The sky is not falling, fire is not reigning down from the heavens and plagues have not been released upon mankind. Daniel Jones is not the Antichrist and his presence in the New York Giants locker-room may not be a bad thing.
Less than 24 hours after the Giants selected Jones at No. 6 overall, things certainly don’t feel that way and if you were judging by the fans, well. . . you might believe World War III is on the horizon. But it’s not.
Yes, the Giants took Jones much earlier than many anticipated and that will be a point of contention for years. But when peeling back the layers of this pick, there are some reasons for optimism.
Eli Manning’s heir in in place
No one should lose sight of this reality. For years the Giants have been drug through the mud for passing on quarterbacks in the NFL Draft, failing to acquire one by trade and sticking to the notion that Eli is their guy.
Congratulations to all of you who hated the idea of that. The future is now and Manning’s eventual replacement is in the bag. Rejoice!
Whether the Giants are rebuilding or contending — or as Dave Gettleman suggests, doing both at the same time — the reality is that Manning’s football clock is ticking and in relatively short order, he will retire. The presence of Jones makes that inevitable reality much more bearable.
For those who are old enough to remember the post-Phil Simms era that was highlighted by Dave Brown, Kent Graham, Danny Kanell (who we love here at Giants Wire) and others leading up to the bridge that was Kerry Collins, this is a breath of fresh air. We almost certainly won’t have to endure that a second time.
Could Jones completely bomb out and turn into a bust for the ages? Of course, that’s possible with every single prospect that will chose over the three days of the draft. But the more likely scenario is that he learns and steps in after Manning steps away, saving the franchise from quarterback hell and a search that could last a decade.
A willingness to sit, learn and be coached
Jones will not be thrown into the fire out of the gate. The Giants and general manager Dave Gettleman have expressed their love of the “Kansas City model” or the “Green Bay model” and that’s their intended approach here.
The added blessing to this plan of attack is that Jones knows what he’s getting into and is not only fine with it, but completely embraces it.
“I think it’s a tremendous opportunity to learn for a young quarterback. [Eli] is a guy that’s had a whole lot of success in the NFL and there is a reason for that. I’m looking to understand that and do my best to learn as much as I can from him while he’s in New York,” Jones told reporters on Thursday night.
“I’m going to be myself and not try to be Eli or be anything but myself. I think staying confident in that and staying confident in who I am is what’s going to be key to that process.”
The NFL is more mental than it is physical, so it’s not as if Jones will deteriorate on the bench. Rather, he’ll spend a year or two picking the brain of one of the NFL’s most intelligent men and a two-time Super Bowl MVP who is repeatedly praised for his vast wealth of football knowledge.
When Jones does ultimately take over under center, he’ll be about as well-prepared as a young player could be.
A very high ceiling — maybe even legendary
Jones wasn’t taken at No. 6 overall because of what he is, but rather, what he’s going to be. And even the most critical analyst or expert hasn’t been able to deny that of the entire 2019 quarterback draft class, Jones may have the highest ceiling of all.
It may take some time to climb to those heights, but we’ve already seen flashes of what Jones can bring to the table, having helped to resurrect the Duke football program while under the oppressive shadow of its basketball program.
In his scouting report of Jones, Drew Boylhart of The Huddle Report broke down some of the concerns facing the now former Duke quarterback at the NFL level, but concluded, as many have, that he’s a franchise quarterback in the making.
Daniel reminds me a lot of the Giants Eli Manning. He has the same ability in the pocket to extend plays and the same quiet leadership on the field. He also seems to have that inner strength that allows him to deal with his mistakes and his teammates mistakes without getting too high or too low during the game. He has the arm talent and accuracy to make teams defend his ability to pass the ball down the field opening up the running game. His mechanics are mature moving his feet consistently to keep his balance when under pressure in the pocket.
Daniel does an excellent job managing the game plan and is like a coach on the field helping his teammates at all times. The potential to be a Franchise quarterback is what you get when you select Daniel Jones.
