The New York Giants remain mired in one of their worst stretches in franchise history, but there are mounting reasons for optimism.
First-year general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll seem like a stable pair, and their player-friendly approach has gone over well. It’s even sold former players such as Eli Manning.
Manning not only believes Daboll will have success in East Rutherford, he believes that will lead to a career resurgence for Daniel Jones.
“[Daboll has] been around this league a long time,” Manning told the New York Post. “He’s been with great players, he’s been with successful offenses all over the place, and so I think he’ll be able to adjust the offense according to the skill set of the players on the team, especially the quarterback.
“I think it’ll be great for Daniel, and I think they’ll make adjustments. He can throw it really well, but he can also run, and that’s something, you can do a lot of things. I’m excited to see Daniel in this offense and let him go be aggressive and make plays and hopefully get his skill set to really show up.”
Daboll’s offensive philosophy, which has been implemented by Mike Kafka, should also yield positive results for other players. That includes running back Saquon Barkley, who looks completely healthy for the first time in years.
“I think he can be one of those guys [who] hopefully gets those 25 touches, 30 touches in a game — that’s running the football, but also catching the ball,” Manning said. “He catches the ball very well and that’s a way to get him in space, get him one-on-one on linebackers. Take checkdowns and let him go get 6, 7 yards. Those are all wins, and those are good plays and those are ways to get him the ball and get him going because I think he does get stronger as the game gets going. I’m excited for him to be healthy. I want him to go out there and play well and continue being a Giant and to have a big year.”
Of course, Manning was also optimistic about Joe Judge (most were) and we all know how that panned out. Still, it’s easy to see and feel the differences in East Rutherford since Daboll & Co. arrived. It’s a new era for the Giants.
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