couple of weeks was somewhat understandable. The offensive line had changed and Barkley was injured early on. However, these troubles extending into the third loss of the season shows a bigger problem.

Poor performance for Giants running backs

The team just can’t get anything going in the rushing game. Devonta Freeman, the veteran back brought in after Barkley’s injury, only has 10 yards with the team so far. He was also limited in his role in his first game with the team, racking up only five rushes.

Freeman’s role with the team should expand in week four, but increased touches won’t mean much unless the offensive line gives openings and Freeman steps up and takes them. After all, Dion Lewis hasn’t performed well so far despite having an entire offseason to learn Jason Garrett’s system. Lewis has 12 attempts and one touchdown so far, but only 21 actual rushing yards.

The Giants will definitely have to rely on Daniel Jones to some degree on offense this year. But one area where they shouldn’t rely on him is the passing game. The Giants have a tough enough matchup against the Rams even without their rushing struggles.

If Jones is once again the leading rusher for the Giants and not one of the running backs, don’t expect the Giants to walk away with a win.

New York Giants: Keys to victory against the Rams in Week Four

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

The New York Giants will head to Los Angeles to face off against the Rams in Week Four. Both teams are coming off of disappointing losses in Week Three. The Giants were blown out by the 49ers, falling to 0-3 on the season and the Rams lost a close one with the Bills, falling to 2-1.

The Giants desperately need to win in Week Three to turn their season around. If the Giants want to take down the Rams, they need to limit their turnovers, slow down Aaron Donald, and play a bend-don’t-break defense in Week Four.

Limit The Turnovers

Second-year quarterback Daniel Jones has a turnover problem. Through three games, Jones has turned the ball over six times in three games. The Rams’ defense has forced five turnovers in the last two games. The Giants will not win this game if they turn the ball over multiple times. The turnovers have crippled the Giants’ offense through three games and have directly turned into opposing points.

Slow Down Aaron Donald

The best defensive player in the NFL has been wreaking havoc through the first three weeks of the 2020 NFL season. Aaron Donald has not lost a step. Donald has been a First-Team All-Pro in each of the last five seasons. Donald is maintaining that elite-level of play in 2020, leading the NFL with 20 pressures generated this season (via Pro Football Focus).

The Giants’ offensive line has struggled tremendously in 2020. Quarterback Daniel Jones has been pressured on 41.5% of his dropbacks in 2020, according to PFF. This is the third-highest rate in the NFL.

Starting center Nick Gates has struggled this season while making a position switch. Now, he will face his toughest opponent yet. Aaron Donald has three sacks through three games in 2020. New York’s offensive line needs to step up in Week Four and prevent Aaron Donald from wrecking this game.

Do Not Break On Defense

The Giants’ defense could not get off the field on third down against the 49ers in Week Three. New York plays a bend-don’t-break defense. But, in Week Three, that defense broke more often than it should have.

The Giants’ defense forced the 49ers’ offense into 11 third-down situations. Technically, the 49ers ran plays on 12 third downs, but the last third down was the final play of the game when the 49ers took a knee to seal the win. So, actually, the 49ers converted 8 of their 11 third-down attempts. Additionally, the 49ers scored 6 points on 4th down, making 2 of 3 field-goal attempts. The 49ers did not punt once in Week Three.

This is not sustainable. The Giants cannot win games if they allow opposing offenses to convert over 70% of their third-down attempts. Against Sean McVay’s high-flying offense in Week Four, the Giants’ defense needs to get off the field on third down,

Rams’ Sean McVay has glowing review of Giants’ Daniel Jones

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New York Giants, Daniel Jones

New York Giants’ quarterback Daniel Jones has been everything but consistent this season. After a tough outing against the San Francisco 49ers in week three, he is looking to bounce back against the Los Angeles Rams in week four.

Jones was lackluster, at best, against the 49ers, completing just 53% of his passes for 179 yards and one interception. He didn’t take a single snap in the red zone, which is quite embarrassing, considering injuries gashed the 49ers. As a second-year quarterback, most expected him to take a significant leap forward in his progression. Still, injuries and a lack of protection from the offensive line have been his downfall, as it was for Eli Manning several years ago.

Despite Jones‘s inability to put together lively offensive performances, the blame can be spread around equally for the team’s failures. Nonetheless, Rams’ head coach Sean McVay had a glowing review for Jones, who still has plenty of time to leave his mark in the NFL and become an adequate quarterback.

“I remember the first real exposure I had to Daniel was when we crossed over when [the Giants] beat the Bucs last year when we were getting ready for them in Week 4,” McVay said during a Wednesday conference call, per Dan Benton of the Giants Wire. “Man, did he play really well. I was so impressed with his poise, his ability to make plays down the stretch. His ability to extend plays, the athleticism.

While McVay will never say anything bad about his opponent, it is nice to see him recall specifics about the Giants’ young passer. McVay has a photographic memory to a degree, recalling anything related to football and the relevant specifics.

