The New York Giants are heading into the third season of the Joe Schoen/Brian Daboll era and the internal expectation is that they are going to turn the corner and become a winning organization.
The Giants tried to jumpstart the direction of the team this offseason by drafting their quarterback of the future. Those plans were dashed and they were forced to turn back to Daniel Jones, the embattled five-year veteran who is coming off ACL surgery and a boatload of criticism regarding his ability to become a franchise quarterback.
On Wednesday at the joint press conference to discuss the state of the team, Schoen was asked what he saw from Jones in his one preseason appearance, two weeks ago versus Houston.
“Daniel early on, there was a little bit of rust. I thought he really picked it up and had a good camp. I understand maybe there’s a throw he would have wanted back in the Houston game,” he said. “I thought overall, when you step back and look at the game, if you want to look through that lens, I do think he had a good camp. Again, in the Houston game, that preseason game when he played, with the exception of one throw, I thought he played well.”
Jones himself is ready to go. He has not been afforded a quality supporting cast since he was selected sixth overall in the 2019 NFL draft. He believes he might finally have that in a rebuilt (and healthy) offensive line and some explosive options in the receiving game.
“I do think it’s a better team. I think we’ve improved in a number of areas,” Jones told reporters on Wednesday. “Across the board, yeah, we’re better. We’ve had a good training camp and we’re ready to go. It’s always important to stay healthy and make sure we’re taking care of our bodies and doing everything we can to stay healthy. I feel good about where we are.”
The Giants’ new offensive lineup has been going through some nicks and disruptions this summer at camp and is only now rounding into shape. They were finally all on the field at the same time on Wednesday. There are only 10 days between now and the season opener on September 8.
“It’s good to have all those guys out there together,” Jones said. “Them playing together as much as possible is important, building chemistry and communication. All the things that go into playing well as a group and they’ve done a good job throughout training camp as guys have been out, still spending time together in meetings, getting reps in the walkthrough and communicating. I feel good about where we are, but definitely nice to have them all out there.”
The fleet young receiving corps has Jones looking forward to the season as well.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys for sure,” he said. “A lot of guys who can step up and make plays for us and guys who bring different skill sets to the table. I’m excited about the group of guys. I think we’ve got a lot of speed on the field and guys who can make plays. My job is to get it to them and let them do their thing.”
The Giants hope their “thing” is to get into the end zone often.
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