The New York Giants’ coaching search is based on more than just finding the right candidate to pull this team out of the deep end of the pool, where they’ve been drowning for several years now.
It’s about finding the right coach that continue to develop the team’s 22-year-old quarterback, Daniel Jones. He’s not going anywhere, as he’s inked for three more seasons with a fifth-year option at the Giants’ disposal.
Whoever takes the job has to commit to Jones or they simply won’t get the job. The positives are that the job is an easier sell after the world saw that Jones could play at this level. Cut down on the turnovers and he’s one of the most attractive young quarterbacks in the league.
But a lot will depend on Jones picking up another new system with another coaching staff. It can either be a godsend or debilitating depending on who comes in here.
Pat Shurmur and Jones got along swimmingly, as did offensive coordinator Mike Shula. They are both gone, now, so it’s back to the drawing board for Jones.
“My job is to work as hard as I can to improve, to learn the system and work with the next coach,” Jones said.
Of the 26 first-round quarterbacks drafted from 2010-18, 10 experienced a coaching change during or after their rookie season. Six more changed offensive coordinators. Only 10 returned to the same top structure in Year 2.
The biggest challenge awaiting Jones is playbook language. The same pass in Duke’s offense, Shurmur’s and his next coach’s could have a different name, different route prioritization and different defensive keys to read. Add in variables for man-to-man and zone coverages, and mixed messages lead to mistakes.
“He can compare plays,” SiriusXM NFL Radio host Jim Miller said, “but those things can stunt a quarterback’s growth.”
Jones, a former economics major at Duke, is intelligent and mature enough to absorb and adapt to change, but it’s on the Giants to find the right people to put around him and that starts with the head coach.
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