RUSHIN’ ROULETTE
Danny Dimes’ mobility comes with unpredictable risks for Judge’s crew
IT SICKENED the Giants, seeing their 24-year-old quarterback unable to stand up, woozy, his equilibrium ravaged by the damaging forces of a helmet-on-helmet hit compounded by his head slamming to the hard, unforgiving turf.
A punch-drunk Daniel Jones was the aftereffect of Jones making a football play as a football player venturing out of the comfort zone of the pocket, where rules stipulate he must be protected.
This is what can happen when a quarterback, no matter how fast, how big and how strong, uses his legs as a weapon on offense.
Jones is fast. He is big and strong and when he runs, he brings positive vibes and yards to the Giants’ attack.
When he runs, he also gets hurt and, as he and his team are learning, the hard way, the reward and the risk are inextricably intertwined.
Availability is everything, especially for a quarterback, and, once again, Jones’ availability is in question as the Giants head into another workweek. This is not about assigning blame or questioning Jones’ toughness. He is tough. This has been established. He is prone to getting hurt when he gets his 6-foot-5, 230-pound body moving in one direction and then confronts resistance he cannot or will not elude.
That Jones is in the concussion protocol is another blow to a team that is piñata-like in its vulnerability, a team that might as well walk around with Kick Me signs taped to the backs of the players’ jerseys. Jones, running back Saquon Barkley (ankle) and receiver Kenny Golladay (knee) all failed to make it out of the first half of what devolved into a 44-20 loss to the Cowboys, an almost incomprehensible 1-2-3 staccato of gut punches that sent the Giants to the canvas at AT&T Stadium.
Jones will spend the week clearing his head and getting tested, and there is a good chance he will miss Sunday’s game against the Rams at MetLife Stadium. He was out on his feet, his legs rubbery, after a race to the left corner of the goal line went awry as Jones failed to beat rookie defenders Jabril Cox and Chauncey Golston around the edge.