New York Giants rookie Daniel Jones took the practice field for the first time as the team’s starting quarterback on Wednesday, and despite the level of awkwardness, he took his cues from Eli Manning and went about business as usual — even though it’s anything but usual.
After practice, Jones got his first true taste of The Big Apple media as he was relentlessly peppered with questions, at times losing his train of thought as he worked to find the absolute perfect words in an effort to avoid any sort of negative back page headlines.
Ultimately, Jones came away sounding a lot like his predecessor, displaying an impressive level of professionalism, appreciation and excitement.
“I certainly feel good about how far I’ve come, and my preparation, and my progress since I got here in the spring and through camp, through these first couple weeks, so, you know, we’ll try to make sure we have the best week we can and I’ll certainly do all I can to be as prepared as possible. I feel ready and certainly looking forward to the opportunity,” Jones told reporters.
Pressed about this relationship with Manning and how this sudden change might impact it, Jones praised the two-time Super Bowl MVP as a wonderful person and a tremendous teammate, adding that the two quarterbacks spoke on a personal level briefly and that Eli expressed nothing but support for the rookie.
“He was very supportive of me. I understand the circumstances. It’s a difficult one,” Jones said. “How we communicate will be the same. He’s done it for a long time at a really high level so there’s certainly a ton I can continue to learn from him, and will.
“I can’t say enough about who he is as a person and teammate.”
From a locker room perspective, Manning will not cause any waves — that’s just not who he is. That’s also good news for Jones, who is going to need to rely heavily on the veteran over the next 14 games.
But Wednesday seals the deal. Manning’s era is over and we’re all officially in Jones’ world now.
