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New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman acknowledged the obvious during a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview earlier this week, stating the pressure is clearly on quarterback Daniel Jones to perform.
“This is an important year for Daniel and an important year for us,” Gettleman said. “What can I tell you? I’m stating the obvious.
“He’s done some really good stuff in camp so far. You have to remember he switched offenses [after his first year]. It takes time. But I have great confidence in Daniel Jones.”
Jones isn’t one to shy away from the pressure or the reality that his NFL clock is ticking. He knows 2021 is important for not just his career, but the Giants organization as a whole.
“It’s a big year for all of us. You know, every year is a big year and playing in the NFL, you’re expected to perform and perform well. It’s a big year for me and it’s a big year for everyone,” Jones told reporters on Thursday.
Jones, who has looked good throughout camp, will not play against the New York Jets on Saturday night. He didn’t seem to be a fan of that decision, but knows his place in the pecking order.
“I mean, it’s not my decision. I’m a player, he’s a coach and that’s the way it goes. My job is to prepare and prepare as if I was playing, and help the team prepare,” Jones said. “I’m just focusing on what we’re doing now and preparing now through these first three weeks of camp and focusing on what we’re doing here. Like I said, my job is to be ready and work to improve every day.”
On the plus side, Jones does feel as if the offense is far ahead of where they were a year ago at this time. Not only is there some familiarity in their second season under offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, but there’s been more time to practice with fewer COVID-19 guidelines.
“I think if you look at where we were three weeks in last year versus where we are now in terms of what we were installing or the conversations we were having about certain plays, we’re obviously at a much higher level this year. I think we are able to install plays faster, which puts us further ahead week three than where we were last year,” Jones said. “So that’s an advantage for us and for the whole offense.”
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