Arizona is perfect spot to start Webb
IT IS not Davis Webb’s style to shout “Give me the damn ball.” Far from it, even as the competitor within him — inactive again Sunday against the Eagles and in limbo beyond — understandably rages.
It is not Davis Webb’s style to announce that in his heart and in his mind he believes he would be ready to be thrown to the wolves. Far from it.
But John Mara, who still wants Eli Manning to retire a Giant, or whomever will be making the call on this heretofore bungled plan to evaluate Webb when the bullets are flying should do themselves a favor and listen to his teammates rave about him and let him start in Arizona on Christmas Eve.
“He can fit the ball in tight windows,” safety Andrew Adams said. “He’s always impressed me making ‘Wow’ type of throws.”
First-round rookie tight end Evan Engram, asked how good he thinks Webb can be, said: “I think he can be really good. He’s definitely learned a lot this year. Some of the plays he makes in practice, you see some flashes of some greatness in him.”
Davis is again splitting scout-team reps with Geno Smith. “He hit a couple throws [Wednesday], I had to tell him after practice that he looked good,” Engram said. Long ones? “Yeah,” Engram said. Asked whether there is any shot Webb would get his first start in Arizona, interim coach Steve Spagnuolo said: “I don’t know that yet.” Tell him, Mr. Mara. “He’s a guy who doesn’t miss an opportunity to work on his craft,” cornerback Ross Cockrell said. “He’s a guy who’s here very late in the building. Even in practice, whether he’s going on the scout team or just trying to mimic the things that he sees Eli Manning doing, he just doesn’t miss an opportunity.”
He is stuck between a rock — the beloved Manning — and a hard place — a new regime eyeing Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen in the draft.
“I can’t worry about that. I can’t focus on that,” Webb said. “When I got here the plan was for me to sit back and learn. That was the original plan, and it’s still the plan right now and it’s week-to-week. And the only thing I’m con- cerned about now is being a good teammate and working hard and trying to get better so if my opportunity comes I can knock it out of the park.”
He has a better chance to be Giancarlo Stanton or Aaron Judge now than he would have even a month ago. But the last thing Webb wants is for anyone to perceive him as cocky.
“I am confident. But I don’t want to seem arrogant,” Webb told The Post. “Quarterbacks should be confident. But at the same time, my job and my only focus is be a good teammate and work hard and continue to develop into the quarterback I’ve become so far, ’cause I’m a lot better than I was in preseason. It’s not even close, it’s night and day.” In what areas? “Footwork, understanding the offense,” Webb said. “I’ve had to look at 13 game plans now since the last preseason game, so I’ve had a pretty good understanding of what’s gonna be called and how we operate on some things from [offensive coordinator Mike] Sullivan and [QB coach Frank] Cignetti. My Pro Day workouts on Sunday, I’ve gotten a lot better, footwork, accuracy on throwing the football downfield, escaping, more escape drills with Coach Cignetti, Coach Sullivan.
“I’ve developed really well, I think. I didn’t imagine myself being as far along as I might have been earlier this year ’cause I’ve been putting a lot of time and effort, really preparing and taking a ton of notes from the best to ever play here.”
He is the gym rat that franchise quarterbacks must be, loves the game and the preparation that goes into it, and has had the good fortune of every single day being a sponge under Manning.
“I’ll take some notes and put it in my little section where I keep some of his thoughts and ideas,” Webb said.
He loves New York. Doesn’t scare him. Of course, he hasn’t thrown a pick.
“Everything’s under a microscope. Everything’s big here. Everybody loves their sports. Our fans are great, they’re very passionate about New York Giant football,” Webb said. “I love that. I respect that. It’s a big market and a lot of people have eyes on you. To me, that’s always fun, ’cause when you’re winning everything’s going good, when you’re losing, you gotta find ways to get better.”
Even through this 2-11 nightmare, he loves being a Giant.
“They drafted me. They took a [third-round] chance on me,” Webb said. “I can never forget that, never. ’Cause they could have taken a lot of other people.”
It wouldn’t be the end of the world if he doesn’t get his feet wet behind that offensive line, and without a heavy-handed running game or a defense that has his back. Just give him the damn ball in Arizona anyway, and let’s see what we got here.