There has never been any doubt about Daniel Jones ’ability to bring those around him together, earning his trust and support. This happened in his debut year.
Turning the confidence the giants have in him to win, well, that takes more time.
No wonder Jones this week has organized several Giants offensive players (wide receivers, tight ends and even a few liners) to travel to Phoenix, Arizona, for a few days of pitching sessions, The Post confirmed. Monday to Friday training, organized entirely by Jones, will be the first unofficial work on the field before the 2021 season.
His teammates quickly approached Jones when he arrived in 2019 as a discreet first-round pick, considered the next quarterback in the franchise after Eli Manning.
A year ago, Jones organized a week of throwing and running routes in Texas, aided by Colt McCoy, the veteran safety quarterback, a former University of Texas star. It is estimated that this spring’s sessions will be much more advanced and beneficial, given that Jones and the returning offensive players will have a familiar season in offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s system. Last spring, virtually the entire low-season program was held, making it especially difficult for a sophomore quarterback to learn a completely new offensive playbook.
Saquon Barkley, who is doing some rehabilitation work in Arizona, is expected to attend the sessions, though his recovery from reconstructive knee surgery will not allow him to participate. Sterling Shepard will join, as will offensive linemen Nick Gates and Will Hernandez.
Newly signed receiver Kenny Golladay is also expected to take part, which will be the first time he and Jones have connected on the field and are starting to feel each other.
NFL teams may open their low-season programs on April 19, but those meetings will be virtual at first.
This is a huge season ahead of Jones. He is between 8 and 18 years old as a starter, with a career pass rating of 84.1 and a second season (11 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions) which was a step below his production (24 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions) as a novice. The Giants set about finding more weapons for Jones and signed Golladay and receiver John Ross, as well as tight end Kyle Rudolph.
Head coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman recently doubled the commitment and belief in Jones, as did co-owner John Mara.
“Listen, we think Daniel’s world is in this building,” Mara said last week. “We want to see how he takes the next step. I have no other specific benchmark other than winning any more matches. I think this year will have a better team around it than in previous years, so I’m sure we hope it takes the next step. I just want him to keep improving because I think he has what it takes to win in the long run in this league.
Golladay, after signing a four-year deal worth $ 72 million, said he believes Jones is “still a little cool in the league” and added “I feel like he and I can do some good things.” . Rudolph, who needs foot surgery and will be out of service this spring, called Jones “a bolt” and went to extremes when he compared his new teammate to a former NFL quarterback.
“He has all the intangibles to be an Andrew Luck-type quarterback,” said Rudolph, who spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Vikings. “Hopefully we put a lot of pieces around him and we can take some of the pressure off him, let him out and play with confidence and let all those attributes and skills take over.”
Logan Ryan, the 30-year-old security player acquired last summer, spent a season with Jones and believes the only ingredient Jones lacks is time in the league.
“I love Daniel,” Ryan said. “Daniel has everything he needs to be an elite quarterback. What you need is experience and that can’t be rushed. I know we live in a society where we want results in a week. We want results in a year. He had his first year out. You will learn from some of these mistakes. Sometimes, you have to commit to learning from them.
“Obviously, this year more is expected of him like everyone else. I hope it’s more than a full year of the program. We hope that Daniel will take us to the victories this year and I think he can ”.
It all starts this week, in Arizona.