GIANT SHOWDOWN
Darnold edges Rosen as Big Blue GM scouts top QBs
Jerry Reese got to watch “a great show” Saturday night, just like Ben McAdoo said. Only it was happening about 3,000 miles away from MetLife Stadium. A day after McAdoo practically begged fans to show up to support the 1-8 Giants, Reese jetted cross country to scout col lege fo otball’s top quarterback prospects, USC’s Sam Darnold and UCLA’s Josh Rosen, who were squaring off at the L.A. Coliseum. The Big Blue general manager was spotted near the USC end zone during the game, according to multiple reports.
Both quarterbacks put on a display for Reese and the other NFL scouts in attendance, including Jets GM Mike Maccagnan, but it was Darnold who came out on top as USC won, 28-23.
The Trojans’ QB has received most of the headlines — and the Suck for Sam tagline — since the start of the season, and he showed why Saturday night, passing for 264 yards and rushing for one touchdown in the win.
Rosen showed off his powerful and pinpoint arm, throwing for 421 yards and three touchdowns. He hit receiver Jordan Lasley for a 27yard score
with 2:43 left in the game but then couldn’t connect on a two-point conversion that would’ve brought the Bruins within three points. Both quarterbacks threw one interception. It’s clear Reese knows he needs to do something to save his job, if it isn’t already too late. With the Giants’ season a lost cause heading into their game Sunday against the Chiefs, Reese is anticipating a Top-2 draft pick with his team staring straight down a clear path to a possible 1-15 finish. Whether or not they have a shot at the No. 1 overall pick also depends on the winless Browns.
Either way, Darnold and Rosen are the prized prospects in this year’s draft, assuming the USC quarterback decides to leave school. With Eli Manning’s career dwindling faster than expected, Reese will be tasked with finding a successor. He drafted University of California quarterback Davis Webb in the third
round last year, but Webb has yet to be active for the Giants this season.
Maccagnan was also spotted at the Coliseum, but he likely had this date circled on his calendar for months. The Jets, after all, are in desperate need of a franchise quarterback and were tabbed as one of the worst teams in the NFL heading into this season but are, much to the chagrin of their fans, 4-6 right now and not in prime position to grab either Darnold or Rosen.
Instead, it’s Reese and the Giants, who were supposed Super Bowl contenders at the start of the season, who have been successfully sucking for Sam (or reeking for Rosen).
After Saturday’s game, Reese may have a better idea of which strong-armed sig nal ca l ler ha s more promise to be the quarterback of the future for Big Blue.