Daniel Jones

New York Giants: Daniel Jones’ biggest con isn’t a problem

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New York Giants rookie quarterback, Daniel Jones.

When the New York Giants were linked to quarterback Daniel Jones in the 2019 NFL Draft, most knocked his arm strength, stating that he wouldn’t be able to make the necessary throws in MetLife in September.

So far, Jones has done nothing but impress his new teammates, and even the veterans have advocated for his talented arm and what he can do on the football field. The Giants recently signed wide receiver Golden Tate to supplement the loss of Odell Beckham Jr., and while he won’t replicate his production, he offers a solid set of hands for Eli Manning to utilize.

Tate is the quintessential possession receiver, hauling in 65.5% of passes thrown his way in 2018 and 76.7% in 2017. He has some of the best hands in the league and will offer a safety net on third down and a consistent threat throughout drives.

The new pass-catcher shot down any concerns over Jones’ arm-strength, stating:

“He’s doing a good job,” Tate said of Jones. “If you just look at talent-wise, the guy has a super, super strong arm. He can move around a little bit. But with quarterbacks you just never know because it’s such a mental game.”

“The good news with Dan’s situation is he is sitting right behind a Hall of Fame-type quarterback, so he is going to have an opportunity to learn some incredible tools that can help him in the future. I hope it’s kind of like that Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers situation eventually.”

How the New York Giants will help Daniel Jones grow:

Jones learning behind Manning should assist in his development tremendously. The benefits of learning from the two-time winning Super Bowl quarterback should help Daniel grow in regards to his preparations and reading progressions.

The Duke product was very decisive in college, making the right decisions frequently, but he often took the safer route due to the lack of talent at the receiver position. With better quality pass-catchers around him, Jones should see his confidence heightened over the course of the 2019 season.

Giants news, 5/25: Golden Tate advocates for Daniel Jones

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New York Giants rookie quarterback, Daniel Jones.

Good morning New York Giants fans!

The biggest knock on New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones as he was preparing for the NFL was his arm strength. Jones was limited to the number of deep balls he attempted in college due to the lack of talent at wide receiver, but when he did his passes would often float to their destination.

Jones throws lofty passes with plenty of air, but it’s primarily on his deep balls. This could be perceived as a good thing, given the placement is in stride with his receiver and there isn’t a safety over the top.

Check out the clip below –  a perfectly placed ball that was dropped by his intended target. His receivers accounted for 33 dropped passes in 2018. Imagine three rookie Evan Engrams on the field at the same without his speed or playmaking ability.

Newly acquired WR Golden Tate advocated for the young passer, stating that he has great arm strength and will benefit significantly from Eli Manning’s mentorship. Personally, I love how the players in the locker room are interacting at this stage in the offseason. The positivity and success-driven mentality make a huge difference in the development of rookies.

It’s important for the new players to be present for team OTAs to develop chemistry early on. Hopefully, they can adapt quickly in hopes of providing quality play during the regular season.

Nonetheless-

Here is your New York Giants news and coverage:

Ed Valentine (Big Blue View) – Giants’ 90-man roster: In C.J. Conrad, did Giants find the next Jason Witten?

John Fennelly (Giants Wire) – Giants’ Corey Ballentine practices for first time since shooting

John Fennelly (Giants Wire) – Giants’ Michael Thomas: Sam Beal has learned to be a pro

Alexander Wilson (Empire Sports Media) – New York Giants: Darius Slayton needs to fix one major issue

Check out my Twitter for Giants commentary and conversation!

New York Giants: How has Daniel Jones looked so far in OTAs?

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New York Giants rookie quarterback, Daniel Jones during voluntary OTAs.

With several team practices under New York Giants top pick Daniel Jones’ belt, it’s time to take a look at how he has performed in such a limited sample size. Jones has shown flashes of ability alongside Eli Manning, primarily playing with the second team.

The 6th overall pick has put his best foot forward in an attempt to not only prove general manager Dave Gettleman right but to prove a majority of the Giants fan-base wrong. He’s a quality passer with solid NFL attributes, including an accurate arm, good progression reads, and athleticism. Other than his mobility, he’s a near replica of Manning.

