Giants QB Daniel Jones Breaks Silence About Jason Garrett's Firing

Daniel Jones says the players must all take responsibility for the offense's struggles and look to do better in the team's remaining games this season.

Author:
Patricia Traina
Publish date:
Nov 24, 2021 3:40 PM EST

Former Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett might have been the one to fall on the sword for the offense's lack of production in the last 26 games, but quarterback Daniel Jones said any failure by the offense is on the players for not producing.

"I feel responsibility for our lack of production as an offense," Jones said Wednesday. "I think we all should feel that. (Head) Coach (Joe) Judge is going to make the decisions as the head coach, that’s his job, but I don’t think that should change how we feel about how we’ve played, the points we’ve scored, how we’ve done at times. I think we know we’ve got to do better. That falls on each one of us, on players and certainly me."

Jones, in particular, has struggled to produce since the team dismissed head coach/offensive play-caller Pat Shurmur and replaced him with Garrett. During his rookie season playing under Shurmur, who ran a hybrid West Coast offense, Jones threw 24 touchdowns in 12 games, posting five games in which he threw for two touchdowns and three games in which he threw for four or more.

Under Garrett, who brought in a different offensive system predicated more on the vertical game, Jones has thrown 20 touchdowns in 24 games under Garrett. Within that span, he's thrown two touchdowns in six games and has yet to throw three scores since the changing of the guard.

But don't expect Jones to feel any better about the dismissal of Garrett, a former NFL quarterback who had a brief stint with the Giants from 2000-2003 as the backup to Kerry Collins.

"That’s obviously a big part of how we all feel right now," he said when asked if it was tough to see Garrett dismissed. "I think if you don’t feel like that, there’s an issue and we all take responsibility in our lack of production. I certainly do. That’s what makes it tough. Like I said, it’s on all of us to perform better and to produce more."

Jones, one of the team captains who spoke with Judge Tuesday when Garrett was dismissed, said he wasn't worried about now having to have his third different play-caller in his ear over the last three years.

"I haven’t really focused much on that," he said. "My focus is on preparing to play the best I can. That’s what it always is regardless of the circumstances."

As for what changes Jones is expecting, the fourth-year quarterback didn't think the system or verbiage would be overhauled at this point.

Instead, he pointed to an equally important aspect that he anticipated would be different.

"I think from a communication aspect, a game plan aspect going in, how we planned on the field, and then off the field there was a lot of communication in terms of approaching a game and the mindset to play, and leading an offense that he certainly helped me with," Jones said.

Jones declined to offer a firm "yes" or "no" when asked if he thought it was fair for Garrett to fall on the sword for the offense's struggles and chose to look ahead.

"It’s about moving forward now, understanding that we’ve got to keep going and it’s on all of us to perform better at each of our jobs. We all have to play better and produce more," he said.