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ESPN Analyst Questions if Giants Can Succeed With Daniel Jones

Another day another doubter for Giants quarterback Daniel Jones. But is this particular one on to something?

Patricia Traina

ESPN Analyst Questions if Giants Can Succeed With Daniel Jones
ESPN Analyst Questions if Giants Can Succeed With Daniel Jones /
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Former NFL defensive back/head coach Herman Edwards, now an ESPN analyst, doesn't sound like he has much confidence in New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones's ability to lead the team to the promised land.

Edwards was asked if the Giants' offense is where it needs to be.

He didn't hesitate with his response. 

"When you think about this offense, they were last in the National Football League in passing with explosive plays," Edwards said, failing to mention the fact that the Giants were not only in Year 1 of a new and more complex offensive system but they didn't exactly have playmakers at receiver that scared opposing defenses, nor did they have consistent pass blocking to allow for Jones to take a deeper drop back.

"The star player is the runner; it's (Saquon) Barkley. And when you think about his numbers, he touched the ball for these guys 352 times--295 were runs, and he caught 57 passes. And by the way, he was their leading receiver. So when you think about the Giants, trying to defend the Giants offense, the first thing you say is this: Stop the runner. If we can stop the runner, we can beat the Giants; make the quarterback throw the ball."

Besides the fact that Barkley was not the Giants' leading receiver last year--his 57 regular-season receptions were tied with receiver Richie James, while Darius Slayton led all the receivers, tight ends, and running backs in receiving yardage with 724 yards--who was the guy throwing the ball to Barkley and company?

Oh, right--it was Daniel Jones, the same guy who, barring injury, will be throwing to tight end Darren Waller and receiver Jalin Hyatt, two guys whom Edwards believes will help the offense. 

That said, Edwards's opinion likely originates from the fact that the Giants went 2-5-1 in their final eight regular season games--games in which Barkley never cracked 100 yards rushing. But it's also fair to ask how much of that resulted from how much a shoulder injury that, despite Barkley playing through, still saw his average snaps drop from 56 per game down to 50.

Again, this is not to suggest that Edwards's opinion about Barkley's importance is wrong. But Edwards, who, to be fair, expresses hope that Daniel Jones plays well this season, otherwise cherry-picked elements to support his argument, failing to leave out others that, had they been considered, might have resulted in a different take.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

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