New York Giants quarterback Jake Fromm, who was signed off of the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad earlier this month, was thrust into starting action on Sunday.
It was Fromm’s first start in the NFL, coming seven days after making his professional debut in garbage time of a Week 15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
Unfortunately for Fromm, the thrill of his first start was short-lived and sour. The 23-year-old completed just six of his 17 pass attempts for 25 yards and one interception before being benched in favor of veteran Mike Glennon.
After the game, a somber Fromm admitted that things couldn’t have gone much worse.
“I would say it’s not ideal. I wish I would have played better. It’s frustrating for myself. It’s not the way I wanted to have represented myself, my family, or, of course, this organization. It’s tough, but I’m going to learn from it,” Fromm told reporters after the game. “I don’t think it gets much worse than that. I’m going to learn from it. I’m going to grind. I’m going to work my tail off to get better and play better like I know I can. I’m going to give everything I can to the guys on offense, to this team, and be the best me I can be from here on out.”
In Fromm’s defense, there was very little he could do behind an offensive line that couldn’t stop a runny nose. The same applied to Mike Glennon and Daniel Jones before him. It was an unfair situation and an impossible evaluation.
However, like Glennon and Jones, Fromm refused to make excuses or blame those around him.
“That’s just frustrating for myself. I wish nobody – any of the coaches – would have been put in that situation. I wish I would have gone out and handled my business, led us to victory, and we’d be having a nice ride home,” Fromm said.
“I wanted to split the ball around, complete balls, move the chains. We had short fields there a couple times during the game and needed to put up six points. I just really wanted to get in the end zone. It didn’t happen, it’s frustrating. I’m going to grind my tail off to fix it.”
With two weeks remaining in the season, it’s unlikely the Giants turn to Fromm again. Expect Glennon to be under center for each of the team’s final two games with Fromm serving as his backup.
