New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones had a spring for the ages, managing to change the tone of even his harshest and most frothing critics in a matter of just six weeks.
In fact, Jones has gone from a “terrible pick with major bust potential” to the Giants’ “best quarterback option” in the blink of an eye.
While each side of that spectrum should be considered an extreme, it does detail just how impressive Jones looked in practice and how much he managed to improve day-to-day.
“You can see him getting confident,” tight end Evan Engram said, via NJ Advance Media. “Anytime you’re coming in as a rookie, you’re going to be a little shaky or a little nervous. You kind of see him starting to brush that off, get into his groove and take advantage of everything he’s given.”
Head coach Pat Shurmur has also heaped praise upon Jones for picking up the team’s offensive playbook faster than most rookies generally do, which has led to Jones processing things quicker on the field.
“I think just thinking quicker,” Jones said. “That’s the challenge for young guys to be able to react and just play. It’s about thinking as quick as you can and making the right decision as quick as you can. I’m just working on that.
“I think that’s the challenge. That’s the biggest part of playing the position, making the right decision as quick as you can. I’m just trying to do that.”
The idea of supplanting Manning has yet to creep into the mind of Jones, who is instead taking a page for the veteran’s book and keeping things simple daily.
“I think I improved every day [during minicamp],” Jones said. “That’s the goal. I did some things better, did some things not as good, it’s about me being consistent, and I’m learning a lot. Trying to learn as much as I can.”
Jones will have one final opportunity to impress the masses on Tuesday when the Giants host their final open practice of organized team activities before taking off for the summer. After that, he’ll report back to East Rutherford on July 22 (rookie report date) for the start of training camp.