“You see it with a couple of zone reads that he had [in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers]. I’ve also been impressed with his ability to just show the athleticism by keeping plays alive in the pocket, out of the pocket. Coach [Jason] Garrett always does a nice job of being able to accentuate guys skill sets – I think this a part of the league as a quarterback. But Daniel has a really bright future and I’ve seen enough film of him to feel pretty strongly about that.”

One thing that Sean touches on that has been inspiring is Jones’ ability to make something out of nothing. He can escape the pocket with his legs and make plays on the move, but the Giants simply haven’t done him any favors in the passing game, and their lack of separation has been appalling. In fact, the Giants are successfully ruining Jones early on in his career, with a lack of weapons and protection. In addition, the running game has been virtually nonexistent, as Jones led the team in week three with 49 rushing yards. Devonta Freeman, Wayne Gallmann, and Dion Lewis combined for just 17 yards on 10 carries last week.

If the Giants really wish to see Jones blossom and hit his peak, they must do something to elevate his probability of success. So far, they are trending down a questionable path, and there is no end in sight.

New York Giants: Week three stock report, ups and downs

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New York Giants, Blake Martinez

The New York Giants lost in a blowout fashion on Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers.

It was a game that many in the Giants fans would like to forget as nothing really went right for the team. The final score was 36-9, and much of the game was not even close. The 49ers were able to pick apart the team methodically.

Here’s how this defeat affected the stock of various people inside the Giants organization.

Stock up for the New York Giants

We will start with the very few who actually boosted their status on Sunday.

James Bradberry, CB

The newly signed cornerback once again proved why he is receiving cornerback one money. While he digressed slightly from his league-best week two performance (allowing a few receptions), Bradberry still was able to record three pass deflections and be a tough matchup outside. He is continuing to prove why he is one of the better cornerbacks in the league, and much of this is coming from little to no help from the rest of the secondary.

Blake Martinez, LB

Blake Martinez, another newly signed player, was once again active all over the field. He recorded nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack. This makes him tied for sixth in the league with 30 total tackles, tied for fifth with five tackles for loss, and tied for 14th with two sacks. He has been another player who has received minimal help from his linebacker teammates but has continued to show out and demonstrate why the Giants signed him.

Logan Ryan, DB

While Logan Ryan played no-where near perfect on Sunday, he once again continued to improve and acclimate himself into this new defense. It is one that he has only had about four weeks to learn. However, he has quickly become one of the better players on this defense, and this showed in week three, where he recorded seven tackles, two pass deflections, and one QB hit.

Dalvin Tomlinson, DT

Dalvin Tomlinson was New York’s highest-graded player by Pro Football Focus in week three’s defeat. His five tackles, two tackles for loss, two QB hits, four QB pressures, and three run stops earned him a grade of 86.4. Tomlinson, now in his fourth year, has continued to develop his game. He is now an elite run stopper and also getting better with his pass-rush, which has lagged behind for some time.

Stock Down

This is heavy. 

There was a lot that went wrong on Sunday, so we might as well just dive right in.

Daniel Jones, QB

The number one player that will be receiving most of the blame is Daniel Jones. On Sunday, Daniel Jones suffered his twelfth loss in just fifteen starts. Jones also recorded his 35th and 36th turnover of his small career. This also marked the sixth turnover committed by Jones this season. Taking care of the ball has clearly been an issue for the sophomore quarterback, and if he is unable to solve this issue, his long-term career with the Giants could be in jeopardy.

Evan Engram, TE

A player that was involved in both of Daniel Jones’ turnovers was Evan Engram. He has constantly been off sync with Jones, and it has resulted in three turnovers so far this season. Engram will need to improve and do what the Giants hoped for him when they picked him in the first round. If not, he may be thrown to the waste side in another rebuild attempt that could happen this offseason.

Offensive Line

The entire offensive line is also a group that should take much of the burden for practically all the losses this season. The unit once again got no push in the run game (Giants’ running backs only rushed for 10 yards) and did not prosper in the passing game as well. Jones was sacked twice and pressured constantly. The pass blocking has been so bad that Daniel Jones has been pressured on over 40-percent of his dropbacks, third-highest in the league.

Darnay Holmes, CB

Moving on to the defensive side of the ball, rookie cornerback had the worst game of his season on Sunday against practically a practice squad offense. The UCLA product was constantly burnt and committed a costly third-and-22 penalty to give San Fran the first down. He proved on Sunday that he is not ready to be an NFL cornerback quite yet.

Devonte Downs, LB

Another player who showed that he should not be out on the field for more than a couple of plays was Devonte Downs. Due to a depleted linebacker core, Downs saw his second career start on Sunday. In this start, he was a constant liability in the run game and did no better in terms of pass coverage. The Giants hoped he could be the linebacker two for this season, but as of now, it is clear that Downs does not have what it takes.

