If you don’t think New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones is taking his NFL career seriously, you’re dead wrong. Unlike some other rookie quarterbacks in recent years, Jones is all business.
The Giants began this season with loads of questions that still need to be answered. One of the questions being asked was whether or not Jones could play in this league.
The answer is yes. And Jones plans on being here for the long term. He is not going home to North Carolina for Thanksgiving. Instead, he’s sticking around Northern New Jersey — the turf where he hopes to soon become a household name.
“I think I’m going to hang around here,” Jones told reporters on Wednesday. “I think I’m going to go over a teammate’s house and have a meal, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Jones will most likely go over to Alex Tanney’s ‘spot’ for Thanksgiving dinner. Tanney, the Giants’ third-string quarterback, has been Jones’ mentor, caddy and guide this season.
“I’m thankful to be here,” Jones continued. “I think just the opportunity to play football, continue to do it, to be here, to be part of this organization and with these teammates.”
Jones has unfortunately become the face of a losing franchise. That’s something he plans on changing. With five games remaining, Jones wants the losing to end this season so they can carry some momentum into 2020.
“We’re playing to win every game. I think that’s going to be our mindset. That’s been our mindset, so we’re going to continue to compete as hard as we can. Our goal is to win every game,” he said.
Jones really hasn’t been the reason the Giants have lost seven straight ballgames. In fact, he’s thrown 11 touchdowns to just one interception over the past four contests.
“I think it’s part of what we’re doing on offense, especially in the red zone,” Jones said of that efficiency. “I think we’ve had a good plan for it and we’ve been able to get open, and you’re just trying to find the open guy. But I think we’ve got to continue to work on that and I think, like I said, guys have stepped up and made plays and gotten open, gotten behind people. I think kind of across the board, we’ve done a good job of preparing for it and then executing.”
The coaching staff has gained more confidence in Jones as the season has gone on. He revealed he has a certain degree of autonomy when it comes to calling an audible.
“Yeah, I mean, we have certain kinds of checks that are understood in practice, kind of options with the play. But yeah, I think that’s kind of the extent to which we’re checking,” he said.
Jones can’t do much about the poor play calling overall nor the lack of execution of some of those plays, but what rookie quarterback does?
Right now, though, Jones is looking for a victory. The losing is beginning to take its toll, but he believes things will improve in time.
“It’s tough. It’s tough on everyone,” he said. “I mean, tough on me, you don’t like to lose, no one likes to lose, no one on this team likes to lose, but like I said, I think we’ve responded well. We’ve had good practices, we’ve had people attacking the next opportunity and we’ve got to continue to do that and continue to improve. But yeah, I think that’s our mindset and if we’re consistent with that, we’ll get back on track.”