The New York Giants need to manage Daniel Jones’ growth:

It will take time for Jones to get used to the speed and physicality of the NFL, but he’s looked poised and controlled so far, despite a bit of hesitancy from the expected jitters. Throwing the ball to talented pass-catchers like Sterling Shepard, Golden Tate, and Evan Engram should help build his confidence and show what premium receivers look like.

At Duke, Jones didn’t play with a single NFL-bound player — his receivers dropped 33 passes in 2018 all-the-while carrying his squad to an 8-5 record including a Bowl game win against Temple.

There’s no shot for Jones to earn the starting job over Manning in 2019, but he’s working diligently towards succeeding him in 2020. Learning and understanding the preparation required to succeed at the NFL level will be the priority for the young passer this season. There’s no reason for the Giants to throw him into the fire with Eli still capable. A rebuilt offensive line should tell us whether Manning can still operate at a high level, but if he struggles, this will certainly be his final year with Big Blue.

However, if Jones needed to play week 1 for the Giants, OC Mike Shula believes he could fit right in:

“I think he’d be ready to go [Week 1],” Mike Shula—Giants offensive coordinator—said recently. “That’s my personal opinion. I do.”

New York Giants: Kevin Zeitler Is A Key New Addition

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New York Giants, Kevin Zeitler

The 2019 offseason saw the New York Giants let go of many big-name players. The Giants traded away their best player, Odell Beckham Jr., traded away their best pass-rusher, Olivier Vernon, and let their best defender, Landon Collins, walk away in free agency.

With all these losses, the Giants needed to acquire some serious talent to make up for it. Luckily, the Giants got some solid compensation for these departures.

The Giants replaced Landon Collins when they received do-it-all safety Jabrill Peppers in the Odell trade. They also signed pass-rusher Marcus Golden and drafted Oshane Ximines to plug the hole Vernon left. But the Giants’ most important acquisition in the 2019 offseason (who will actually start and play in 2019) is Kevin Zeitler.

Kevin Zeitler Stats And Highlights

The New York Giants received Kevin Zeitler in exchange for Olivier Vernon. This was a win-win trade for both teams. Kevin Zeitler was a key component in the late-year success for Baker Mayfield last season. He will also be a key component for Daniel Jones’s future success, as well as Eli Manning’s success in 2019.

Only a small handful of quarterbacks in the NFL can efficiently operate behind a poor offensive line. Eli Manning is not one of those quarterbacks in 2019. He was in 2011-2012, but that was 7 years ago. Manning needs a good offensive line in front of him in order to succeed, but unfortunately, he has not had one in a long time.

Eli Manning was sacked a career-high 47 times in 2018. Kevin Zeitler was the perfect addition to the Giants’ offensive line in order to bring that number down. Zeitler is considered the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus.

Kevin Zeitler allowed only 11 total pressures in the entire 2018 NFL season. That is an incredibly impressive number. To put it in perspective,  Patrick Omameh and Jamon Brown combined to allow 39 pressures in only 14 games last year.

The Giants’ offensive line is one of the most-improved units in the NFL after this offseason, thanks mostly to Kevin Zeitler. The Giants also signed right tackle Mike Remmers this offseason. This additions of Zeitler and Remmers completed the Giants’ offensive line rebuild that general manager Dave Gettleman promised when he got the job last offseason.

This improved offensive line is not only huge for Eli Manning but for Daniel Jones, too. The Duke offensive line was one of the worst-graded offensive lines in 2018 according to Pro Football Focus. When Daniel Jones gets his opportunity to start for the Giants’ having an excellent pass-blocker in Kevin Zeitler will help him tremendously.

New York Giants Top News 5/21: Sam Beal Looks Sharp

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Eli Manning, New York Giants

Despite the New York Giants going through just one full-team practice, there’s analysis to be made and optimism to be had. Some of that optimism belongs to cornerback Sam Beal, who had a fantastic day with the first-string team while DeAndre Baker hung back with the 2s.

Beal, a 2018 supplemental draft pick, made a case for him to legitimately compete with Baker for the No. 2 corner job opposite Janoris Jenkins. A surgically repaired right shoulder didn’t hold him back from making an impressive jumping swat that Jabrill Peppers intercepted and ran back for the score (so to speak).

