“I know I’ve got to play better” – Daniel Jones after 24-3 loss to Seattle on Monday night.
Nope. It is over. A lot of Giants fans are done with this, including myself.
After an embarrassing performance on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Giants fall to 1-3 on the season. Sure, you can say there’s plenty of season left. But, patience has run out.
Not everyone is built to play the quarterback position in New York. Josh Allen looks the part in Buffalo. Zach Wilson is slowly (hopefully) holding down the fort for the Jets until Aaron Rodgers comes back. Then, there’s Daniel Jones. A guy who the Giants thought was their franchise guy and signed him to a four-year, $160 million contract this past offseason. Keep in mind they didn’t extend running back Saquon Barkley, instead placing the franchise tag on him.
Now after four weeks, the front office may internally be regretting that decision. Jones has only led this offense to three points in two home games. Remove the game against the Arizona Cardinals (because let’s be honest, that was such a fluke by Arizona’s defense) and the Giants have scored a measly 15 points this season. It’s time to move on.
He Is Not Built To Be The Face Of The Giants
Let’s face it. Jones is not built to be the quarterback of New York. We have tried to believe in him for quite a while now. But, this belief needs to come to a rest.
Primetime games are a great example of how good a quarterback is. When you’re playing in front of a bigger stage and a larger audience, performing well is a must. For Jones, he has struggled mightily. He has just a 1-12 record, with the only win coming against the Washington Commanders. This .077 is the worst winning percentage by a quarterback in league history.
Statistically, things get worse. When Jones is playing in non-primetime games (21-22-1 record), he has 50 touchdowns compared to just 22 interceptions. But, these numbers go in opposite directions when he is in primetime. He has only 12 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions in the 13 games played in front of a national audience.
He is not built for the big stage, and that’s critical if he ever wants to have success playing for the Giants deep into the postseason (if they make it).
Teams Don’t Respect Him
We’ve seen this on multiple occasions this year.
Opposing teams do not respect Daniel Jones. Deep plays are something Jones seems allergic to despite the coaching staff creating plays to move the ball down the field.
Blame the offensive line all you want. You can’t keep complaining about how much time you have to throw when you have the ability to escape and make off-platform plays or even just plays down the field. That’s what first-round quarterbacks are supposed to do. Jones does not do that.
This season, Jones is averaging 3.32 yards per pass attempt. This shows Jones is literally only completing and attempting short passes instead of trying to make big plays down the field.
Tell you what, here’s a video that will help out a lot with my point.
It’s ok for us to expect more. OL wasn’t perfect—but we can’t put these plays on them.
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 3, 2023
The @Giants gotta get Daniel Jones the “problem solvers back.#nfllive pic.twitter.com/kSwDckK7lK
Sure, Jones was sacked 11 times by the Seahawks on Monday night. But, there were times when he could have prevented himself from getting hit. He needs to get rid of the ball instead of holding onto it for so long. You know you’re playing with bad blocking. Make better decisions and reads.
But, There Has To Be A Solution
Yes, there is always hope. As much as things are down right now, there is possibly a light at the end of the tunnel.
You need to have some solid blocking to perform well and throw the ball down the field. Many believe the offensive line is a huge issue. Okay. The Giants recently signed OL Justin Pugh to the practice squad, and should be on the main roster sooner rather than later. La’el Collins remains on the free agent market. If the Giants also sign him, then both guys automatically are upgrades at the position.
Maybe it isn’t the players on the offensive line but rather the coaching. OL coach Bobby Johnson is getting a lot of criticism and could be out of his job soon if the Giants pull the trigger (it will be tough, as head coach Brian Daboll has close ties with Johnson).
You could also look at the fact that Andrew Thomas and Saquon Barkley have been out with injuries. Having those two back are critical to the success of Jones. The former has been a solid left tackle since last year, while the latter is the best playmaker on this offense.
If the blocking gets better and you get your best players on the field, maybe we can evaluate Jones fairly. If Jones starts to take more shots down the field and plays well compared to these first four weeks, great! Now, if he continues to struggle, then moving on is a must.
Final Thoughts
Let’s remember: Jones was not the quarterback GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll chose to start their regime. That pick belonged to former GM Dave Gettleman. Moving on will be easy, as the front office could draft a quarterback this offseason and have Jones be a bridge QB/backup QB until they can get out of his contract starting in 2025.
Also, keep in mind. The receivers aren’t great either. Guys like Darius Slayton and Isaiah Hodgins among others aren’t built to be the WR1 on a team. They’re more suited to be WR3/WR4 on a roster. There’s no clear wideout that separates himself as a star guy. Maybe Jalin Hyatt becomes one, but he is only a rookie and hasn’t gotten a lot of playing time. Darren Waller was supposed to be a star on this offense, but we haven’t seen that yet.
Regardless, it doesn’t matter. For now, we have to believe. Giants fans have to believe in Jones because who else can they have play the most important position in football. That’s the beauty of this sport. Anything can happen. The Giants have only played four games this year. Slow starts exist. With 13 games left, there’s time to turn things around. But, time is ticking.
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Featured Image: Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
