In Daniel Jones five starts for the New York Giants, we’ve seen the good and the bad in the 22-year-old quarterback.
As is to be expected for any rookie quarterback, Daniel Jones has had his share of ups and downs through his first five NFL starts. He has shown flashes of brilliance at times. However, he has shown flaws that need to be fixed immediately to give the New York Giants a better chance of winning.
For the season, Jones has completed 107 out of 175 pass attempts for 1,114 yards with six passing touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s also shown his mobility and athleticism with 19 rushes for 121 yards and two scores.
Numbers aside, here are four takeaways from the early stages of Jones’ career.
1. He trusts his accuracy
One thing that Jones has shown, going all the way back to the preseason, is that when given time to throw, he has pinpoint accuracy. After all, that’s how he earned the nickname “Danny Dimes”. His accuracy has been both a blessing and a curse as he has a habit of trying to force balls into tight windows.
His 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Rhett Ellison was the perfect example of this. Jones delivered the pass to Ellison despite the three defenders in the vicinity. Had Jones not thrown a perfect pass, the Cardinals would have surely snagged it for an interception.
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On the flip side, in that same game, he tried to force a pass to Golden Tate in a tight window and Jordan Hicks came away with the interception.
You can’t fault a quarterback for trusting his ability, but if the interceptions continue to mount, Jones will have to scale back on his gunslinging.
2. He’s tough
Just like his mentor, Eli Manning, Jones has shown he is both mentally and physically tough. He withstood the backlash and scrutiny from fans and media members when he was taken sixth overall and has shown he can take a beating in games without losing his composure.
So far this season, Jones has been sacked 18 times and despite the punishment, he springs right up without showing up his offensive line for their failures. Being mentally and physically tough is a vital attribute in the development of a young quarterback.
3. He must work on his ball security
The biggest issue with Jones is the frequency in which he turns the ball over. In addition to his seven interceptions, Jones has also lost five fumbles this season. Twelve turnovers in only five career starts is alarming.
The Giants aren’t good enough to overcome these miscues and Jones will eventually improve upon his ability to secure the football.
4. Needs to be quicker in his decision making
While Jones has been sacked 18 times, some of these sacks have occurred because he holds onto the ball too long without feeling the pocket collapsing on him. Of the eight times he was sacked against the Cardinals, at least three of the sacks could have been prevented with quicker distribution or a decisive scramble.
He must improve on his pocket presence and make quicker decisions to improve his team’s chances of winning.
Jones will look to have a bounce-back game and end the Giants’ current three-game skid against the Detroit Lions (2-3-1) this Sunday at Ford Field. Jones will face a Lions defense that is giving up 26.7 points per game and has only registered 10 sacks.
