The calm before the storm was Daniel Jones.
After Eli Manning botched the first drive, Jones, the sixth overall pick, took over and marched the Giants down the field on his first professional series, completing all five of his pass attempts with impressive poise and precision. He capped the drive with a touchdown, a 12-yard throw to Bennie Fowler, a thread-the-needle completion perfectly placed near the corner of the end zone.
Mother Nature then threw an audible and sent a thunderstorm that delayed Thursday's preseason game against the Jets.
Still, Jones had time to make a strong first impression. For one preseason game, at least, the sixth overall pick demonstrated he might be worth his draft position in the wake of criticisms that he was picked too early.
To be clear, it was one drive for Jones against a Jets defense comprised mostly of backups. As Jones was running on the field for his second drive, the game was delayed because of "imminent severe weather." The field and stands were promptly cleared, as rain and lightning soon followed.
But if the first drive was indeed a sign of his potential, the calls for Jones to supplant Manning will grow louder.
In a somewhat surprising move Thursday, Eli Manning started and played the first drive Thursday, 15 years after his preseason debut as a rookie. There was speculation _ fueled by Pat Shurmur's comments that he'll carry some healthy scratches _ that Manning would sit the opener out and give Jones time with the starters.
Shurmur instead sat running back Saquon Barkley and started Manning, whose lone drive was ugly.
On the first play, the veteran ignored a wide-open Rhett Ellison down the field. Manning opted instead for a frustrating three-yard completion, and the Giants went three-and-out.
