How Darren Waller and John Michael Schmitz can impact Giants' Daniel Jones
Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, right, bumps fists with teammate Darren Waller during training camp last month. Credit: James Escher
Daniel Jones has two relative newcomers around him at training camp, two players who will help to shape the Giants’ 2023 season.
Both are important. When the season begins, they will be in vital roles.
They are veteran tight end Darren Waller and rookie center John Michael Schmitz.
In Waller, Jones has a 6-6, 238-pound playmaker who is a ridiculously hard cover. In his seventh season, he is the definition of a pro.
“It’s been good working with him,” Jones said. “I feel like we're in a good spot. I think there are still some things we need to iron out and work on and we'll continue to do that. He’s done a really good job.”
Since Waller was traded to the Giants in March, he’s been a dream.
“I just try to come in and not really make a lot of noise, but just try to be excellent at my craft,” Waller said last week. “Some days, it looks like you're taking steps forward, some days look like a step back, but really, it’s something that you can learn the most valuable lessons on those days.”
Waller does not shy away from setting a standard.
“Really, I just try to come in and do my job as well as possible, be an example for younger guys because I am one of the older guys on the team now, and just keep that into account. Just the little details of my day, no matter what it may be, just do it with intentionality."
The day of the Waller trade, Jones’ job got easier.
“He's a big target,” the Giants' fifth-year quarterback said, “so that's always a little bit easier when you’ve got a guy like that who can create as much separation as he can and run like he can.”
The Giants should be able to put skill players on the field every week that cause matchup nightmares for opponents. It seems like a long time since that has been the case.
In Schmitz, Jones has a rookie center who seems to be a quick study. But almost certainly, there will be growing pains. For any rookie, there almost always are. For a center, coaches will tell you, the neck-up part of the game is often as challenging as blocking a 300-pound defensive lineman.
While guard Ben Bredeson also has taken snaps during training camp, Schmitz was drafted for the job.
Jones said Schmitz has acclimated well.
“I think there's a little bit of adjustment initially, early on, and then kind of once you're into it, and you build a chemistry and a rapport with someone,” the quarterback said. “[You get] used to it and it’s not really something you think about. I think we're at the point now in camp where we've built that. We've had plenty of reps together, and I feel very comfortable with both those guys.”
Schmitz said last week he was focusing on improving his communication and being louder at practice.
“I think he did a good job,” Jones said. “That’s a big responsibility of a center, to make a lot of those calls and get everybody on the same page and communicate. As a young guy, learning the system and then having to communicate all that can be tough sometimes. But I think he's done a really good job with it.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
