THE JOKE’S ON THEM!
Giants are no longer laughingstock of NFL
The rest of the NFL may not have been laughing at the Giants these past five seasons, but it has certainly felt that way. It is a stretch that included 31 wins, 49 losses and one playoff game that is best remembered for a boat trip and a wall punch. “Here’s the thing that I’ve learned: When you lose, it’s a disaster whether you are playing with a great franchise like the New York Giants or Arizona or Tampa [Bay]. Your feelings are isolated,” said Fox analyst Chris Spielman, who will be calling Sunday’s game against the Redskins alongside Thom Brennaman. “The Giants struggling is no different than any other team struggling, if you ask the other team’s fan base, it’s just as passionate. Try living in Cleveland.” Still, not exactly the franchises you want to be mentioned in the same breath as. But at least for one week, all that misery has taken a muchneeded pause. Daniel Jones, the quarterback whose selection with the No. 6 pick in the 2019 draft felt like another gutpunching loss to many Giants fans, is suddenly the savior. Jones torched the Buccaneers for 336 yards passing, two passing touchdowns and two more on the ground in a 32-31 comeback win a week ago.
“I can see all I need to see in one game,” said Spielman, a longtime NFL linebacker. “Two things that stood out to me most was that athletic ability to just tuck it and run. The touchdown to win the game, he recognizes the ability to take a throwing lane and turn it into a running lane and make that decision decisively.
“And Daniel made a couple of passes where he is throwing the ball like [Aaron] Rodgers, where he is fading away, getting out of the pocket, shuffling and throwing the ball when he’s not particularly set and still puts it to the target with accuracy.”
Now comes the encore. It kindly comes against a Redskins defense that has been shredded by Carson Wentz, Dak Prescott and Mitch Trubisky in the first three games. And against an offense that has thus far been unwilling to take a chance on its own first-round quarterback, Dwayne Haskins, the one many believed the Giants should have taken instead of Jones.
There were some concerns on an otherwise uplifting Sunday in Tampa. Two Jones fumbles, and more importantly, the loss of Saquon Barkley for what is expected to be the next two months with a high ankle sprain.
“I thought for a debut it was tremendous. I am happy for guys that when they get their shot that they make the most of it. He did that,” Spielman said of Jones. “He just has to have a little internal clock in your head about the ball security and trying to keep two hands on that ball at all times.
“And I do think there’s as little more pressure added to him with the loss of Saquon, because of Saquon’s ability to hurt you in the passing or running game. There’s not a more dangerous running back with the ball in his hands. He makes a guy miss and it’s over. The numbers you get from just dumping off to him is something that whole offense will have to overcome.”