Daniel Jones Has Earned the Right To Start

Before we go any further, let me just reiterate what I wrote back in April. The decision to draft Daniel Jones with the 6th overall pick was a big mistake. By all accounts, not one NFL team had Jones rated that high on their board. The Giants could’ve drafted Josh Allen 6th overall and Jones would’ve still been available at 17. Having said that, and after having seen him in the preseason, it’s clear that of all the quarterbacks taken in the 2019 draft, Jones is by far the best of the lot. It’s not even close.

Just look at the stats. After 3 preseason games, Jones’s passer rating of 140 is off the charts. He has completed an astounding 83.3 percent of his passes, going 25 of 30 for 369 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Compare and contrast him with Dwayne Haskins – the quarterback everyone wanted the Giants to take. He’s completed just 22 of 41 passes – a 53.7 completion percentage - for 305 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions and a passer rating of just 66.

And Jones has looked good both in the pocket as well as in the shotgun. He has thrown the deep ball well, which was a huge question mark with him, and more importantly, he has thrown the ball where only his receivers can catch it; a feat that Eli Manning still hasn’t mastered after 15 seasons. The kid has handled himself better than could be expected, given the controversy surrounding his drafting. If there’s such a thing as ice water in a person’s veins, Jones’s nickname should be Mr. Freeze.

Based on his performance, he has earned the right to start the regular season under center. Yes I know Manning is the starter, and yes I know he’s getting paid over $23 million. You don’t pay that kind of money to a bench player. But let’s be honest here for a moment. Unless Eli and the Giants get off to a fast start, you and I both know the boo birds will be chanting “We want Jones” every incomplete pass or interception Eli throws. Do Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur – not to mention John Mara and Steve Tisch – really want that nightmare hanging over this team the entire year. Face it, if the plan is to not sign Eli for 2020, then it’s only a matter of time before the kid takes over the reigns. The longer this drags out, the more painful it will be for all involved.

Loyalty is a good thing; and this franchise has certainly been loyal to Eli. And he has repaid that loyalty by being a good soldier. But there comes a point where loyalty has to take a back seat to common sense. If Jones had had, say, an average preseason like Haskins, then I would say sit him for a year and let Eli play out the string. But Jones has had anything but an average preseason. In fact, he’s been exceptional. With a revamped offensive line in front of him, the best running back in the league in Saquon Barkley behind him and a number of talented receivers who are more than capable, Jones will have plenty of weapons at his disposal. It’s not like he’s going to be Kyler Murray out there.

Deep down, Manning knows the end is near. 15 years ago, he was the new kid on the block who took over for a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Football, like all other sports, is a business. And that business can be cruel and exacting. But it is what it is. Mara’s responsibility, first and foremost, is not to consider the feelings of any one player, but to look after the long-term interests of the team. And those long-term interests are best served by making Jones the starter now.

This Thursday, Jones will start against the Patriots in the last preseason game. It'll be the toughest test of his brief NFL career. If he continues to perform the way he has so far, Shurmur will be faced with the toughest decision of his coaching career.

Look, what Eli Manning has done for this franchise is incalculable and will be hard, if not impossible, to replicate. After all, it isn't every quarterback who can boast that he beat Tom Brady twice in the Super Bowl. Those accomplishments notwithstanding, he shouldn't be allowed to determine when he rides off into the sunset.

The Last Word on Giants' Draft

Dave Gettleman has a message for Giants' fans who are criticizing him for choosing Daniel Jones with the 6th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft: "In three years we'll find out how crazy I am." With all due respect to Gettleman, I don't think it'll take three years.

