Jaxson Dart Got Too Hype After a Touchdown. Why Did That Bother John Harbaugh?

One of the most appealing characteristics of New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is his moxie and his swagger on the field.

Although he’s done a relatively good job of keeping that in check since being drafted, during Tuesday's practice, there came a moment when Dart, after scoring a touchdown, was so amped up that he tossed a ball at cornerback Greg Newsome II.

The action not only irritated his defensive teammates but also head coach John Harbaugh.

“I think that’s a 15-yard penalty for taunting, so we backed up the extra point and had them do it again,” Harbaugh said when asked what he thought about it.

When asked if he said anything to Dart after the infraction, Harbaugh said, “I think he understands that for the game-winning extra point, we don't want it to be a 50-yard extra point. Do you think I need to say anything in that case? Pretty clear-cut, right?”

It should be, and yes, Dart should know better. He’ll also probably be the first to admit that he shouldn’t have let his excitement get the better of him because if that were to have happened in a game, that would have hurt the team.

Fortunately, on the drive it didn’t, as kicker Ben Sauls, who initially made the PAT, came right back and made the second attempt, which was pushed back 15 yards.

This time around, the incident didn’t trigger a fight, so that, along with the fact that the extra penalty yardage didn’t cost the offense “points,” is a case of all’s well that ends well.

But for future reference, if fighting breaks out, Harbaugh’s policy is simple.

“My policy on fighting is that the play clock keeps going. So you can fight all you want, but you're going to be back on the line running the next play within 40 seconds.”

Speaking of Penalties…

The Giants had another round of penalties on Tuesday–unofficially six of them–with most of those coming on hard counts, which seems to be a big point of emphasis for the practices this summer.

Understandably so. Last season, the Giants defense led the league in penalties resulting from a hard count with 15, eight of which were defensive offside (tied for second most in that category).

Harbaugh explained on Monday that the hard count element is a part of the new offense’s cadence.

“Cadence is something that we hope to use as a weapon, so to speak. It slows the defense down and keeps them honest a little bit, but you have to work at it,” he said.

“There's got to be growing pains with that. If you don't work through it, then you're not going to get good at it. So yeah, it's kind of tough on the offense, too. They have to get used to it in a lot of different circumstances.

“Play clock's running down, we've got motions and shifts. They've got to remember a lot of things at the line of scrimmage in terms of calls and which linebacker we're going to or whatever it might be. And then you've got play count or cadence, things that you have to execute. So, all that stuff going together is stuff that you’re working on.”

And as previously noted, it won’t hurt the defense to get used to holding its water during hard counts, which was, again, a problem last year.

Odell Gets a Boost

New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who is trying to carve out a spot on what’s otherwise been a very competitive camp at receiver, received an increase in his practice reps with the first team offense and had a couple of receptions.

Tight end Isaiah Likely, who was teammates with Beckham when the two were on the Ravens in 2023, said Beckham looks like Beckham.

“I had O in 2023 when it was like crazy to me, but now seeing O, talking to him every day since then, it's really just seeing him as a player he's become and really just being able to understand the position he's in,” Likely said.

“When the young guys ask him how he did it the right way when he was at the top of the top, prime Odell, everything. And then obviously, the dark days Odell, which he'll tell you as well. And really just how he stayed the course and really just honed in and understood that when he's out here, he's giving you the best version of himself.”

While Beckham had himself a productive day, he’s still not necessarily a slam dunk to make the 53-man roster. But thus far, Beckham has helped himself by managing to get open and coming up with the ball when it has come his way.

His next test, obviously, will come in games where it will also be interesting to see if he gets any opportunities to return punts, which would further increase his chances of making the 53-man roster.

Giants Host Eight for Workouts

The Giants held a workout on Tuesday, with four of the participants interior offensive linemen and the other four defensive backs.

It might not mean anything at the moment, but Bryan Hudson replaced veteran offensive lineman Lucas Patrick in team drills on Monday. Patrick, remember, missed some team reps back in the spring with what Harbaugh called “old person” stuff.

The Giants, who are looking for a backup center to starter John Michael Schmitz, hosted four interior offensive linemen as part of their eight-man workout on Tuesday, perhaps to have a short list of names ready just in case.

The players who took part in the workout were:

G Darrian Dalcourt, Alabama
C Wesley French, Western Michigan
G Brenden Jaimes, Nebraska
DB D.J. James, Auburn
DB David Long, Michigan
G Max Scharping, Northern Illinois
DB Dee Williams, Tennessee
DB J.T. Woods, Baylor

Additional Quick Hits

* Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was held out of Tuesday’s practice with knee swelling, Harbaugh confirmed. It’s unknown at this time when he might be back at practice.

* Safety Tyler Nubin revealed that he dropped eight pounds in the offseason, a move made to hopefully help improve his speed. In his first two seasons, Nubin has been a tick or two too late in getting to the ball, so he’s hoping that the weight loss makes a difference moving forward.

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