Retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Troy Aikman, believes the New York Giants may have something in quarterback Daniel Jones with the exception of one glaring negative — turnovers.
So, what piece of advice does Aikman have for Jones? It’s simple: try harder to hold onto the football.
“He’s gotta hang onto the damn ball!” a very loud Aikman said, via Newsday. “You can’t just throw the ball in the air every time you get touched. So that’s got to get fixed and I believe that it can be fixed.”
Turnovers were the most significant flaw to Jones’ game as a rookie. He fumbled the ball 18 times, losing 11, while adding 12 interceptions.
Those numbers were ugly and there’s really no way around it. Of course, a horrendous offensive line contributed to those woes, but just as it was with Eli Manning under center, no one wants to hear about that.
The good news? Aikman sees a bright future for Jones if he can get those turnover issues corrected.
“I liked him a lot,” Aikman said. “I saw his Pro Day. I won’t lie and say I studied him hard but I watched his Pro Day and I loved what I saw. In fact I tweeted about it. I thought the ball came out on time. It’s something I point to a lot because it doesn’t happen with a lot of young quarterbacks. He had great anticipation, he put the ball where it needed to be. He’s continued to prove that. Obviously, he’s a smart guy. You always say that about Duke and Ivy League guys.”
Aikman also believes the arrival of Jason Garrett in East Rutherford will help Jones tremendously.
“I’d be surprised if he and Daniel Jones don’t hit it off right away and develop a real chemistry,” Aikman said, adding that the entire Giants team will benefit from Garrett.
“I think he’s going to bring some accountability, some structure. He’s going to be very well prepared. There is not going to be any stone unturned. When they go into a gameplan every player is going to know exactly what is being asked of them. I think it’s a great situation for Jason. I thought he did a nice job when he was calling the plays as the offensive coordinator. . . He comes from a pretty good perspective having been around good players but also around good coaches. I think that’s probably been the biggest influence on him. And then having played. I think that helps.”
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