How the Giants are Trying to Help Daniel Jones Play Faster

One of the natural growing pains for a rookie quarterback is a degree of uncertainty which can slow down his game. With this having hit Daniel Jones, here is a look at how the Giants are trying to get him to play faster while still being smart with the ball.

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Giants offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Shula knows a thing or two about quarterback play thanks, in part, to his college years as a quarterback for the University of Alabama and, of course, watching his father, the legendary Don Shula, work with Miami Dolphins franchise quarterback Dan Marino.

These days, the younger Shula is hoping to guide the Giants’ new franchise quarterback, Daniel Jones, down the path toward success.

Jones was spectacular in his NFL debut versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, combining for 364 total yards of offense and four touchdowns in that game.

Over the last three weeks, Jones has hit a bump in the road, tossing three touchdowns and five interceptions. In a Week 7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Jones not only threw an interception, but he also added three fumbles that Arizona turned into 17 Cardinals points in a 27-21 win over New York.

Although Shula likes Jones’ aggressiveness--per NextGen Stats, Jones leads all quarterbacks with a 27.4% aggressiveness rate--being aggressive means nothing if one turns over the ball.

“You can’t turn the ball over,” Shula said. “When you’re the guy that holds the ball every play, then you have to make sure you’re aware of that.”

According to NextGen Stats, which tracks a quarterback’s time to throw, Jones is averaging 2.83 seconds to release each pass, the tenth highest-time average.

“We’ll have plays where the ball comes out fast--our quick passing game,” Shula said. “Then sometimes if we have plays where the receivers are more down the field where, by nature, it’s not quick, but you still want to stay on rhythm, as you go through your progressions. If one’s not open, get to number two quicker and then get to your outlet quicker.”

This weekend, Jones and the Giants will visit the Lions at Ford Field, where crowd noise is expected to be a factor.

Although Detroit ha the 31st ranked defense in the league, Shula is taking nothing for granted in helping Jones to get ready for the environment.

To help Jones prepare for that and still be able to play at a quicker tempo, Shula said that, in addition to pumping in crowd noise during practice, they have been working on some other tactics to help Jones stay in a rhythm, such as hand signals from quarterback to the receivers.

“We talk about even little things as far as after the play is over, getting back to the huddle quicker, staying close to the huddle, so you’re there when the play is getting sent in,” Shula added.

“You can echo it. We also have things where if all of a sudden you can’t hear, as a safety valve, he has plays in his mind that he can go to.”

Shula admits that all quarterbacks, young and old, sometimes struggle with balancing trying to be smart and trying to make something happen. In time, the hope is that Jones, who has absorbed 18 sacks since becoming the starter, will learn to balance those decisions better. 

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