Mike Shula: Giants keeping expectations real for Daniel Jones' first NFL start

Don't expect the Giants to put too much on rookie quarterback Daniel Jones' plate this weekend when he makes his first start for the team.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

For just the second time in nearly 16 full year seasons, it won't be Eli Manning lining up under center when the New York Giants take the field on game day. 

As everyone knows by now, rookie quarterback Daniel Jones has been named the starter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Giants, from the coaching staff to the players interviewed, have expressed support and confidence in Jones before his first start.

And while the Giants don't run Mike Shula's offense, the offensive coordinator' words still carry weight and he will be heavily involved in Jones' development. 

Shula stated that the entire coaching staff is “all in” on Shurmur's decision to promote Jones to the starting job, but he also refrained from setting unreasonable expectations for the rookie.

Shula said, “Well, anybody that’s in that position, we expect to help us win football games. But like I said, I think more so than—don’t try to do too much, don’t think you have to make plays down the field here or there—our expectations for him are just to make the right decisions.”

“As we’ve talked in the past,” he added, “I think that position comes down to three things when you’re throwing the football: go to the right guy with the football, get the ball there on time, and get the ball there accurately.”

This is an area where Shula has plenty of experience. As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator in 1999, he coached rookie second round pick Shaun King who was thrust into the starting role for the final five games, and the team's 2-game postseason run, following a season-ending injury to Trent Dilfer.

Of course, Shula is more well known for his work with former number one overall pick Cam Newton. 

Shula had to develop Newton into an NFL quarterback coming out of Gus Malzahn's unique offense at Auburn as the Carolina Panthers' quarterback coach and offensive coordinator. He says their first main goal for Jones this week is to try and keep him from doing too much.

“I think the biggest thing for young guys starting, or guys that haven’t started in a while, is don’t try to do too much and make sure you communicate clearly,” Shula said, 

“So, those are the things we’re emphasizing this week. I think he’s got a good grasp on our offense—I know he’s got a good grasp on our offense—and so now it’s just kind of the consistency during the week, and then let that take over on Sunday.”

Complicating matters is the Buccaneers' defense which is coming off an impressive performance against Shula's former team, the Carolina Panthers. 

The Buccaneers were able to contain running back Christian McCaffery while also sacking Newton three times in a dominant performance by edge rusher Shaquil Barrett. 

While the Buccaneers might have been 2-11 against rookie quarterbacks going back to 2011, that was before the defense was taken over by Todd Bowles. 

Bowles is known for his aggressive blitz-heavy defenses that can be difficult for even seasoned signal-callers to diagnose. Shula is expecting them to try to confuse the rookie and bring even more pressure than they did a week ago.

“They do such a good job, it poses a lot of problems for a lot of offenses,” Shula said. 

“As we go into the game, you can imagine starting a rookie quarterback is probably going to increase it a little bit. They’re really good at what they do, and they’re really fast at doing it, and they give you a lot of disguises, so I think all of those things present problems. So, we’ve really got to be on point with our recognition and our communication.”

The combination of Tampa's defensive front and their aggressive scheme is going to put pressure on Jones, but it also puts pressure on the Giants' offensive line to hold up and protect him – as well as open holes for Saquon Barkley.

Shula said, “I think collectively, those guys [the offensive line] are probably at the hot spots—the tackles are at the hot spots—but as a group, just taking all 11 guys to say let’s get open on time, let’s get the ball out on time, let’s pick up blitzers if you’re a running back, and know you have to get the ball out quick.”

Almost as important as keeping pressure away from Jones, the Giants need to improve when it comes to sustaining drives. So far this year they have converted just five of 23 third downs, a rate that needs to go up if they want to field a consistent offense.

“We look at that, and we’ve looked at it hard already,” Shula said. “Obviously, staying out of third down and long, you’re percentages are lower, and we’re really low when you go beyond seven yards, and we can be better on the third and one to two areas as well. So, it’s a collective effort. 

"We look at everything involved—scheme-wise, what teams are trying to do to us may be different than what we thought, do we need to have more flexibility with some of the things that we’re doing—all those things. But you don’t want to just say “better execution,” it’s everything—it’s better coaching, better detailing what guys are being asked to do, and then the guys on the field.”

Fans are excited about Jones after an impressive series of drives in the preseason, but if there is one area of concern it has been his ball security. 

Jones has fumbled three times going back to the preseason, twice against the Chicago Bears and once at the end of week one. Shula once again affirms that Jones needs to be smart with the ball, both as a runner and a passer.

“Ball security, that’s number one, it always is, especially for the guy who handles the ball the most,” Shula said. 

“So yeah, we have to protect the football--the old cliché as far as the turnovers and the ratio and it’s tough to win games when you don’t win the turnover battle—but we want to play keep away, we want to be selfish and keep the ball and stay on the field and finish drives with touchdowns. 

"The only way to do that is making smart decisions, not forcing the ball when you’re throwing it, and protecting the ball when you have it in your hands, whether or not you’re running it or you’re in the pocket.”

So what about Jones what has stood out most to Shula in his brief time as a Giant? It's a trait that is pretty familiar for Giants fans.

“His demeanor,” Shula said, “and you guys have been around him a little bit now, his demeanor doesn’t change much. He’s been really good, he’s on top of the things that—you can kind of see with young guys sometimes where there’s a little bit of hesitation with their answer or maybe sometimes out on the field—but so far, he’s been really good throughout and very consistent throughout all of our practices.”