Giants QB Jaxson Dart, still in concussion protocol, could be ready for next week's game against Lions
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart gets past the Chicago Bears defense while running in a touchdown on Nov. 9 in Chicago. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
Jaxson Dart was on the practice field on Friday. But do not get excited, Giants fans.
The rookie quarterback remains in the concussion protocol and will not play on Sunday. Jameis Winston will start against the Packers.
During the period in which reporters were allowed to watch, Dart merely went through stretching activities. But it was a sign that he is advancing and could be ready to play when the Giants visit the Detroit Lions on Nov. 23.
“[The doctors] just said he’s ‘on track [in the concussion protocol],’ which is great news for me,” interim coach Mike Kafka said before practice.
Dart suffered a concussion when he fumbled on a run in the third quarter of a 24-20 loss to the Bears last Sunday.
Now that he is back on the field, the idea is to keep him there.
Dart’s propensity for making big runs — and taking big hits in the process — has been a topic of discussion since before he was drafted. He is not a small quarterback at 6-2, 223 pounds, but he is not a big one, either, so he must be more careful than, say, the Bills’ 6-5, 237-pound Josh Allen.
Quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney has been working with Dart on balancing his aggressive instincts with self-preservation, as he did with Daniel Jones before him.
“For quarterbacks, it goes back to their competitive fire,” Tierney said. “Those are the guys you want. We loved that about Daniel, love that about Jaxson.”
Tierney added: “There’s always a balance to it. There are situations where you fight for that extra yard or try to make that play, and there are other times when you slide and get down.”
Tierney said coaches show Dart video of more experienced running quarterbacks to show him how they handle things.
Russell Wilson, who will back up Winston on Sunday, had to learn such lessons long ago as a mobile 5-11 quarterback who entered the league in 2012.
“I think [Dart] is a competitor, and I think he’s done a really great job of battling and being tough,” Wilson told Newsday after practice. “I’m not as tall as him, but it’s just being smart, being able to pick and choose when [to run].
“Obviously, you’re a competitor, so when it’s third down, fourth down, making those plays, you’ve got to do it for your team . . . That’s part of his style and how he gets after it, which you don’t want to take away.”
Notes & quotes: WR Darius Slayton (hamstring) and OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux (shoulder) are out for Sunday . . . CB Paulson Adebo, out since Oct. 19 with a knee injury, is ready to go. “Great player on the perimeter with a lot of confidence,” Kafka said. “I’m excited to watch him fly around.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
More Giants