I'll say it again, there's no excuse for picking Jones at 6. The suggestion by Gettleman that there were two teams that would've drafted Jones ahead of the Giants at 17 is absurd and simply not supported by the available evidence. Apart from the Giants, there were four teams that were looking for a quarterback. The Cardinals took Kyler Murray with the number 1 pick. The Broncos identified Drew Lock as their quarterback and, after swapping first round picks with the Steelers, took him at 42 (the second round). The Redskins were clearly interested in Dwayne Haskins, and when the Giants passed on him, took him at 15. And the Dolphins were so enamored of the current crop of QBs that they were in negotiations with the Cardinals to acquire Josh Rosen, last year's overall 10th pick. Spoiler alert: the Fish got the best QB not named Murray.

I'm well aware of the fact that Gil Brandt thinks Jones is the second coming of Peyton Manning. Know what? I was convinced my Acura ILX was just a cheaper version of a BMW 328. It isn't and it never will be. But at least it isn't a Toyota Tercel. Considering Brandt has been out of football for more than three decades, I'll rely on the expertise of professionals who realize that the league has moved on from the '80s.

The fact is Gettleman committed two cardinal sins: the first is he severely overvalued Jones. Not one team or analyst had him ranked in the top ten. Most had him pegged anywhere from a late first rounder to a late second rounder. The fact that Lock, who is considered a much better passer, went at 42 is proof that the league was not overly impressed with this year's class. But the second sin might be even worse. Gettleman appears to have been bidding against himself. Like a customer who talks himself into a buying a car that he fears won't be there if he waits, Gettleman pulled the trigger sooner than he needed to, and as a result, he lost out on an opportunity to draft arguably the second best player in the draft in order to grab a player who might not start for another two to three years; a player that would've still been there at 17, perhaps even at 37.

Astonishing. A man with, as he so "eloquently" put it, such an impressive resume, ostensibly panicked and, in the process, might very well have set his team back five years or more. Compare and contrast Gettleman's draft with that of Denver's John Elway. Elway had traded for Joe Flacco during the off season, yet still felt he needed to draft a quarterback. But rather than panic, he bided his time and, on his terms, got the player he wanted at the slot he was worth. That's how you draft in this league. The first round of the draft is typically reserved for players who can make an immediate and positive impact on your team, not for projects like Jones and situational players like Dexter Lawrence.

In 1979, the Giants drafted a little known quarterback from Morehead State named Phil Simms with the 7th overall pick. Those who attended the draft were quoted as saying, "Phil who?" Seven years later "Phil Who" led the Jints to victory in Super Bowl XXI. Dave Gettleman thinks he will be vindicated the same way then GM George Young eventually was.

There's just one small problem with Gettleman's logic. Young didn't pass on someone like Josh Allen when he chose Simms. Indeed, the Bears, picking 4th, drafted Dan Hampton, one of the best defensive ends to ever play the game, and part of that vaunted 1985 Super Bowl defense that led the league. Before his career is over, Allen could well eclipse Hampton, that's how good a player he is.

Think about that, Giants fans, when Daniel Jones makes his Giants debut and Allen is already a three-time all pro.

Addition By Subtraction

Sorry this took so long; I would've written it earlier but I was trying to decide whether to jump off a bridge or just hang myself. Seriously, based on the responses I've been reading on social media and from the so-called football experts, you'd have thought the world came to an end yesterday. "The Giants got fleeced." "Worst trade since Ruth."

Let's be very clear here. Dave Gettleman did not break up the '79 Steelers. Yes, Odell Beckham, Jr. is a world-class receiver who now has a chance to turn the Cleveland Browns into a legitimate playoff contender - MAYBE - but the fact is that in the five years he played for the Giants, they had exactly one winning season - 11-5 with a wildcard berth in 2016 - and that was owed almost exclusively to one of the best overall defenses in the league.

His receptions were the stuff of legend, I get it. In fact, I can still remember that one-handed catch he made against the Cowboys at Met Life stadium on a Sunday night. Al Michaels to this day hasn't stopped hyperventilating over it. By the way, in case you were wondering, the Giants lost that game, along with so many of the games in which Beckham made otherworldly grabs. And that was the problem. He may have played as though he were descended from Mount Olympus, but his teammates never benefited from all that greatness.

