The New York Giants opened their 2019 preseason with a 31-22 win over their MetLife Stadium co-tenants, the New York Jets on Thursday night. The game was interrupted late in the first quarter by a quick-moving thunder and lighting storm that delayed the game for an hour.
Here are three takeaways for Giant fans to hang their hats on this morning.
Daniel Jones is the real deal
Jones, the 6th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, came in to relieve Eli Manning on the team’s second series. All he did was make the right reads and then threw strikes to a bevy of receivers. An eye-opening start to his NFL career which was doused with negativity by the masses because many felt he was drafted too early.
That means nothing now. Jones went out and showed the world that he can do all of the things winning quarterbacks can do. He is a the future of this franchise and the future just got a little bit brighter.
Jake Carlock is a big deal
Who the heck is Jake Carlock? He’s a Long Island kid the Giants invited to camp, and, like most Long Islanders, they don’t go home when they’re told (enter a classic “LOL” here). Chances are, he gets asked to stay.
Carlock, a safety at LIU, is playing defensive end, long snapper and I think he cuts the grass in-between practices. The kid is relentless and that shone through against the Jets. He batted down a pass and took it 59 yards for a touchdown. Then he added a sack.
This was all in his first game as a pro. What’s next? Who knows, but I’m anxious to find out.
Odell who?
The Giants’ receiving corps will never recover from the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. Uh, think again. Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram and Saquon Barkley will fill in the blanks. Maybe so.
But against the Jets on Thursday, none of players took the field and the Giants still caught 29 of 37 passes thrown for 374 yards. Free agent pickup T.J. Jones led the way by catching all six of his targets for 72 yards and a touchdown, while Cody Latimer, Russell Shepard, Bennie Fowler, Alonzo Russell and rookies Reggie White, Jr. and Alex Wesley chipped with some big plays along the way.
There’s strength in numbers here. The Giants are going to be just fine.
