How Daniel Jones checked the most important box of all

By taking the high road in the face of some unflattering comments made by Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, Daniel Jones took another important step in his development.

Dennis Schneidler-USA

Life in the New York spotlight is like a box of chocolates—you never know what you’re going to get.

On the one hand, you can become adored, much like Derek Jeter of the Yankees or Eli Manning of the Giants. On the other hand, you could become vilified just as quickly.

So when the Giants sought the successor to Manning at quarterback, general manager Dave Gettleman knew that not only did the next quarterback have to check all the boxes as far as the position was concerned, he’d also have to have thick skin to hold up under the oftentimes unfair criticism that comes with playing in this market.

That’s precisely what the Giants have gotten from Daniel Jones, the young signal-caller who impressed Gettleman and the rest of the organization in the Senior Bowl, and whose tape convinced him and head coach Pat Shurmur that Jones was a nice lump of clay needing some refinement before being handed the reins of the Giants’ offense.

So far, Jones has been everything the Giants hoped he’d be and then some. He’s learned the offense at a rapid pace. He’s also learned the nuances about being a professional from watching Manning go about his business.

He’s put to rest any questions about his arm strength and has demonstrated that he can quickly recognize and anticipate plays as they unfold before him, which makes him more decisive with the ball.

He’s even shown nerves of steel in the face of adversity, when last week, he never wavered in his confidence after turning the ball over twice, including one red zone play. Jones not only bounced back in leading a scoring drive, he never lost command of the huddle.

His latest test, which he once again passed with flying colors, was standing up in the face of criticism from a remote college, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who in the latest issue of GQ, questioned the Giants decision to draft Jones No. 6 overall.

Jones, channeling his best Eli Manning, stood before the media Tuesday and denied being upset with Mayfield for having an opinion about as flawlessly as he handled a parade of boos cascading from the Yankee Stadium crowd when he was shown on the scoreboard back in the spring.

“I try not to listen to much that’s said,” Jones said Tuesday.

“I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that. I certainly have a lot to focus on here, I have a lot to worry about here, and I’m focused on that. It’s been good, but just focused on what I’m doing here.”

Jones’ demeanor and how he’s conducted himself has not only earned the respect of his teammates, who are starting to flock to him as a leader, but also from his head coach, who said the rookie handled the verbal dust-up created by Mayfield exceptionally well.

“That’s part of his charm. He’s a deep-thinker, he’s well-thought-out, and he gets it,” Shurmur said. “That is part of being the quarterback, is being able to lead, say, and do all of the right things.”

On a deeper level, Shurmur pointed out that Jones’ refusal to spit back retaliatory comments at Mayfield just further illustrated how Jones thinks things through before reacting, arriving at the right decisions, just as you would expect a quarterback to do on the field.

“Relative to playing quarterback, it starts with decision-making. I think that carries over to all areas of your life,” Shurmur said.

“We’re confident that he’s going to make good decisions and live a good life outside the field. That gives us the confidence to know that when he’s on the field, he’s going to do the same thing.”

Jones has shown himself to be smart enough to admit his faults. For example, he acknowledged that he was part of the reason why the Duke football program wasn’t as successful during his time there as they would have liked.

“I wish we did win more games,” he said, addressing one of Mayfield criticisms.

“I played a big part in that. I take responsibility for that. I wish we did win more games. Our goal was always to win ACC championships and to go to big bowl games, and we weren’t able to do that. I don’t look back on that without a large responsibility for that.”

But Jones also doesn’t believe in caving to the pressure of meetings someone else’s expectations of him, especially when that someone else doesn’t draw a paycheck from the Giants organization.

“I’m not sure that’s the best motivator,” Jones said. “If that’s the thing you’re looking forward to doing the most is proving them wrong, I’m not sure that’s the best way to improve every day or the best way to get where you want to go.”

(Top photo by Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports)