Call Him Whatever You Want, But to Daniel Jones, It's All About Improving

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones doesn't care what label you attach to his name so long as people see him as someone who is looking to improve.

All Giants quarterback Daniel Jones wants to do is play the position for the New York Giants.

Ah, but if only it were that easy because the quarterback position in general—and especially in New York—is a lightning rod for criticism of the greatest extremes.

Not that Jones hasn’t brought some of it on himself. Up until last week, he hadn’t played a turnover-free game. And there were also questions about his aggressiveness—the very same thing that got him into trouble at times—having been scaled back a notch or two. 

So what exactly is Jones, other than the Giants quarterback?

“ I think Daniel is a developing player,” head coach Joe Judge said Wednesday. “I think he’s shown a lot of promise, he’s making a lot of gains this year, he’s done a lot of really, really good things for us, and that he gives us a chance to be competitive within games. I see him improving on a weekly basis, and I love having that guy in the huddle right now being our signal-caller. I know the team around him does as well.” 

What people forget about Jones is that not only is he in his second NFL season, he’s in his first one in a new offense that was very different than the one he ran as a rookie. While there have been questions about his ability to process what he is seeing, Jones has shown signs of the game having slowed down in the last few weeks. Those have manifested in him doing a better job of balancing what the defense gives him and being aggressive.

“I think he has really done a good job of sitting back and dissecting the defense at times this year and finding the right receiver,” Judge said. 

“At the same time, when we go ahead and we put scheme-type plays out there to isolate a certain player, he’s done a good job as far as getting the ball distributed to those guys and make sure he gives them a chance to make a play with the ball in their hands.”

Judge scoffed at the suggestion that Jones isn’t aggressive enough. 

“I see a lot of aggressiveness in Daniel, and I like the way he plays,” Judge said, citing how Jones has stood tall in the pocket when it's collapsing around him or when he tucks the ball and runs. “When it comes time to take our shots, we’ll take our shots offensively.”

Jones agreed with the notion that his role is that of a game manager, but not necessarily as sometimes defined negatively by people who use the term to describe quarterbacks who play a watered-down role on offense.

“I think a big part of [playing quarterback] is understanding when the opportunity is there, the ability to recognize that quickly, anticipate it, and take it,” Jones said in response to the game manager label. “A lot of times, that’s down the field, or sometimes that’s just a quick decision where you’re letting the guy catch and run and giving him space with an accurate ball. 

“Yeah, I think understanding when those opportunities are there, when it’s not there, when we call a play and we don’t get the look, and the ability to make a decision quickly and avoid a negative play, a sack or holding the ball--I think all of those situations maybe go into the game management category but are important skills as a quarterback.”

But at the end of the day, Jones doesn’t care what label is attached to his name because his goal has not changed from the first day he walked into the Giants team headquarters.

“My focus is to improve every week,” he said. “I’m not sure how I label myself or how productive that is for me to do. My focus is to improve and continue to grow. 

“I certainly understand there are lots of areas in my game that I need to improve on. That’s where I’m focused week to week.”