Joe Judge will be working with a developing quarterback in Daniel Jones during his first year as the New York Giants head coach.
Football fans don’t expect too much from the New York Giants ahead of the 2020 campaign, which usually is the case when a team enters a season with a young quarterback and first-year head coach. Both Daniel Jones and Joe Judge will have a lot on their plate when it comes to potentially leading this organization back to the postseason, and time will only tell if they’ll ultimately complete the demanding task.
After one year, fans are going back and forth on if Jones is the answer. Some believe he has the potential to be the real deal, having thrown 3,027 yards and 24 touchdowns last year. Others believe the turnovers are too big of a concern (12 picks, 11 lost fumbles).
Judge, on the other hand, has great confidence in the young pro and discussed Jones during a Thursday appearance on CBS Sports’ Tiki and Tierney.
“I’m very excited about working with Daniel. I love his toughness. I love his competitiveness. Those shine through right away,” Judge said. “I want to be fair to Daniel right now and let him have the opportunity to learn the offense that he’s working in right now that he’s never taken a snap in, and let him progress at his rate and develop his career over the course of time that’s going to meet the expectations that we set internally.”
“He’s got a fire that burns in him,” the newly hired head coach added. “He brings other guys along with him. He shows up every day. He knows what you’re going to teach before you’re teaching it in terms of being prepared on material. He sets the tone for the room and we’re very excited [for] when we finally get these guys in person. I’m glad he’s on our team. I’m really glad he’s on our team.”
Jones is in a weird situation in which he’ll be learning his second NFL playbook in as many years. During his rookie campaign, he played under the Pat Shurmur regime prior to the now-former Giants head coach’s exit upon winning nine games in two seasons. Now, under Judge’s watch, he’ll be learning and utilizing offensive coordinator Jason Garrett‘s playbook en route to building off his rookie-year performance.
After the Giants’ haul in the (virtual) 2020 NFL Draft, Jones should be a little more comfortable in the pocket. Big Blue drafted three offensive linemen in the first five rounds, one of which will certainly start. The team’s first-round pick, Georgia’s Andrew Thomas, may begin as the starting right tackle before transitioning to Jones’ blindside.
Tackle Matt Peart and guard Shane Lemieux will likely be reserve linemen initially. There’s a slight chance the latter could win the starting job at center, but he’ll really need to impress the coaching staff once training camp commences.