Joe Judge, Head Coach

The final person to blame for the embarrassing week three loss is the head coach, Joe Judge. Even though he clearly does not have the weapons, Judge still recorded the third straight loss of his head coaching career. It is a job that is predicated on winning, and Judge has yet to do this thus far. Things were looking good for him after weeks one and two, but after a blowout loss to a heavily injured team, Judge’s hire will be receiving some backlash. It is important not to jump ship too quickly, as a proper rebuild takes time, but if Judge can not make this team competitive, New York sports fans may get antsy after multiple straight years of losing.

Joe Judge and the New York Giants respond to embarrassing loss to the 49ers

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New York Giants, Leonard Williams

The New York Giants suffered an embarrassing loss today to the San Fransisco 49ers. The 49ers, starting backup and reserve players all over, blew the Giants out 36-9 as New York’s offense never ran a single play in the red zone.

Head coach Joe Judge met with the media forty-five minutes after the game concluded. Presumably, Judge was chewing into his players after a pathetic Week Three performance that saw the team drop to 0-3, once again.

Joe Judge On The Plan Going Forward

The Giants have yet to stumble into a victory in 2020. New York’s 27-point defeat has left fans disappointed and uncertain about the team’s future. For Joe Judge, it is all about “day-to-day improvement.” Judge recognizes a “tough opponent” is once again on the Giants’ schedule entering Week Four, and the Giants need to be better than they were this week.

We’re not looking for excuses, not pointing fingers, not looking for shortcuts. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure we will put a product on the field people of this area can be proud of. We’ll be working our butt off to improve the product going forward. – Joe Judge via Matt Lombardo

Judge and the Giants are making no excuses. He is holding himself and his team accountable and hoping to improve for the future. Judge plans to “go out there day by day and piece by piece to put this together.”

Leonard Williams

The Giants’ defense struggled to get off the field on third down all game. When asked about this Leonard Williams did not point any fingers, but noted that he needs to get to the quarterback faster and the team as a whole needs to do better.

Per Jordan Raanan, Leonard Williams stated that he thinks the Giants are “right there” and that they need to fix a few “small” errors/mistakes in order to turn things around.

Blake Martinez

Giants linebacker Blake Martinez also mentioned the small little things in his postgame press conference. He suspects they will “show up on the tape,” as does Joe Judge. However, many fans will likely agree that the tape is not needed to identify many of these mistakes.

Daniel Jones

In the first quarter, the Giants made a crucial mistake, turning the ball over on a pitch play to Evan Engram. Jones took the blame for this, stating that it was “just a poor pitch.” Jones and the Giants worked on that play all week in practice.

He also took accountability for his second turnover in the game. Jones conceded that his interception to Evan Engram in the second quarter was a “poor decision.”

Jones and the Giants are “disappointed” but their confidence has not wavered. The Giants must “take [the loss] and learn from it.” Moving forward, the Giants will continue to work hard and prepare for Week Four. Jones said “nothing” will change that. The Giants will try to “not let this situation define” them.

Giants’ Passing Game Targets Shift with Barkley, Shepard Out

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New York Giants, Darius Slayton

The New York Giants will be without running back Saquon Barkley (knee) for the remainder of the season and Sterling Shepard which will change the target/touches dynamic of their already challenged offense.

The Giants are the lowest scoring team (they have 29 points, one less than the Jets after two games) and now must figure out who will be their “go to” players going forward. Currently, wide receiver Darius Slayton and tight end Evan Engram lead the team in targets in the passing game with 15 apiece. That is likely to continue, as both players are two of the most attractive targets in the league at their respective positions, in the coming games.

But who else on the Giants’ offense could benefit?

Golden Tate returned last week after missing the opener against Pittsburgh with a hamstring issue. Tate caught all five of his targets for 47 yards last week against the Bears. You can expect this reliable veteran who has become a favorite of quarterback Daniel Jones to see an uptick in targets until Shepard returns.

Barkley had nine targets in the five and half quarters he played this year and was a key cog in the passing game. Luckily for the Giants they now have three backs who can all catch the football out of the backfield: Dion Lewis, Wayne Gallman and Devonta Freeman. In the beginning, we will likely see more of Lewis and Gallman due to their familiarity with the offense but it is expected that Freeman will be asked to contribute more and more as the season unfolds. This should be interesting.

At the wide receiver position, the Giants aren’t very deep. After Slayton and Tate, there’s only Damion Ratley and C.J. Board. The team has decided to house four tight ends on the roster (Engram, Kaden Smith, Levine Toilolo, Eric Tomlinson) instead. The Giants will need Board and Ratley to produce in three-wide sets and we just haven’t seen enough of either to predict how that is going to play out.

At tight end, only Smith can be relied on as a pass catcher behind Engram. He has become a favorite of Jones, especially in the red zone should the Giants ever get there again.