New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones explains his learning process when picking up the playbook as an NFL rookie.
When the New York Giants drafted quarterback Daniel Jones with the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft, they knew he may not play right away. It seems the plan will be to sit Jones initially so he could learn the position behind longtime Big Blue quarterback Eli Manning. That way, Jones can be as prepared as possible for when he eventually gets the nod to start.
Through OTAs and minicamp, Jones impressed coaches and players. He still has to put in a good amount of work. However, the organization is confident they made the right pick when they selected him back in April.
Since coming onto the team, Jones has learned the playbook quickly, which will contribute to his eventual success. Speaking with Dan Salomone of the team’s website on the Giants Huddle podcast, Jones explained his process for learning the Giants playbook.
“I’ve found that once you write it down a lot, you draw it, you see it, and then you can kind of take that into your head because on the field you don’t have a piece of paper,” Jones said. “So you’re going to have to visualize it in your head, and that just kind of helps you organize the play call and then see it on the field.
“That all takes place in the meeting room, and obviously watching film is a huge component of that and seeing it in a moving picture. But in the notebook, I’ve found that just writing it down and seeing it on the paper is a good way to kind of get a lot of reps and do it over and over and over again.”
If 2019 goes well, meaning the Giants win games and Manning stays healthy, don’t expect to see much of Jones. However, when Manning finally calls it quits, Jones will be ready to go. From now until then, he’ll be doing everything he can to prepare for that moment.
