Giants Country

New York Giants Mailbag: Daniel Jones, Evan Neal, and More

Let's catch up with the readers to see what's on their minds.

Patricia Traina

New York Giants helmets
New York Giants helmets / Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
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If you'd like to submit a question for the mailbag, please use this link to avoid having your question land in spam. You may also post your questions on X (formerly known as Twitter) to @Patricia_Traina, hashtag #askPTrain. Please note that letters may be edited for clarity/length.

(This question was edited for clarity.) Do you feel Eli will ever get league-wide recognition (HOF) for being able to elevate a whole team as many times as he did? Can Daniel Jones do that? -- Robert B.

Robert, I have consistently believed that Eli Manning deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. But you just know that his candidacy is going to draw a discussion, and there are going to be people who believe he should be kept out, so we’ll see.

But if I were on the voting committee, you better believe Manning would get my vote, and not just because he's a Giant, but because of how his career stacks up against some of the other quarterbacks already in the Hall of Fame.

Daniel Jones is a long way off before we even consider discussing him and the Hall of Fame. Jones must finish in the top 10 league-wide in the major statistical categories. And if he can win a Super Bowl or two, that would help him out as well.

I like it. I'm glad they found a role for him that takes advantage of what he does well. I think he is better in coverage than Micah McFadden and I think the assignment also lessens the concern (slightly) about the safety depth.

It could. If Jones and the team are struggling, I think they’ll discuss benching him to avoid triggering the injury guarantee. 

I'm not sure, though, if it’s as cut and dried. Remember, they have the locker room to think about, and the won-loss record isn’t solely on the quarterback. If the players feel Jones gives them the best chance to dig out of the hole and the coach benches Jones, that most likely won’t be received well by the locker room.

(This submission was edited for clarity.) Jones had a different OL than Taylor and DeVito. Thomas got hurt in the first series and never played with Jones. Jones only had Bendeson at center. The other quarterbacks had Pugh and Phillips, and were not stuck with Neal and Ezeudu. 

Jones also played during the most challenging part of the schedule with his makeshift porous OL. Jones did not have Barkley after the second game. 

Jones is injury-prone from taking so much punishment and constantly running to escape pressure from Swiss cheese blocking. The offensive line’s 85 sacks are the second-worst ever in the history of the NFL, and Jones only played three full games in 2023. – Nick G.

Nick, time out here. Yes, the offensive line was historically bad, even with Andrew Thomas eventually returning, as he clearly wasn’t close to being his dominating self (but he was the best of the bunch). I’ve acknowledged that on multiple occasions. 

I’ve also said–and this is true–that the line isn’t 100 percent responsible for EVERY pressure the three quarterbacks absorbed, for quarterbacks holding the ball too long, and for quarterbacks not seeing the entire field when they get time. In other words, the quarterback isn’t blameless for a sack, a pressure, or a missed opportunity.

If the brass was 100 percent convinced that Jones was the answer moving forward, why put an escape hatch in his contract midway through it? Do any other top quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, and Josh Allen have that hatch two years into their respective deals? 

And if the Giants’ brass was 100 percent convinced Jones is the answer moving forward, why did they look to move up in the first round with an eye on Drake Maye? Is that a sign of a team that has zero doubts or concerns about its incumbent at quarterback?

And please, don’t use “Jones played the hardest part of the schedule” as an excuse. A quarterback has to be consistent against ALL levels of competition. Are you going to use that same excuse if the Giants have a losing record between Weeks 3-8, which happens to be the toughest part of the schedule this year?

Look, I've said this before and will say it again. I want whoever the quarterback is to do well and the team to do well. When they do, my job is a lot times easier. Jones is the quarterback, and if that's how Schoen and Daboll want to roll with, I'm on board with it. 

From most snaps to least–and I’m excluding special teams: WR Malik Nabers, TE Theo Johnson, RB Tyrone Tracy Jr, S Tyler Nubin, CB Dru Phillips, and LB Darius Muasau.  

McFadden was sidelined during the final open OTA and both minicamp practices because of an undisclosed injury, so check back with me once we get to training camp and I can give you a better answer.

Sort of. My workload isn't as heavy right no,w and so long as I stay ahead on my podcasts, which I've done so far, then I get an extra couple of hours to sit and do something fun.  

What are the circumstances behind the record? Did injuries wipe out the talent? Was it play-calling? Mismanagement? Something else? Why are we getting rid of Daboll?

And if the plan is to go in a different direction at quarterback, do you want a defensive-minded head coach to develop him or an offensive-minded head coach?

But seriously, you can't keep changing head coaches every two to three years and expect to win. Every time you bring in a new head coach, you’re starting from scratch with him wanting his guys and his system. 

Jermaine Eluemunor.

Depends. If Neal is healthy and playing well, its Evan Neal. If he's not, it's Jermaine Eluemunor if he's healthy.

My gut feeling is they didn't want to reach for a guy at six that they didn't love. If that's the reason, then I applaud him for pivoting to Plan B, which was to build up the receiving options around Jones. 

I hope that between that and Daboll's likely taking on the play-calling, they can get him back to being what he was in 2022.

I think it's too soon to draw any conclusions. Remember,  during the spring, they're working on installs and technique, and they’re not doing much with situational drills and such--heck they barely ran many running plays as I recall during the 11-on-11s because they weren’t in pads.

If I remember correctly, Daboll liked to throw the ball more when he was the Bills offensive coordinator, but again, he had different personnel. He hasn’t called plays in two years, so it’s hard to know how he’s evolved as a playcaller. 

My best and early guess is we'll see more deep shots taken. I also wonder if there will be fewer designed runs for the quarterback. But as far as trends, let’s wait and see until we;re a few games into the season as then I can go in and start doing comparisons.

Not according to Graham Gano, the current holder of the number. Wrote about that here, if you want to check it out.

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Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for over three decades for various media outlets. She is the host of the Locked On Giants podcast and the author of "The Big 50: New York Giants: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants" (Triumph Books, September 2020). View Patricia's full bio.

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