Oh, did I mention that quarterback Daniel Jones did his best impression of Patrick Mahomes, throwing a strike of a no-look pass that rookie WR Darius Slayton dropped into the arms of corner, Tony Lippett.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxs_WSHHLZP/

This is actually quite impressive from the rookie passer. All around, Jones and Eli Manning had rocky first-days, but it can only go up from here. Both signal callers through interceptions and were delayed on throws – Jones had the rookie jitters, but he had solid zip on his passes and looked poised. However, he held onto the ball a bit long at times showing his inexperience.

Nonetheless —

Here is your New York Giants news and coverage:

Paul Schwartz (NY Post) – Jabrill Peppers is already making ‘impact’ Giants hoped for

Dan Salomone (Giants.com) -5 things we learned at Giants OTAs (5/20)

Jordan Raanan (ESPN) – Manning on Giants’ drafting Jones: ‘Fine with it’
Serena Burks (Giants Wire) – Giants’ Janoris Jenkins embraces mentorship role
Paul Schwartz (NY Post) – Giants’ revamped offensive line is Eli Manning’s last hope
Anthony Rivardo (Empire Sports Media) – New York Giants: Alec Ogletree needs to improve in 2019

Looking for some great tweets to enjoy?

Check out yesterday’s best articles around the web!

New York Giants: Pat Shurmur Claims Team Has A Starter With Eli

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New York Giants quarterback, Eli Manning.

Everyone might be eager to see what rookie quarterback and top ten draft pick Daniel Jones brings to the New York Giants, but don’t hold your breath on Jones getting playing time in 2019. Eli Manning was dubbed the team’s starter by most sources going into the season, for better or for worse, and that’s been reaffirmed by the head coach of the team, Pat Shurmur.

According to Shurmur, Manning is definitely the team’s starter going into the season and every other quarterback on the roster is one of the “guys behind him”.

It also looks like Daniel Jones will take on the most work as the team’s top backup quarterback, which is both surprising and not surprising at all. It’s partly surprising because Jones is a rookie and the team’s backups from last season, Alex Tanney and Kyle Lauletta, still remain on the roster. And yet, they’ve already been ruled out of the competition for top backup quarterback.

The decision is less surprising when considering the fact that Jones was picked number six overall and has high expectations. It would be a bad look on the team if a player that a top ten draft pick was spent on didn’t even make the top spot on the bench, and so to an extent, it makes sense that Jones is starting off with an early lead in the race for the number two spot.

Of course, decisions such as this have been reversed before. Sometimes, a player enters the season as a starter before falling out of favor and being replaced by a younger alternative after popular demand forces a change. Even Eli Manning himself didn’t begin his career as the team’s starter.

However, one shouldn’t necessarily expect Jones to make the jump to starter anytime soon. Out of the players that the Giants could have taken in the draft at the quarterback position, it looks like Jones might just have the longest way to go to become a star in the NFL. Having Jones on the bench early on serves to increase the chances that the team’s top draft pick this year will go on to be successful – and not the highly overdrafted bust that many still believe Jones will become.

New York Giants: Evan Engram Praises Team’s Quarterbacks

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Right now, there’s not a large amount of teams around the league that have more scrutiny on their quarterbacks than the New York Giants. The Giants have been dealing with this in recent years due to the aging of Eli Manning and the need to find a future successor, but with the team taking Daniel Jones at number six overall, that scrutiny and pressure is higher than it’s been even during the past couple of seasons.

Both Eli Manning and the rookie Jones have big expectations on them for the 2019 season, but according to one of the more prominent targets for both quarterbacks, the two of them are responding well to it all.

“He’s picking up [the offense] really fast. They’ve been trying to throw some stuff at him and he’s handled it really well,” third year tight end Evan Engram said at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, before CC Sabathia’s celebrity softball game. The subject of his comment, of course, was Daniel Jones.

This season is expected to be a learning experience for Jones rather than one where he is expected to start, but that doesn’t mean his performances in early offseason activities haven’t been followed and scrutinized heavily already. Most reports so far, however much they’re actually worth coming from inside the Giants organization, have been positive.

But Jones isn’t the only player receiving scrutiny. As the team’s starter, there’s a lot of pressure and expectations on Eli Manning to play well for the next season or two before it’s time to start thinking of Jones taking over.

