New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will not suit up on Thursday night against the New England Patriots in the preseason finale, instead ushering in rookie Daniel Jones for his first exhibition start.
In fact, it could very well be the last time we see Jones on the field during a game this year, which is the somewhat awkward sidebar.
But don’t tell that to Jones, who insists he will prepare for Thursday’s game the same way he’s prepared for the previous three and the same way he’ll prepare for the next 16.
“I’m certainly excited, but I don’t think the preparation changes a whole lot,” Jones told reporters on Monday. “I think going through the week we’ll do the same things, and I’ll certainly do the same things to prepare myself to play, so in these last three games I’ve obviously known I’m going to play a good bit, so just the same preparation going into this week.
“I think I’ll take the same approach I have these last few games, and not really looking forward to Dallas (to open the regular season), just focused on this week and making sure I’m prepared.”
Despite being pressed about his desire to start this season, Jones did not waver, toeing the company line.
“I feel like I have improved and have made steps in the right direction. There is a lot to work on, but my job is to be prepared and I trust the plan,” Jones said.
And improvement will once again be what Jones is focusing on come Thursday night.
“I think just seeing improvement,” Jones said. “I think just making sure that I’m not making mistakes that I’ve made before, correcting things, and I think just being able to kind of measure improvement from the first, second, to third, to now the fourth game is the biggest thing for me. So, moving the ball and scoring points is always the goal, but I want to make sure I’m moving forward.”
Jones will likely play two quarters-plus on Thursday night before giving way to Kyle Lauletta and Alex Tanney, and then it’s anyone’s guess when we see Jones under center again.
