Daniel Jones sees what he is doing wrong in Giants losses and must learn to avoid mistakes
Daniel Jones of the Giants throws a pass during the first quarter against the Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The good news is that when Daniel Jones went back and watched his two interceptions that played such a large role in costing the Giants the game on Monday night, he saw what the rest of the world saw.
"I think both of those plays were decisions to try to make something happen that wasn’t there," he said on Wednesday.
Whew. Problem identified.
How to fix it? That’s a bit more complicated.
The Giants are hellbent on doing everything they can to get their second-year quarterback straightened out short of strapping him into a "Clockwork Orange" contraption to watch endless footage of turnovers. That includes more than just video sessions and lectures and, frankly, pleading with him to be less reckless with the football. Joe Judge said he and the coaches have to find ways to be better teachers, and some of that will be evident in this week’s practices.
"I think there are certainly things you can change in the way you prepare and what you do on the practice field," Jones said. "There are certain drills and certain instances even in team situations that you can approach differently. Keeping that in mind and applying it in all situations I think is kind of the thing. Yeah, I’ll continue to focus on it, continue to apply it to different situations and find new and different ways to work on it."
Trying to balance Jones’ competitiveness to find success on each snap with the wisdom to know when to give up and move on to the next play has been a season-long struggle for the quarterback and the coaches.
Jones is, at least, saying the right things about the situation.
"All of us want to make plays and we want to do the right thing," Jones said. "We want to put our team in a position to win. But on those split-moment decisions, you have to be able to understand the bigger picture and how each of those plays factor into the game overall. The best decision on that play is sometimes to get rid of the ball or minimize the risk of a bad play."
There is some evidence that he may be learning. On the touchdown drive that nearly tied the score in the final minute, on the play before he hit Golden Tate for a touchdown, Jones faced second-and-10 from the 19, felt pressure, and threw the ball away.
It went down as an incompletion on the stat sheet, but it may have been an important connection for the quarterback.
"I have to continue to do it, continue to focus on it, and make sure I emphasize that in my preparation," Jones said. "I need to do a better job understanding when the play is over, when it’s not there and when the best outcome is to throw it away or in some cases to take a sack. I think in certain situations like that, I can certainly improve. I’ll continue to work on it."
Notes & quotes: The Giants were awarded WR Dante Pettis, a former second-round pick, off waivers from the 49ers on Wednesday, but they will have to wait a while to get him with the team. The Giants received a roster exemption from the NFL while Pettis is in the six-day COVID-19 protocol and likely will be formally added to the roster early next week. Pettis played in 28 games with 12 starts in two-and-a-half seasons with the 49ers. He has 38 catches for 576 yards and seven touchdowns but none this season. Two weeks ago he played just eight offensive snaps against the Giants … On the projected injury report for Wednesday’s walk-through, the Giants listed RB Devonta Freeman (ankle) and CB Ryan Lewis (hamstring) as non-participants. LB Blake Martinez (hamstring), DB Logan Ryan (hip) and WR Sterling Shepard (shoulder/toe) were among the starters listed as limited.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
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