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WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. − The road from good to greatness for quarterbacks is often not paved with perfection on the practice fields, and especially during the summer.
That's something Jaxson Dart has come to appreciate, but it's not easy.
Aaron Rodgers has always encouraged young quarterbacks to take more risks in practice.
Tom Brady wants to see the next generation to welcome the pressure of defenses stacking the deck, making situations uncomfortable and nearly impossible for offenses to avoid negative plays.
"Test them early," Brady once said. "See if they break."
For Dart, as his second camp as a pro gets going here at The Greenbrier Resort, that's a switch that must be flipped.
It's physical. It's psychological. The Giants are chasing execution, John Harbaugh insists. It's no surprise Dart mentioned the absence of pre-snap penalties in the first practice session here.
Behind the scenes, the coaches want to see Dart challenge himself, discover mechanical weaknesses while working on his eye discipline and footwork, and how those factors will aid in his maturation as a playmaker from the pocket.
"You don't get anything from playing it safe during practice," Super Bowl XXI MVP and Giants legendary quarterback Phil Simms once told me. "Taking chances in camp will challenge your confidence, but if done right, your decision-making improves, you see what you can and can't get away with. Most of all, this is when quarterbacks find their identity."
In terms of expectations, Dart was pretty clear after Day 1 of his second training camp: he's adopted the Harbaugh philosophy of focusing on making the next day better than the previous one. That's all that matters as the Giants progress through camp here, back at home in New Jersey, through the preseason and ultimately into the Sunday night opener Sept. 13 against the Cowboys.
Dart took chances in team periods Wednesday and had mixed results. The reality: that's what practice is about. The good quarterbacks understand that - the great ones take advantage and get better.
The screen game to the backs and tight ends was on fire. He connected on several deep throws to Calvin Austin and Isaiah Likely, who grabbed one in a phone booth with cornerback Paulson Adebo. There were also several throws that Dart attempted in tight situations that could have (and should have) resulted in interceptions.
Perhaps the most critical part to any success for the Giants in Harbaugh's first season and beyond will be tied to Dart's progression throughout the summer and into the 2026 season. His presence in the spring garnered headlines on a much wider scale than anticipated, and with that comes the pressure to deliver - both internally, which is always present for Dart, and externally from those ready to make a judgment on the Giants' quarterback after every play.
We've already seen that with the borderline disrespect of Dart’s game with cries of how he has not done enough to earn the right to celebrate the Knicks’ NBA Championship with teammates or appear in Crocs commercials on social media with Cam Skattebo, that he is acting as if he has accomplished more than he has so far and supposedly tearing apart the locker room by veering into the great political divide.
That’s all a crock, of course, but perception becomes reality when critics don’t care about taking the time to figure out what’s real and what’s imagined.
That’s the backdrop for any success for Dart and the Giants, and it will only be magnified by perceived failures.
"The position in and of itself is always going to be one of struggle," Giants quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Brian Callahan said. "There are gonna be moments where you play really well. There are gonna be moments where you don’t make the play, and the spotlight’s always on the quarterback, particularly in this city, and I think he’s done a great job of understanding his role and what that means for our football team.
"He also understands how to handle the pressures that come with it. Inevitably, there’s gonna be hard times, there’s gonna be adversity. There are ebbs and flows, there’s ups and downs, and that’s part of the maturation process for young quarterbacks: learning how to handle failures, learning how to grow from those moments."
The relationship between Harbaugh and Dart continues to grow as well.
"That's just been really cool to have that openness, no ego," Dart said of Harbaugh. "Ultimately, he just wants to, obviously, win. He's got a chip on his shoulder. I'm interested to see how his demeanor continues to grow as we go forward."
So the next question was a no-brainer: does Dart have that chip also resting on his right shoulder?
Without hesitation, his reply: "Absolutely."
For Jaxson Dart, the quest to becoming the quarterback both he and the Giants believe he can be starts now.
And if that comes from making mistakes and learning how to deal with the fall out, so be it.
They don't give out any rings for training camp perfection.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: For Jaxson Dart, it's time to flip the switch at Giants training camp
Continue reading...
