Since blowing a 19-point lead to the Denver Broncos at Mile-High Stadium on October 19, the New York Giants have lost to the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. Neither game was competitive. For the third year in a row this franchise, which has made the playoffs only twice since its last Super Bowl win in 2011, is off to a 2-7 start. The previous two seasons it finished 6-11 and 3-14 respectively. Based on the level of play through nine games, there is little reason to expect that 2025 will be any different.
New York has given up 249 points this season. Only the Tennessee Titans (257), Dallas Cowboys (277) and Cincinnati Bengals (300) have given up more. Yes, they have sustained injuries, especially to their beleaguered secondary, but there isn't a team in the league that hasn't had to contend with injuries. Indeed, the 49ers were missing several key players, including Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa, yet still had their way with the Giants. Quite frankly, it was embarrassing to watch.
The one, lone bright spot in this train wreck of a season has been Jaxson Dart. The rookie has thrown for 1175 yards in six starts with 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. His QBR of 60.8 is 16th among starting quarterbacks; five points higher than Drake Maye's was in his rookie season, and eight points higher than Eli Manning's was in 2007, the year he won his first Super Bowl. In fact, Dart's QBR is higher than Bo Nix, Michael Penix, Jr, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams; the latter the number one pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Ever since the retirement of Eli, the Jints have been looking for someone to take over the reigns. Daniel Jones was supposed to be that guy; and for two seasons - his rookie and 2022 - it certainly looked that way. But, alas, it wasn't to be. Danny Dimes is now on the Indianapolis Colts where he is having his best year as a pro. Good for him.
As for Dart, it's obvious that the Giants have found their franchise quarterback. His resilience is matched only by his exuberance. If spunk was measured in dollars, Dart would be the richest rookie in the NFL. The kid is unflappable. But there's a limit to any man's resolve. John Mara is playing with fire if he thinks that this level of incompetence won't eventually get to the best quarterback this organization has drafted in its history. I'm not being facetious here. Phil Simms took five years to become a good quarterback; Eli didn't come into his own until his third full season; Dart is already there, and with inarguably the worst receiving corps in the league.
But past performance is no guarantee of future success. Sam Darnold and Justin Fields were highly touted prospects out of college who were both badly screwed up by their respective teams. Darnold eventually resurrected his career in Minnesota and now Seattle, but Fields appears to be a lost cause. Ironically he's with the Jets, the team that drafted Darnold. You can't make this shit up.
Mara has an obligation to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. Even he decides to retain Joe Schoen as his GM, the entire coaching staff must go, starting with Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen. His play calling is directly responsible for two losses this season. And Brian Daboll's reluctance - i.e, refusal - to criticize his assistant, is an indictment of him as a head coach. After the Denver loss, you could tell he lost the locker room. At this point, most of the players are just going through the motions. The lone exceptions are Dart and Brian Burns, who is having a career year. He currently leads the NFL with 11 sacks.
The argument for keeping Daboll is based on the premise that with a young quarterback, continuity is essential. After all, Daniel Jones had four different offensive coordinators in his tenure as a Giant. No doubt that stunted his development. It's perfectly reasonable not to want to do that to Dart.
But the counter argument is that it's far worse for a young quarterback to be saddled in a system that, no matter what you do, keeps spinning its wheels. Even the most incurable optimist would have a hard time winning under those conditions.
If you want proof, look no further than Drake Maye. In his rookie season with the New England Patriots, his head coach was Jerod Mayo and his offensive coordinator was Alex Van Pelt. The Pats went 4-13 and Robert Kraft cleaned house. He hired Mike Vrabel as his head coach and Vrabel hired Josh McDaniels as his OC. The result is that Maye is fifth in the NFL with a QBR of 74, and New England is in first place in the AFC East with a record of 7-2.
Daboll's claim to fame, and the thing that made him attractive to Schoen, was that he helped Josh Allen become the player he is, but that doesn't mean he's a quarterback whisperer, or for that matter even a good head coach. The fact is that after a surprising 9-7-1 maiden season under Daboll, the Giants have been one of the worst run teams in the NFL since. I find it hard to believe they couldn't find someone considerably better to manage the sidelines, while also developing Dart.
Walking and chewing gum at the same time is something millions of people do every day. It's about time the Giants learned how to do it.
Jaxson Dart deserves no less.
No comments:
Post a Comment