What happens when a young quarterback in just his second NFL season is surrounded by a paper thin roster, is on his second offensive system in as many years, had no preseason to work on continuity and is relentlessly criticized for not doing enough?
Well, you get New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who is very obviously trying to do too much.
Such was the case on Monday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Jones tossed two critical interceptions that essentially cost the Giants the game (if you completely ignore his two big-time touchdown passes that kept the Giants in the game).
“The young quarterback, he’s still trying to do too much,” Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians told reporters. “When you’re in the grasp of those guys, that cost them basically the ball game throwing those two picks. But God bless him, he is hard to handle and he’s a kid that thinks he can make a play.”
And that’s the ironic criticism facing Jones. Leading up to this week, the complaint was he held the ball too long. On Monday night, it was that he didn’t hold it long enough in certain situations.
Welcome to being a quarterback in the New York market, Mr. Jones. You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
The key for Jones moving forward will be learning how to differentiate when to pack it in and when to go all-out to make a play.
“Those were costly mistakes for us and something that I have to continue to work on and improve,” Jones said. “The message [from the coaches] is to understand when it’s not there and to get the ball out of my hand and to make sure I’m preventing the big mistakes.
“The communication is clear, the coaching is clear and I just need to be a better job applying it.”
In the midst of a game that should have been a blowout, it’s hard to know where that line is. Even veterans make those mistakes, but there are no free passes in the NFL. Had the Giants come back and won the game, Jones would have been the hero for his escape and throw on fourth down to keep the chains moving and then for his remarkable MVP-like throw to Golden Tate with seconds remaining.
But the Giants lost and as a result, all the good is wiped away and all the bad becomes the primary focus. It’s just another storm Jones must learn how to weather.
[vertical-gallery id=658771]