And then there were the headaches. When you live among the gods, it's hard relating to mere mortals, and Beckham had more than his fair share of moments when the wrong thing would come out of his mouth. Last season's interview with ESPN in which he criticized the offensive play calling as well as his own quarterback may have been the straw that broke the camel's back. Yes, some of his concerns were valid, but the point is you don't throw your fellow players under the bus.

And who can forget the game against Carolina three years ago where Beckham got into a physical altercation with Panthers' cornerback Josh Norman. It was a disgraceful performance that earned Beckham a one-game suspension, and may very well have been responsible for accelerating the end of Tom Coughlin's coaching career. The Browns will now have the "pleasure" of dealing with his nonsense.

Face it, despite his talent, Beckham had become a distraction for this organization. For a team looking to rebuild, this was the best and only move they could've made. Frankly, given what the Steelers got for Antonio Brown - a third and fifth round pick - I’m kinda surprised Gettleman got the haul he did. In return for a troubled receiver that never got his team over the hump, the Giants landed the Browns' first and third round picks, plus a very good safety. The only downside to the trade is that because of the way his contract was structured, the Giants are saddled with $16 million in dead cap space. Ouch!

But apart from that bit of bad news, they can now go after Haskins with the 6th overall pick, assuming he’s still on the board by the time their turn comes up, and with the 17th pick they can choose a premium pass rusher. And if they still elect to trade for Josh Rosen, they can package a third and fourth round pick to get him without touching their top picks. In other words, Gettleman has a lot of leverage. If he doesn't trade any of them, he will have a total of 12 picks at his disposal to retool this team: both number ones, two picks in both the fourth and seventh round, three picks in the fifth, as well as single picks in the second, third and sixth.

Naturally, all this assumes that Gettleman has a good draft, but given his results from last year, I'm not that worried. With the exception of fourth rounder Kyle Lauletta, I thought the Giants had a pretty good draft. Second rounder Will Hernandez is a solid offensive lineman and both third rounders - Lorenzo Carter and B.J. Hill  - have been two of the few bright spots on an otherwise dreary defense. If anything, Gettleman has more picks to work with this year than he did last year.

Look, I'm not defending every move Gettleman has made. Why he didn't trade Landon Collins last season when he might've gotten a third rounder in return is baffling to say the least. And he did overpay for Nate Solder. But the first trade he made with Cleveland in which he got offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler in return for under-achieving linebacker Olivier Vernon sorely addressed a team need and saved $1.5 million in cap space, to boot.

In fact, the only major decision Gettleman has to make - apart from who he picks in the draft - is whether to bring back Eli Manning for what will likely be his last year in big blue. The 38 year old is set to make $23 million this season, but $5 million of that is from a bonus that's due to be paid March 17. If Gettleman decides to release Manning now, he would save that money and the dead cap hit would only be $6 million, but then that would mean turning over the reigns to a rookie quarterback on day one. I'm not sure Gettleman wants to put that much pressure on Haskins or Lock or whomever he picks as his next signal caller.

Bottom line, I think the Giants are in a better position now than they were 24 hours ago. No they aren't going to the playoffs, much less win a Super Bowl. But then only an incurable optimist would've thought they were a contender prior to the Beckham trade. When it comes to running a sports organization, I subscribe to the Bill Parcells theory: if you can't win with what you have, tear it down and start over.

If we know anything about the NFL, it's that, with the exception of the Patriots, a team's fortunes can turn on a dime. This year's rebuild can become next year's playoff team. Want proof? Take a look at the '83 and '84 Giants teams. The former finished in last place; the latter made the postseason.

Exploring the Options for Giants on Draft Day

There's one thing everyone can agree with. There's no Saquon Barkley in this year's NFL draft. That's not to say there aren't a lot of talented players who could make a difference, but generational players like Barkley don't grow on trees. The Giants were indeed fortunate to land him with the overall number two pick last year.