“Eli looks really good. He’s moving around. He’s doing everything he’s asked. He’s making all the throws. He looks like Eli. He’s doing good,” Engram said about the current starter.

We’ll see just how that translates into play on the field, with both Manning’s own mistakes and subpar play from other positions leading to a lackluster year during the 2018 season. Engram himself will have big expectations to help out Manning after only starting eight games last season and registering three touchdowns, only half as many as those from his rookie year.

With the departure of Odell Beckham Jr., Engram might just see more targets and a big chance to capitalize on the thing that the Giants drafted him for: his skill as a pass catching tight end.

New York Giants: What Will The Giants Do With All Of The Quarterbacks On Their Roster?

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New York Giants quarterback, Eli Manning.

The New York Giants currently have 5 quarterbacks on their roster. The team recently drafted quarterback Daniel Jones with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has not yet signed his rookie deal, but once he has, the Giants will have 6 quarterbacks on their roster.

The quarterback was a position of need for the Giants heading into this offseason. Because of this, the Giants made sure to improve their quarterback room. But now the Giants have too many quarterbacks on the roster. The question is, who will stay and who will go?

Who Will Definitely Be On The Roster?

The Giants will definitely hold at least two quarterbacks on their roster. The two quarterbacks locked into roster spots are Eli Manning and Daniel Jones.

The Giants have committed to Eli Manning as their starter for the 2019 season. Manning is a franchise legend heading into his 16th season. But in 2018, Eli posted a career-high completion percentage at 66%, showing that he still has the ability to start in the NFL.

Eli will also have an additional task in 2019. He will need to teach Daniel Jones what he can and help the rookie prepare for the day he becomes the next franchise quarterback. Daniel Jones is obviously a lock to make the roster in 2019.

Daniel Jones was the 6th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Giants are committed to Daniel Jones being the team’s next franchise quarterback after Eli Manning retires or moves on from New York.

Daniel Jones threw for 2,674 yards, 22 touchdown passes, and only 9 interceptions in his final season at Duke. Jones is a quarterback the Giants need to develop, but they have the next 5 years on his rookie contract to turn him into a franchise quarterback.

Who Might Be On The Roster?

The Giants will definitely hold two quarterbacks on the roster in 2019, but it is possible they carry more than two. Alex Tanney recently signed a two-year contract extension with the New York Giants.

However, the contract is only worth $2,150,000, so the Giants do not necessarily need to commit to Tanney. They could end up cutting him this offseason.

The Giants typically do like to have a veteran backup quarterback so it would not be surprising if they kept Tanney. But the Giants do have younger options if they want to hold three or more quarterbacks on the roster.

Kyle Lauletta was drafted by the Giants in the round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The rookie received a lot of hype from Giants fans but underwhelmed when he got playing time in the regular season. Lauletta went 0 for 5 with 1 interception against the Redskins.

Despite this lackluster performance, the Giants could still see some potential in Lauletta based on his collegiate performance. But if the Giants are ready to move on from Lauletta, he could have a decent trade market.

The Giants also have a darkhorse player that could make the roster at quarterback. But this player could make the roster at another position, too. Eric Dungey is a versatile player who played quarterback in college but could play multiple positions in the NFL, similar to the Saints’ Taysom Hill.

If the Giants want to have a more progressive offense and try some innovative, multi-position players, Dungey would be the perfect option as the third quarterback on the roster.

New York Giants: Daniel Jones Starts Voluntary Workouts Behind Tanney

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New York Giants rookie quarterback, Daniel Jones.

Voluntary workouts might have voluntary in the name, but that doesn’t mean that many teams don’t consider them serious business. Those workouts are the biggest thing to keep an eye on right now for followers of the New York Giants, and it’s also the first chance to see how new players such as Daniel Jones stack up against others on the current roster. Jones is one of the players who showed up to voluntary workouts, but his position so far isn’t quite what everyone expected.

While Jones was drafted to play behind Eli Manning, the Giants are in no rush to put him in that role from the very start. Rather, he finds himself behind Alex Tanney, who bounced between being the team’s second and third string quarterback during the disaster of a 2018 season. Jones is the third player in the rotation according to Dan Duggan, with Manning obviously the number one and Tanney behind him.

