Daniel Jones doesn’t agree with criticism of OC Jason Garrett

Giants offensive coordinator Jason Garrett has taken a ton of heat already this season, but his quarterback is sticking by his side.

Conservative play-calling at the hands of Jason Garrett has been a detriment to the Giants numerous times this year. It’s caused the offensive coordinator, who the organization hired in 2020, to take much of the heat for the team’s three losses through four weeks.

But the offense looked improved in the most recent overtime victory over New Orleans — the play-calling was more aggressive than usual and Daniel Jones certainly executed, throwing for a career-high 402 yards with two touchdowns.

And speaking of the young quarterback himself, Jones actually came to his coordinator’s side when speaking to the media Wednesday.

“I certainly don’t agree with [the criticism Garrett receives]. I think when you watch the tape and you turn it on and you watch other offenses, I don’t think that’s a fair conclusion to draw from comparing different schemes,” Jones said. “I think more than anything, it’s been about us executing it and taking advantage of some of those plays that have been there. I thought we did a better job on Sunday, so we’ve got to continue to do that. I think the opportunities have been there and I think the stuff we’re doing on offense has kept defenses on their heels.”

In two of the last three games, the Giants set a “Jason Garrett era” record for single-game yardage. The 391 total yards they gained against Washington in Week 2 were the most since Garrett was hired to be the offensive coordinator. The team, however, subsequently surpassed that mark with 485 total yards against the Saints this past Sunday.

Jones is also improving and has put together a strong season thus far, throwing for 1,184 yards with a 66.7% completion rate and 98.3 passer rating.

Taking all this into consideration, Garrett doesn’t have any sort of excuse to exclude explosive plays from the game plans moving forward. Jones is no longer a developing (and struggling) rookie and the right weapons — athletic specimens John Ross and Kadarius Toney, catch-in-traffic specialist Kenny Golladay, and talented slot receiver Sterling Shepard — are in place to overwhelm opposing defenses.

Garrett and Jones will need to pull out all the stops against another tough defense this Sunday afternoon. The Cowboys are allowing nearly 400 total yards per game but are second in the NFL with 10 total takeaways. Dallas is also tied for first in the league with a plus-seven turnover differential.

Follow Ryan Honey on Twitter: @RyanHoneyESNY

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