Daniel Jones' Development Has Giants Feeling Good About the Future

Jones' rapid growth and maturation as a signal-caller and a leader has the team confident that its in good hands for the foreseeable future.

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday will likely mark the final time quarterback Eli Manning dons a Giants uniform.

Whereas once upon a time that might be a frightening thought for the Giants fan base, the growth and maturation of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones as a leader and as a signal-caller has made Manning’s departure a lot less frightening.

Such are the sentiments expressed by members of the Giants coaching staff and the teammates of quarterback Daniel Jones, who has endured quite a lot of ups and downs in his rookie season.

Jones began his 2019 campaign 2-0, including winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after leading the Giants to a 32-31 win over the Bucs in his debut as an NFL starter.

But after that 2-0 start, Jones hit a bit of a skid, throwing six touchdowns to 7 interceptions, and suffering from ball security issues as he recorded 15 fumbles, losing 10.

On top of that, Jones suffered a high ankle sprain in a Week 13 loss to the Packers, the team’s eighth loss in a row.

But along the way, things slowly began turning around for Jones. Over his last six starts, he’s thrown 17 touchdowns to just four interceptions, and after being forced to watch kid, Jones hit a before hitting a losing skid which saw him throw six touchdowns

“Statistically on paper, you look at the completion percentage,” said offensive coordinator Mike Shula, referencing Jones’ 62.1% completion rate, which ranks second among rookie quarterbacks who have taken at least 400 dropbacks.

“But then the things that we look at are the decision-making. How many times is he making good decisions? It might not be a completion, but it was a good decision.

“Even in some of the games that we didn’t win or where there were some negative plays, there have been a lot of good things.”

Where else has Jones improved the most? Check out the video below to hear what Giants offensive coordinator Mike Shula had to say about the team’s star pupil.

Then there are the intangibles where Jones has grown, such as leadership, which has Jones’ teammates feeling pretty good about their offensive leader.

“He’s a little more vocal on the sideline than he was at the beginning of the year when he first started,” running back Saquon Barkley said.

“I would say that’s probably the biggest thing. You don’t have to be that vocal guy. When I mean vocal, it’s not like screaming, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!’ It’s sometimes just bringing a (tablet) and communicating with me or communicating with the offensive linemen.”

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Jones smiled when he was asked about becoming more vocal.

“Yeah, I think just being around more and getting to know everyone better, people getting to know me better,” he said.

“I understand I’m still a younger player, and there’s a lot to learn, a lot to learn from the older guys. But, being able to communicate, being able to talk through things and get on the same page, I think, is important, particularly for a quarterback. So, I try to do that when I can.”

As for how he feels he’s grown, Jones said, “I think I’ve learned a lot and I’m hopefully a lot better player now. 

"I’m continuing to learn. There’s still a lot of things to work on, but I feel like I’ve come a long way from that first start.”