New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones has a lot riding on his shoulders for such a young player. With four games remaining, the 2-10 Giants are playing for nothing more than pride at this point.
Jones was asked if the stakes might be higher, such as playing for their jobs or even more important – the coaches’ futures – specifically head coach Pat Shurmur’s.
“We all take a lot of responsibility in the way things have gone and how we’ve played. You certainly can’t look to one person or one group or anyone,” Jones said on a conference call on Monday.
“We all have a lot to do with it. I don’t feel that way. I have a lot of confidence and appreciation for Coach. We’re playing to win each game, and that’s the way we’ve approached the season. We’re going to compete as hard as we can.”
There’s no doubt the players like Shurmur and it could be too soon to talk about switching head coaches. That is never good for a team as young as the Giants. Then again, Shurmur has won just seven of his first 28 games as the Giants’ head coach.
Shurmur said after the Giants 31-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday that the narrative about him would change once the team started winning. He may not be around to find that out.
Jones was met at midfield after the game by Aaron Rodgers, who gave him some words of encouragement.
"Learn from these days"@Daniel_Jones10 x @AaronRodgers12 pic.twitter.com/ZHcQOrv7MV
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 1, 2019
“I appreciated his encouragement yesterday,” said Jones. “It’s cool to meet some of these guys and speak to them briefly. He was encouraging. He told me to stick with it and keep working at it, and I certainly appreciate him saying that.”