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New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones spent his offseason working to refine every area of his game, which included adding nine pounds of muscle to his frame in effort to trim down on his fumbles.
But with the added muscle and improved mechanics came another major change.
Giants quarterbacks Jerry Schuplinski, who previously served as an assistant quarterbacks coach with the Miami Dolphins, did a little scouting on Jones prior to the 2019 NFL Draft and notices that his arm appears much stronger here in 2020.
“I have noticed his arm looks strong to me. I did some work with him when he was coming out in the draft when I was at a different place and it looked good. It looks even stronger now. I don’t know if that’s a testament to his work in the offseason and what he’s been doing. That’s one thing that jumped out to me,” Schuplinski told reporters on Sunday.
“I think as [quarterbacks] continue to build good fundamentals, get their hips and their lower body involved, that could increase it a little bit. That’s something that’s been a little eye opening to me, working with [Jones] on the field.”
Statistically, Jones struggled with passes beyond 20 yards last season, which the added arm strength could help, but Schuplinski dismisses those numbers just based on the variables.
“I’m not a huge statistics guy and I mean that wholeheartedly,” Schuplinski said. “I think the first thing we are looking at is how fundamentally sound are we. With our footwork, with our depth in the pocket, with stepping up in the pocket. The question before about pocket presence. Can we see the coverage, can we go to the right spot with the ball?
“Completion percentage is important. I think the accuracy part of that that is involved with the completion percentage, sometimes you can’t go totally off of that. A throw could be a good throw and it’s a drop. Sometimes it’s a catch but it’s a crappy throw behind him. I think the main thing we’re probably looking at is are we going to the right spot with the ball based on what the coverage is giving us. Are we getting the ball out of our hands quick enough? Sacks play a role in that, pressures, it’s not always on the line or the backs, or whatever the protection is. It’s up to us to get the ball out quick, too.”
That pocket presence will be key for Jones in 2020, and it’s something both Schuplinski and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett would like to see improve.
“There is a natural feel to that for sure, with pocket presence,” Schuplinski said. “I do think it can be developed. We’re working hard on developing a lot of that right now with some of the drills we do.
“We’re trying to do the best we can up front with building a good wall up front, creating a good pocket and trying to get those guys to force them to step up in the pocket. We do a lot of drills for that with all the guys. Working on getting transfers, stepping up in the pocket and giving ourselves a clear throwing lane.”
So far, so good for Jones, but there’s still a lot of work to do and improvements to be made.
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