There’s an old saying that actions speak louder than words.
If you subscribe to that line of thinking, you can’t help but to be impressed with what New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has done this offseason.
Entering his third year — a boom or bust season — Jones has worked nonstop to not only perfect his craft, but to develop a bond and chemistry with his teammates.
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In April, Jones organized private workouts for his teammates in Arizona and scheduled things so that anyone who wanted to attend, could. His efforts drew rave reviews from Sterling Shepard, one of the longest-tenured Giants.
“It just shows his leadership skills in getting everybody together and trying to get some of the timing down,” Shepard told the New York Daily News. “That’s important for offense, especially receiver to QB. Good session. We had a great time out there getting to know each other and bonding with each other, as well. Just shows you [Jones’] maturity level in being able to set something like that up.”
Jones has also organized regular throwing sessions in New Jersey with the likes of Shepard, David Sills and his newest teammate, Kenny Golladay.
But the leadership Jones has demonstrated doesn’t begin and end with his receivers, tight ends and running backs. The 24-year-old has also made time to workout with some of his offensive linemen, namely guard Will Hernandez.
And when the voluntary portion of the offseason program rolled around, there was Jones — the first one in the building and the last one to leave despite pressure from the NFLPA to skip all voluntary activities.
“I’m proud of the way he works every day. This guy comes to work every day and whatever phase he’s in, if he’s in the weight room, getting treatment on field, throwing with his teammates, organizing things outside this building, the guy always has a plan of how he’s going to attack things and proud to watch how he’s worked,” head coach Joe Judge said of Jones, one of the team’s captains in 2020.
“I look for [players] to come in and work their hardest and pay attention to details we are coaching and put the team first. This guy does that every time he walks in the building. Very pleased with the way he’s working and looking for improvement from every one of our players on I daily basis and our coaches as well. . . I’m proud of the way Daniel is working and leading both [physically] and vocally.”
When Jones isn’t training, he’s still bonding. He invited Golladay and tight end Kyle Rudolph out to dinner shortly after each player signed as a way to introduce himself and break the ice with his newest playmakers.
And the work never stops for Jones. Even during his down time, he continues to grind. He was recently seen on video working on his pocket movement efficiency with Mickey Brueckner of Annex Sports Performance in Chatham.
It’s that sort of relentless determination that makes Jones’ coaches and teammates love him.
“His teammates and everyone have bought in,” Victor Cruz told “Good Morning Football” in April. “When you ask his teammates about him, when you ask the receiving crops about him, when you ask the tight ends and different position groups, they’ve all got his back. They all love him. He takes care of everyone. He understands what it is to be a quarterback of the New York Football Giants, and that’s not an easy feat.
“I think having similar character traits to Eli [Manning] in terms of his temperament, in terms of the way he treats players and his teammates… I think that’s going a long way for him off of the field.”
This type of leadership is nothing new for Jones, who accepted blame for everything that went wrong in 2020 — even when it clearly wasn’t his fault.
“I tried to get the ball out of my hands and I dropped out. I have to do a better job with that. We will go back and look at the tape and continue to learn and improve,” Jones said after a Week 7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last year. “The ball was in my hand. I have to do a better job with those situations.
“I have to do a better job putting the ball in a better position. The look is a specific one so I have to do a better job of recognizing that.”
By most accounts, Jones’ leadership, work-ethic and determination can not be questioned. Yet, with one slip of the tongue during OTAs last week, Jones was labeled “naive” for daring to suggest that improvement rests on the shoulders of all 11 players on the field — an absolute matter of fact.
“It’s on all 11 of us to do our jobs. That’s certainly something Coach Judge, Coach [Jason] Garrett remind us as a group, as a team, especially on offense, to do our job. Each person of the 11 has to do their job in order for us to be successful,” Jones told reporters.
Jones may be a leader on the field, but Judge is the leader of the team. And the coach doesn’t care what the outside perception is or what media members want to see from Jones or anyone else on the team — he has his vision and wants to see his players follow it.
Jones did.
But there was more to Jones’ Zoom interview with reporters than just those few lines — there was more context that got left out.
“Going into my third year, a lot of [my growth as a leader] has to do with the relationships you develop with guys. A lot of these guys I’ve played with each of my first two years,” Jones said. “We have a good group, a lot of leaders who are communicating regularly. Everyone’s always thinking about ways we can get together to get better, to improve, do everything we can to be prepared going into camp.
“As a quarterback, my role is a lot of times to be that communicator, to bring guys together, to get guys moving toward where we need to go, thinking about our goals and what we want to accomplish come this fall.”
But wait, there was more…
“Certainly, the quarterback plays a role in that — communication, getting everyone on the same page. I have a lot of responsibility in that,” Jones said.
Doesn’t sound like a guy shying away from his leadership responsibilities or dodging his importance to the team, does it? Full context matters.
If you want the real pulse on Daniel Jones, ask his teammates and pay less attention to what’s written about him.
“He’s a hard worker. He’s in the building well before anybody else, me and him are,” safety Logan Ryan said of Jones in October. “I believe in him, I have full faith in him. . . He has no problem being a leader, he has no problem working hard. He has no problem putting the time in, I think the Giants have the right guy when it comes to that.”
You’re a leader when your teammates view you as a leader, not when the New York media says you are. And Daniel Jones has happily accepted that role as a leader and he certainly acts like it.
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