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The Giants had no choice but to toss the keys to their franchise — which, if we’re sticking with the car metaphor, is roughly as reliable as a 1985 Yugo — to rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
They were going nowhere with Russell Wilson, who looked every bit like a 36-year-old collecting one final eight-figure paycheck in a listless loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last weekend. The brain trust, namely head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen, know their 0-3 team has to show some level of improvement in the coming months for them to stay gainfully employed.
And, c’mon, the paying customers deserve better, too. NFL games are supposed to be entertainment, and if you’re one of the fans who swallowed hard and kept your PSL during these dark years, don’t you deserve to occasionally be, you know, entertained?
So, yes, this was the right decision on Tuesday — and Dart is certainly going to provide a jolt for this fan base. From almost the moment he walked off the stage as the 25th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, he has looked the part of a future franchise quarterback.
This is more than his performances in training camp and preseason games, too. This is about the swagger he has brought to East Rutherford, a level of confidence — even cockiness — that hopefully will serve him well at 1:01 p.m. on Sunday when the Giants face the unbeaten Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium.
Because his world is about to get rocked.
Maybe not right away, although superstitious Giants fans might want to get that part out of the way. The last time they threw a rookie quarterback onto the field early in the season, it went far better than anyone could have imagined.
Daniel Jones completed 23 of 36 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns — plus two rushing TDs — as the Giants rallied for a 32-31 victory over Tampa Bay. Dave Gettleman, the general manager, looked like a genius. Pat Shurmur, the head coach, looked like he was poised for a long, comfortable tenure on the sidelines. Jones? The successor to Eli Manning. Maybe better!
We got a weeeee bit carried away that day in Tampa, myself included. It soon became clear not only that Jones was not ready for his promotion to starting quarterback, but more problematic, the Giants were not built to put him in a position to succeed.
It is impossible to say how much those difficult early days impacted his trajectory, but they certainly didn’t help. Co-owner John Mara himself acknowledged that the team “did everything possible to screw this kid up,” and so midway through last season, it was clear that the search for a new franchise quarterback would need to begin anew.
Jones was never heard from again! *
* Or, at least, the Giants wish that were true. That Jones looks reborn with the 3-0 Indianapolis Colts as a completely different player might be a bigger indictment on this franchise than Saquon Barkley re-emerging as the league’s best running back with the Eagles. But it’s close!
So what makes the Giants think that this offense is better suited for Dart to thrive?
That is the question that should scare the paying customers the most right now. Yes, left tackle Andrew Thomas returning from injury should make the offensive line better, but the overall unit still looks like one of the worst in the NFL through three games. Malik Nabers will give Dart the true No. 1 receiver that Jones lacked for most of his time with the Giants, but the Chiefs managed to completely take him out of the offense on Sunday night.
The Giants chose to bring back 10 starters from the league’s 30th-ranked offense. It is possible that the most important position — the quarterback — was holding this unit back from being successful. But is it likely? Probably not.
This is the risk with throwing Dart out there. Are the Giants going to find their Jayden Daniels, a young star in the making who will anchor their franchise for the next decade if he can stay healthy? Or are they going to end up with their Sam Darnold, a player that they’ll toss aside after failing to develop him properly like the Jets did a few years ago?
The Giants believe it’ll be different this time with Dart. They think, not only did they draft the right quarterback in the first round, but that the coaching staff and players around him are better suited for success in the long term.
They better be right. If not, they’ll be searching for their next franchise savior in a few years.
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