Of course, Kyle Lauletta isn’t in the running at all right now, as he is still recovering from injury. When Lauletta is healthy, there’s expected to be at least some competition between him and the other quarterbacks on the roster, most notably fellow rookie Jones, who could be seen as a replacement for Lauletta in the team’s long term plans. The fact that Lauletta is coming off of injury while Jones is healthy doesn’t help his chances to stay in those plans.

Eric Dungey joined the team as an undrafted free agent and is one of the more interesting additions during this offseason because of his versatility and success in college, but currently is working out with the tight ends rather than the quarterbacks. That ability to potentially fit into multiple roles or even positions is one of the reasons Dungey was sought after by multiple teams during undrafted free agency before eventually choosing the Giants.

It’s still early in the offseason and as we approach training camp and the preseason, that order of quarterbacks could easily change. It’s clear, however, that the team isn’t going with a rushed approach with the rookie Daniel Jones.

New York Giants: Why Daniel Jones Will Be Better Than Most Expect

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The New York Giants drafted

With the 6th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Daniel Jones, a quarterback out of Duke University. This was by far the most controversial selection of the 2019 NFL Draft. Some analysts viewed Jones as a “day two guy” while others viewed him worthy of the 6th pick.

Obviously, the Giants viewed him worthy of the 6th pick. Thus, the Giants’ next franchise quarterback was drafted. But Daniel Jones has received a lot of criticism since the Giants made that selection. Here is why Daniel Jones will be better than most expect him to be:

We Have Not Seen Him Play With Talent

Daniel Jones was the only Duke player drafted in 2019. He was also the only Duke player drafted to the NFL since 2015. Duke does not produce much NFL talent, so Jones never got to play with any. He had to make the best of a bad situation.

The Duke offensive line was one of the worst-graded offensive lines in 2018 according to Pro Football Focus. It was difficult to see what Jones could do with time in the pocket because he was rarely given enough time to survey the entire field.

On top of the poor offensive line play, Jones had to endure a lack of talent from his playmakers, too. In 2018, Duke receivers dropped a whopping total of 38 passes. Daniel Jones’s stats were affected heavily by the lack of talent around him. When Jones gets the chance to play with NFL talent, he will prove many doubters wrong.

He Has Time To Learn

Daniel Jones was fortunate enough to spend three years at Duke learning from legendary coach David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe coached both of the Manning brothers. He coached Peyton in high school and Eli in college.

Now he can add a third NFL quarterback to his resume. Daniel Jones played for Cutcliffe for three years and was able to prepare for the NFL with the assistance of Cutcliffe, a man more than familiar with the way that NFL quarterbacks prepare for the next level.

This gives Daniel a head start but also demonstrates his ability to learn. Jones came a long way in those three collegiate seasons with the Blue Devils. But he still has a long way to go.

With the Giants already committed to Eli Manning as their starting quarterback in 2019, Jones has plenty of time to learn. He could end up with an entire season of learning. If Manning can lead the Giants to wins, Jones will sit the whole year and take over next season (like the “Kansas City Model” suggests he should).

This additional time to learn will give Jones plenty of time to prepare for his starting role. Jones may get his first opportunity to start sooner than we expect, but with all the extra preparation he will have had by then, he should be more than ready to go.

The Traits Are All There

Daniel Jones has already proven to be a leader. He easily checks the box on character. Jones is an intelligent young man who demonstrates respect and admiration for the Giants organization and his teammates.

He has repeated how thankful he is for the opportunity that the Maras and Tisches have given him and has also explained how much of a fan he is of Eli Manning and how he looks forward to learning from him.

Aside from his personality, Daniel Jones has the traits to be a great football player, too. His stats might not completely reflect this, but he has the high-end ability.

Daniel Jones is known for being a pocket-passing quarterback, but he is also a tremendous runner. Jones racked up 17 rushing touchdowns and 1,323 rushing yards in his three collegiate seasons.

In addition to his running ability, Jones has exhibited the ability to be a great passer at the next level. Despite the lack of talent around him, Jones threw for 22 touchdowns and 2,674 passing yards in 2018 with only 9 interceptions. His efficient play in the passing game will lead him to much success in the NFL.