New York Giants Mailbag: The "Daniel Jones" Edition

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Hi Jeremy. No, I don't think Eli's return to the organization has all that much to do with Jones's development. First off, we have to give credit to Jones for working at his craft. He doesn't get enough credit for that, but he does bust his hump year-round toward becoming better, and I think he deserves kudos for that.

Second, I think that he's in Year 2 of the same offensive system with slightly better talent around him is also a major factor. I've noticed this season that Jason Garrett is doing a much better job calling plays and creating scenarios that favor Jones's strengths.

Jones's development hasn't been linear, but I do think he's heading in the right direction and that, if nothing else, he can be considered one of the success stories of the first half of this season.

From Mick. Hi Pat. I recently caught your podcast on YouTube in which you answered a question about your first football memory and your first Giants memory, and I enjoyed those stories very much. I'm curious. Had the Giants never existed, what football team do you think you would have followed growing up?

What's up, Mick? Interesting question there. I always liked the sports teams my dad liked, and I remember asking him that same question. His response was if the Giants didn't exist, he probably would have been a Detroit Lions fan. (I don't remember why, and I know he told me once before.)

So maybe I would have liked the Lions growing up, though fun fact: when I was a kid, I always dreamed of growing up to be a baseball writer as I was so into the Mets and MLB that I figured that's where my path would take me.

The two labor disputes in 1981 and then in 1994, I think it was, kind of ruined it for me, though, and I gravitated toward football. (Interestingly, the labor issues in football never soured me, so go figure.) Anyway, thanks for the cool question.

I honestly don't know, John. Maybe so they don't get swarmed by fans? Or maybe it's because NFL teams have security departments explicitly devoted to the football operations, unlike in college, where the security is more campus-wide.

The Giants have always had bodyguards for the head coach--you've probably seen them on television, Mike Murphy and Vinnie Byron. Murph dates back to the Parcells era, and if I'm not mistaken, I think both Murph and Vinnie are retired, police officers.

With the rash of injuries,particularly to receivers,any idea if most have occurred at Metlife or the practice facility ? If so, any discussion about changing the turf? thanks
— george grossi (@ggrossilaw) October 29, 2021

What's up, George? I haven't kept track of that, to be honest--maybe that's something to do next year if I remember. As for the MetLife Stadium turf, as I wrote in this article, it was swapped out before the 2020 season, so maybe its newness means its making it stickier.

I had a listener on my YouTube channel who is a chiropractor suggest that it could also be a result of the sudden stopping and starting motion of the lower body that's compromising the soft tissues and ligaments and that one could strengthen all that through plyometric training.

I'm not a doctor, so I am not going to sit here and say I have an answer for the sudden rash of injuries other than to reiterate what I've said all along: football is a violent sport that tests the limits of the body.What

who replaces peppers on defense? Mckinney?Dont the giants need to see what they have in him?
— everett (@everett1227) October 29, 2021

What's up, Everett? (This is also in response to Alan B. who asked a similar question.) Xavier McKinney has actually been logging more snaps than Jabrill Peppers, so I don't think you can say he is the "replacement." That said, the Giants are getting a pretty good idea of what they have in McKinney.

I'm curious to see if the Giants activate Aaron Robinson from PUP to fill Peppers' roster spot, which is what I think will happen. No, it's not the same position, but they ask so much of their defensive backs that I could see that being the logical swap.

From Max Y. - Although this season has been a bust so far, It seems like many of the media and fans have come away with the assessment that Jones is our franchise QB. I like Jones, he's a great athlete and seems like a great person, and I want him to be a franchise QB, but I keep on looking at his stats and wonder why many people are so confident.

He's ranked 26th out of 32 QBs with an 84.8 passer rating and only 5 TD passes (both Hurts and Heinicke have double that). He may have playmaking ability, but I have yet to see him make big plays that win games and today's NFL QB "has" to be a playmaker. To me, it seems that these people are basing this on a gut feeling from watching. Is it that simple, or am I missing something?

Hi Max. I think you're putting too much stock in the numbers to where you've missed some of the big-boy throws Jones has made. Push the numbers aside and when you look at the film (assuming you are among the lucky ones able to get hold of the All-22), take note of the times when Jones goes to his second or third read. Make a note of when he doesn't force a throw into tight coverage, eating a pass instead.

The stats are nice as a supplement, but in this case, I'm going to agree with quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski, who always says that when it comes to quarterback play, the numbers don't tell the whole story.

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