Hall of Fame evaluator Gil Brandt took it a step further, likening Jones to Manning. Peyton Manning.
“I’ve got to be careful how I say this: This guy, when you compare Peyton Manning coming out of Tennessee, the numbers are exactly the same,” Brandt said on Thursday night. “Now, is he going to work as hard as Peyton Manning? That’s the question.”
That’s not the first time Jones has been compared to Peyton, either.
The David Cutcliffe connection
Most know head coach David Cutcliffe for his work with the Duke football program, but long before that, he served as Eli Manning’s head coach at Ole Miss and Peyton Manning’s coach at Tennessee.
Those are the big names, but they aren’t the only ones. Cutcliffe has sent seven quarterbacks to the NFL in his time, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knows how to develop and produce high-end talent.
In his mind, Jones may be the best of all.
“I can’t pick a better scenario for either one of them,” Cutcliffe said via the New York Post. “Listen, it’s Eli Manning. Think about what he knows about playing quarterback in the National Football League. Daniel’s going to get an insight that most rookies never get.
“I would think he’s going to play 14-16 years and he’ll be a championship quarterback. He’ll win a championship.”
Of course, Cutcliffe wouldn’t publicly rip his own quarterback, but his level of excitement and enthusiasm speaks to more than just a public relations stance.
A New York fit
During his pre-draft press conference, Giants general manager Dave Gettleman alluded to the importance of taking players who can handle the pressures of New York, which isn’t like any other place in the country.
“Being the quarterback of a team in this kind of a market is a load, is a mental load,” Gettleman said. “You’ve got to really vet out the backgrounds of these guys. . . . It’s more than just collecting data and looking at a guy’s physical talent. It’s about his makeup.”
While many tune that message out, they shouldn’t. Playing in New York is difficult. Very difficult. And throughout the years, across various American sports, we routinely see players who simply can’t handle the mental pressure that comes with playing in The Big Apple. It’s just the way it is.
Jones, like Eli Manning, is not the kind of person who’s going to back down or get flustered by that pressure or the morning papers. He’ll simply keep his head down, his nose in the playbook and his eyes on the film. He has what it takes to make it here.
But that’s not the only reason Jones fits New York.
On the surface, there may have been some other quarterbacks (ie. Dwayne Haskins) deemed more talented than Jones, but how would they have fit in with the Giants’ offense? That’s a question that frequently goes overlooked during evaluations.
While Jones is an ideal fit for a wide open West Coast system, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and offensive coordinator Mike Shula do implement aspects of that into their own. And if Jones can quicken his release while the team schemes in more RPOs, then it’s a match made in heaven.
Matt Bowen of ESPN addressed exactly that just prior to the draft.
I would like to see Jones speed up his release for coach Pat Shurmur’s offense, but he’s a fundamentally sound thrower who would fit in a system that blends West Coast and spread concepts. Jones has shown accuracy in the short-to-intermediate route tree, plus he has enough arm strength to challenge the top and manipulate post safeties when given the opportunities.
And Shurmur can add more RPO/play-pass concepts to take advantage of Jones’ ability to target the quick game throws inside the numbers.
Mark Schofield of Big Blue View shared similar sentiments (as have many others).
First, Jones’ RPO-heavy background could ease the transition to a more play-action based offense, and the coaching staff could tailor their run action elements to mirror what Jones is more familiar with. Second, Jones has the arm to work in downfield concepts, and provided the coaching staff does a good job in designing the plays, such as giving him half-field reads, the tools are in place to make such a marriage work.
More importantly, Jones would be stepping into a situation where he would not have to play immediately, unless he wins the job outright. He could take some time to acclimate to life in the NFL. Gettleman has made it clear that the “Patrick Mahomes roadmap” would be desirable, where his rookie quarterback could sit for a year and learn. That could happen with Manning in place, and if things do go down that road, Jones could be a better quarterback thanks to the organizational patience.
Fit is important and more than any other available quarterback, Jones will fit with a few minor tweaks — just give it a little time and a chance.
