New York Giants Notebook | Daniel Jones, Oshane Ximines, and More
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones hasn't caught many breaks in 2020, but he's only compounded his misfortune with poor decisions.
A litany of untimely mistakes has plummeted his stock and raised questions about his future as the Giants' franchise quarterback. They have also stunted the offense's growth, which is a significant factor in the team's 1-7 start.
Jones's development has had its ups and downs. He's frequently proven his ability to make big plays with his arm and legs, yet continues to repeat the same mistakes regarding his decision-making, footwork, and processing, showing little signs of moving forward.
So what's going on inside Jones' head?
"On those split moment decisions, you have to be able to understand the bigger picture and how each of those plays factor into the game overall," Jones said.
"Like I said, the best decision on that play is sometimes to get rid of the ball or minimize the risk of a bad play."
A quarterback's confidence can be a very delicate thing, especially in a media market like New York, where the press doesn't pull any punches for athletes who aren't playing up to standard.
"I certainly don't look for it," Jones said of criticism from the media. "I'm concerned with the people in this building. My teammates, my coaches, the people I work with on a day to day basis--that's where I'm going to find the constructive criticism I need to improve and keep moving forward.
"My focus is to prepare every week to play as well as I can. I'm going to do that with the people in this building, coaches, and teammates."
Can Jones get past the hump and start to eliminate the mistakes that have held the Giants back?
That depends. For Jones, the turnovers, fumbles, and interceptions are issues he had as far back to his college career at Duke.
His other assets, like his accuracy and athleticism, offset those problems just enough for him to receive a first-round draft grade. But now that he is in the league and holds a starting quarterback job, it's up to him and his coaches to eliminate those mistakes and regain his confidence as a starting quarterback.
So how will he go about it?
"I think there are things you can change in the way you prepare and what you do on the practice field," Jones said. "There are certain drills and certain instances, even in team situations that you can approach differently.
"Keeping that in mind and applying it in all situations I think is kind of the thing. I'll continue to focus on it, continue to apply it to different situations and find new and different ways to work on it."
Update on Oshane Ximines
Second-year edge rusher Oshane Ximines, who went into 2020 with some of the highest expectations of any Giants' defensive player, has spent the last four weeks on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.
Ximines has been eligible to return for a week but will remain on IR this week while the Giants make do with veteran Kyler Fackrell and rookies Cam Brown and Carter Coughlin on the edges.
Head coach, Joe Judge, confirmed that Ximines wouldn't be ready to go this week; instead, might be eyeing getting Ximines back sooner than later.
"He's making a lot of progress," Judge said. "I think the biggest balance with those guys is balancing with the trainers at what point can we put him out there and know he can defend himself and execute aggressively.
"He's been working with the trainers very hard. He's been getting some work in the weight room done and those have been positives. We've got Washington and Philly and a bye week coming up. Somewhere in that window hopefully we get him back."
Ximines racked up 4.5 sacks as a rookie in a limited role last season and was being looked upon to build on that impressive start in 2020. However, his season got off to a slow start as in four games before his injury, he only racked up five tackles and no sacks.
While Ximines will undoubtedly be on the field for the Giants in the coming weeks, whether he shakes off his sluggish start to his second season is another matter to be determined.
Keeping COVID-19 at Bay
Left guard Will Hernandez, the only Giants player to land on the reserve/COVID-19 list since the start of the season, will not be available to play Sunday against Washington, as rookie Shane Lemieux is projected to get his second career start.
The Giants were proactive in ensuring the virus didn't spread once it was known that Hernandez tested positive and that he came in close contact with a few teammates, including two assistant coaches.
"We're going to rely on the testing and the symptoms moving forward," Judge said, adding that he didn't have an update on how Hernandez was doing.
"Obviously, [Senior Vice President of Medical Services] Ronnie [Barnes] is checking on his health on a daily basis. We have a close monitor on that. We have to keep him separate from the rest of our team to make sure we avoid any kind of spread."
Hernandez, a second-round pick in 2018, started every game for the Giants at left guard up until Monday night but has struggled since his rookie season.
Regardless, Judge is still bullish on Hernandez and loves the third-year guard's attitude.
"One thing about Will is he's a tough dude," Judge said. "He can have his arm hanging off by a limb and he would tell you he feels good and he's ready to roll."
