If Saturday was Daniel Jones’ finale as the New York Giants’ quarterback, it’s definitely not the way he or anyone else wanted to see it end: 15-of-27 for 135 yards and one interception, sacked five times, hurried quite a few others, and six carries for 24 yards in a 38-7 loss to Philly.
But still, head coach Brian Daboll praised his fourth-year QB, sort of, after the loss.
“He competed. Look, we all didn't do a good enough job, and that starts with me,” a blunt head coach Brian Daboll said after the loss. “Daniel is a competitor, but they controlled the game the entire game."
Jones was a competitor all season, and after three years of turmoil including multiple head coaches and coordinators, he settled in under Daboll and Mike Kafka, starting 16 games (the 17th of course a coach’s decision) and setting career highs with 3,205 yards, a 67.2 completion percentage, 708 rushing yards, and, perhaps most importantly, only five interceptions and eight total turnovers.
“Daniel has been a consistent guy since we’ve been here,” Daboll said. “I told all the guys I appreciate what they've done, the commitment they've given to their teammates, to the coaches, to the organization.”
Now, though, the focus turns to the future, of which Jones’ is uncertain. He’s a free agent because the Giants did not pick up his fifth-year option, and while both Daboll (“there is a time and a place to have all those conversations and this is not it”) and Jones (“I think we’ll get into that down the road, right now this is still very fresh and it will take some time to regroup”) downplayed that in the immediate aftermath of the game, Jones did have some clarity on Sunday morning when the team returned to the facility for their final locker cleanouts.
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“Right now more than anything, I’m thinking about this year and this team and being able to be part of a special group of guys,” Jones said. “I’ve greatly enjoyed being here, I have nothing but love and respect for this organization, and I’d love to be back, but we’ll see; there’s a business side to it, too, but very grateful to be here and be a part of it. We will figure out where that goes, but I have nothing but love and respect for this organization and the group of guys in the locker room."
The question is, did Jones do enough this year, in this system, to prove he can be the long-term answer, especially if the team can add some playmakers around him?
“I don't know what I proved, but I think I improved every week and was consistent throughout the year,” Jones said. “There are certainly things I’d like to have back, especially (Saturday night), and I think there are some things I'll go back and look to clean up and improve and grow as a player going forward, but I thought overall, I did do that. I grew and improved throughout the year and I will continue to try and do that."
To a man, many of his teammates believe Jones is the guy.
“Daniel has all the tools of the trade. He has the arm, he has the capability, he has the leadership, the effort, the hard work that it takes to be an elite quarterback,” said Julian Love. “He won a lot of games for us this year. As much as I don’t believe in wins and losses as a quarterback stat, he did his thing for us this year. He took a big step this year, and as this team builds for the future, just try to get more people around him to help him succeed. Giants fans have to be proud of all he accomplished this year.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
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