New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones could be poised for a breakout season in 2020, but he’ll have to first win the respect of his teammates and the new coaching staff.
Jones needs to establish himself as a leader on the Giants as well as impress through his performance. New head coach Joe Judge, who is now addressing players by name, said in an interview on Wednesday that Jones is showing signs of taking a captainship-type role.
“We’re going to have different leaders,” Judge said. “Daniel has to take on a role by the nature of his position. He’s done a phenomenal job of setting the tone with the way he’s working right now, and that’s the biggest part of it. You can’t be a leader if you’re not effective at your job and you don’t work hard for the team. Those are the two important things.
“But the other guys on our team have to lead as well. Everyone has their own style, and everyone has their own impact on the game, but we can’t rely on one guy to lead. But I’d say Daniel is off to a very strong start in these virtual meetings by setting the tone on how he’s working. That, to me, is the biggest thing. Everything he can do at this point, he’s doing. That’s all we can ask.”
Jones displayed flashes of stardom when he led the Giants to a dramatic comeback win in his debut as a stater down in Tampa Bay. As the season wore on, Jones would toss four touchdowns in a game twice and five touchdowns in another.
NFL beat reporter Peter Schrager, one of the hosts of the NFL Network’s wildly popular program Good Morning Football, believes Jones could just be that breakout star New York sports needs right now.
“It’s such an interesting thing to think of primetime player and New York. You always think in the lens of Joe Namath or Phil Simms and these big personalities who are going to be o these endorsement deals,” Schrager said. “If you look in New York right now Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones are two of the most mild-mannered quarterbacks in our entire league. They’re no bravado guys, they’re not ‘look-at-me’ guys, and yet if they win in that city or they win in that market, they are going to be huge, huge celebrities.
“I don’t want to overly dramatic here, but New York and New Jersey are going through some things right now, and if there is football, do you realize how important the Giants and Jets are going to be to those fan bases? . . . The Jets and Giants diehards, they long for good football, and if football is being played and the Giants are good. . . And Daniel Jones can bring glory to this team, you better believes that Daniel Jones might be the biggest superstar in New York throughout the entire fall and winter months.
“So, yes, he is ready to become the primetime player. All he’s gotta do is win and all he’s gotta do is exactly what he did at the end of last season when he really showed some grit.”
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