The growing bond between Jason Garrett and Daniel Jones

Throughout the summer and continuing this week, Daniel Jones and Jason Garrett often spend post-practice time competing against each other in quarterbacking skills. They’ll line up from the 20 and try to hit the crossbar. They’ll see who can throw a pass the fastest or the farthest. They’ll create scenarios that put pressure on each other which they then have to navigate through.

"We do like spending time having competitions afterward," Garrett said on Thursday. "Accuracy and ballistics throwing competitions ... . It’s something I have done with quarterbacks for a long time."

Garrett did, in fact, go through the same things with Dak Prescott when they were together with the Cowboys.

"There’s score kept and we’re competing," Jones said.

After discussing the carnival games they play, Garrett, the old backup quarterback for the Giants and other NFL teams, couldn’t help but brag a bit about his recent performances.

"I’m on a little bit of a streak here in the last few days," he said.

Don’t worry, Giants fans, the offensive coordinator isn’t suggesting that he is a better quarterback than the quarterback.

"He can destroy me," Garrett said.

Interesting choice of words, because this season, for these two men, is about avoiding mutual destruction that could impact both of their careers.

Garrett, who has aspirations to become a head coach once again, needs Jones and the offense to perform well enough for him to receive looks from other teams who might have vacant seats open come January. And Jones needs Garrett to call and structure the offense well enough, given all of the new pieces the team imported, so that he can have the breakthrough season the Giants need to see from him in order to confirm their belief he is the franchise quarterback who will return them to contention.

Not that they discuss such matters during their showdowns. Or ever, really.

"I’m not really seeing it that way, I guess," Jones said of this being a make-or-break year for him. "I think we’re in a position, we’ve had a good camp and we’re prepared, and my job is to put the team in a position to win games, to protect the football and distribute the ball to guys who can make plays for us. That’s kind of how I’m looking at it."

So what do the two men who control each other's fates get from their friendly competitions? Just a bond. And an understanding.

"I think you are always trying to do that when you are a coach, trying to build relationships with your players," Garrett said. "You build them in the meeting rooms, but outside the meeting rooms with all your guys you try to handle those relationships. What I would argue is that’s what allows you to coach them hard and coach them to a high standard, them knowing that you care about them and you want what is good for them individually and what is good for us as a team. I think Daniel understands that from me. We’ve had a really good relationship right from the start."

It hasn’t always been a productive one.

On Sunday the competition won’t be between Garrett and Jones, but between the Giants and the Broncos. Then 16 other NFL games. If they can start to put up points and victories together, it won’t be like their rivalry after practices.

If they can do that, they’ll both come out winners.

By Tom Rock

tom.rock@newsday.com@TomRock_Newsday

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.