Giant rook has shot to rise from Webb of QBs
MUSA TODAY SPORTS emo to Geno Smith and Josh Johnson: play better on Monday night in Cleveland.
That was Ben McAdoo’s message at the very least Thursday afternoon when the coach said rookie quarterback Davis Webb is not out of consideration for the No. 2 job backing up Eli Manning.
“I think we all have to be careful about making assumptions,” McAdoo said of the assumption that Webb would have no chance to dress on game days this fall. “Josh and Geno right now are competing for the No. 2 spot, and if it doesn’t look the way we want it to look, Davis will get a crack.”
Chances are still slim Webb ever suits up in 2017, of course. Take McAdoo’s comment with a grain of salt for this reason: Webb wasn’t even part of the competition to back up Manning through training camp, which officially ended on Tuesday.
Webb is being groomed developmentally, barely taking snaps on some days, working often in a new “opportunity” period of camp practices that McAdoo created primarily for Webb to get work and for the coach to work directly with the Giants’ third-round pick out of Texas Tech and Cal.
The Giants’ plan for Webb, in other words, is to let him watch this season and monitor his progress. And to be honest, while Webb has demonstrated a ton of encouraging traits already in limited action, it’s not like he’s lit his portions of practice on fire — or received enough team snaps — to blow his coaches away.
He completed 8-of-16 passes for 67 yards in fourth-quarter action in the exhibition opener.
And yet, Johnson struggled mightily against Pittsburgh and Smith threw one interception to the Steelers and could have had two. And then Smith on Tuesday fumbled twice on consecutive practice snaps and drew McAdoo’s ire. The coach sent Smith and running back Wayne Gallman on a lap around the field.
So if Johnson can’t move the offense and Smith keeps turning the ball over, why wouldn’t McAdoo turn to Webb for a serious tryout through the final three games of the preseason?
The Steelers drafted Tennessee’s Josh Dobbs (135th overall, fourth round) way behind Webb’s slot to the Giants (87th), and Dobbs is Ben Roethlisberger’s primary backup at the moment. He even started the preseason opener last week against the Giants at MetLife Stadium. And yes, Dobbs threw two interceptions, but he also hit for a touchdown and got valuable experience he will need if he’s ever called upon.
No player or team comparison is apples to apples. The Giants seemingly had a firstround grade on Webb, saw an opportunity to groom him for the long-term with Manning still capable, and selected him with their eyes on a timetable suitable to their organization’s needs. But things can change. Webb is an incredibly hard worker. He stands behind the offense and takes mental reps even when he’s not playing, which means he is running the play by himself as if he were on the field, trying to make the proper checks and defense reads and decisions even though he’s not in the huddle.
“I’ve gotten every rep this entire training camp,” Webb said earlier in camp. “Mentally I’ve been tuned in.”
Sure, he’ll sail a throw in practice here and there, but his ball has zip, he has a terrific head on his shoulders, and he’s extremely coachable, which McAdoo has to love as a young coach running his own offense.
McAdoo also acknowledged Thursday that the Giants are “giving (Webb) some more team snaps.” Including scout team work, the coach on Thursday began working his team through the process of practicing to prepare for a specific opponent.
“Davis is gonna get an opportunity to take more snaps in that environment, yes,” McAdoo said.
The coach also said while the plan is for Manning to play in the Giants’ second and third preseason games, the Giants’ tight game schedule of three games in 11 days “will factor” into playing time for some guys. It will be a tight turnaround from Monday at Cleveland to Aug. 26 against the Jets to Aug. 31 in New England.
What that means is Smith and Johnson will have plenty more opportunities to make their case, and they each have distinct strengths: Smith seems like the quicker decision-maker with the stronger arm; Johnson’s knowledge of the offense and chemistry with receivers are obvious pluses. evertheless, if their decision-making continues to be an issue, Webb could get more snaps than originally planned. And if he were to produce, who knows: maybe the young man labeled Manning’s potential successor suddenly could be standing on the sidelines when the games actually count this fall.
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