This year, however, the Giants have the sixth pick in the draft and there are several options available to them. Do they finally pick a quarterback to take over for Eli Manning? If so, which one? Do they trade for a quarterback and use their number one to shore up one of the weakest front seven of any defense unit in the league? Or do they use it to draft an offensive lineman to protect Eli for what will likely be his last year in blue?

A lot depends on what the Arizona Cardinals do with the overall number one pick. Rumors continue to persist that despite drafting UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen with the tenth pick in last year's draft, the Cardinals are seriously contemplating drafting Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray. Viewed by many as the best QB in this class, Murray would instantly become the starter, thus relegating Rosen either to the bench or to some other team's roster via a trade.

If that scenario does indeed play out, where would Rosen land? The Jacksonville Jaguars could certainly use a quarterback, but reports indicate that they are almost certain to sign former Eagle and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. If that happens, that would be sweet music to Giants' GM Dave Gettleman, because it would mean that the Jags would not leapfrog in front of him to draft a QB, and it would also mean that there's one less team that Rosen could be traded to, thus keeping open to option to trade for him.

Why would Gettleman trade for Rosen? Two reasons. One, he made a very good impression with the Giants at last year's combine, particularly ownership, who were quite taken with his maturity. His passing skills were rated as the best among that year's class, and despite a rough rookie year, there are a lot of knowledgeable people around the league who still believe he has what it takes to be a number one quarterback.

Secondly, if Gettleman can get Eli's heir apparent without having to part with either of his top two picks, that would give him the chips he so desperately needs to address the biggest problem staring down this franchise: the defense. Put succinctly, this is one the best drafts for defensive linemen we've seen in quite some time. Ohio State's Nick Bosa, Alabama's Quinnen Williams and Kentucky's Josh Allen are clearly the best of a deep lot, and all three could well be gone by the time the Giants pick. But that leaves a lot of excellent players, such as Houston's Ed Oliver, Mississippi State's Montez Sweat, Clemson's Christian Wilkins, Michigan's Rashan Gary and Ohio State's Dre' Mont Jones still on the board.

In fact, if that is where Gettleman is going, I wouldn't be one bit surprised if he trades down - not up - and winds up with not just an excellent pass rusher but an outstanding offensive lineman. Imagine a scenario in which the Giants swap number one picks with the Dolphins - currently 13th - and end up getting a second and third round pick. They could still get an outstanding defensive lineman, plus use one of the second round picks to shore up the offensive line. Perhaps Cody Ford falls into his lap. And with the other second round pick, plus the third they picked up, they could address the secondary. Talk about retooling on the fly.

But if that's too rich for your blood, there's always the possibility that Gettleman will stand pat and hope that Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins is still available by the time they pick sixth. There's no doubt that this New Jersey native has what it takes to be a star in the NFL. The kid threw 50 touchdowns! And what better storyline for the Giants than to have a homegrown player take the reigns of his child-hood team.

But given how highly rated Haskins is, that's quite a gamble. The Raiders - currently at number 4 - could decide at the last minute they don't think Derek Carr has what it takes to lead them back to the promised land and pick Haskins. With three number one picks in this draft, they could use the other two to fill holes on their defensive and offensive lines. Hell, they just acquired Antonio Brown from the Steelers for a song and a prayer. And then there's the Redskins sitting at number 15. What if they don't feel like waiting for Alex Smith's broken leg to heal and decide to trade up? Yes, they acquired Case Keenum from the Broncos. So what? If Keenum is your idea of a starting quarterback get used to finishing no better than 8-8.

So what do I think will happen? Well, I don't think Gettleman will trade up to get Haskins, so that's out. If Arizona picks Murray, and they're reasonable as to the asking price for Rosen - say a 4th and 7th rounder - the Giants have their quarterback for the future. They will then take a defensive lineman with their first round pick and perhaps an offensive lineman with their second.

One thing I can predict. There will be a lot more wheelin' and dealin' at this year's draft than last year's, and don't be too surprised if the Giants are one of the teams doing the wheelin' and dealin'.