That's something Jaxson Dart has come to appreciate, but it's not easy.
Aaron Rodgers has always encouraged young quarterbacks to take more risks in practice.
Tom Brady wants to see the next generation to welcome the pressure of defenses stacking the deck, making situations uncomfortable and nearly impossible for offenses to avoid negative plays.
"Test them early," Brady once said. "See if they break."
For Dart, as his second camp as a pro gets going here at The Greenbrier Resort, that's a switch that must be flipped.
It's physical. It's psychological. The Giants are chasing execution, John Harbaugh insists. It's no surprise Dart mentioned the absence of pre-snap penalties in the first practice session here.
Behind the scenes, the coaches want to see Dart challenge himself, discover mechanical weaknesses while working on his eye discipline and footwork, and how those factors will aid in his maturation as a playmaker from the pocket.
"You don't get anything from playing it safe during practice," Super Bowl XXI MVP and Giants legendary quarterback Phil Simms once told me. "Taking chances in camp will challenge your confidence, but if done right, your decision-making improves, you see what you can and can't get away with. Most of all, this is when quarterbacks find their identity."
In terms of expectations, Dart was pretty clear after Day 1 of his second training camp: he's adopted the Harbaugh philosophy of focusing on making the next day better than the previous one. That's all that matters as the Giants progress through camp here, back at home in New Jersey, through the preseason and ultimately into the Sunday night opener Sept. 13 against the Cowboys.
Dart took chances in team periods Wednesday and had mixed results. The reality: that's what practice is about. The good quarterbacks understand that - the great ones take advantage and get better.
The screen game to the backs and tight ends was on fire. He connected on several deep throws to Calvin Austin and Isaiah Likely, who grabbed one in a phone booth with cornerback Paulson Adebo. There were also several throws that Dart attempted in tight situations that could have (and should have) resulted in interceptions.
Perhaps the most critical part to any success for the Giants in Harbaugh's first season and beyond will be tied to Dart's progression throughout the summer and into the 2026 season. His presence in the spring garnered headlines on a much wider scale than anticipated, and with that comes the pressure to deliver - both internally, which is always present for Dart, and externally from those ready to make a judgment on the Giants' quarterback after every play.
We've already seen that with the borderline disrespect of Dart’s game with cries of how he has not done enough to earn the right to celebrate the Knicks’ NBA Championship with teammates or appear in Crocs commercials on social media with Cam Skattebo, that he is acting as if he has accomplished more than he has so far and supposedly tearing apart the locker room by veering into the great political divide.
That’s all a crock, of course, but perception becomes reality when critics don’t care about taking the time to figure out what’s real and what’s imagined.
That’s the backdrop for any success for Dart and the Giants, and it will only be magnified by perceived failures.
"The position in and of itself is always going to be one of struggle," Giants quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Brian Callahan said. "There are gonna be moments where you play really well. There are gonna be moments where you don’t make the play, and the spotlight’s always on the quarterback, particularly in this city, and I think he’s done a great job of understanding his role and what that means for our football team.
"He also understands how to handle the pressures that come with it. Inevitably, there’s gonna be hard times, there’s gonna be adversity. There are ebbs and flows, there’s ups and downs, and that’s part of the maturation process for young quarterbacks: learning how to handle failures, learning how to grow from those moments."
The relationship between Harbaugh and Dart continues to grow as well.
"That's just been really cool to have that openness, no ego," Dart said of Harbaugh. "Ultimately, he just wants to, obviously, win. He's got a chip on his shoulder. I'm interested to see how his demeanor continues to grow as we go forward."
So the next question was a no-brainer: does Dart have that chip also resting on his right shoulder?
Without hesitation, his reply: "Absolutely."
For Jaxson Dart, the quest to becoming the quarterback both he and the Giants believe he can be starts now.
And if that comes from making mistakes and learning how to deal with the fall out, so be it.
They don't give out any rings for training camp perfection.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: For Jaxson Dart, it's time to flip the switch at Giants training camp
Continue reading...
