Observations from Friday’s Giants training camp session.
Better safe than sorry
They called it a Blue-White scrimmage Friday night at MetLife Stadium but there was no live tackling allowed by the Giants’ first and second teams. That was a good move by first-year head coach Brian Daboll. Sometimes scrimmages can get overheated, with players overanxious to hit someone. Reducing the risk of injury was the way to go.
Daniel groans
The first pass Daniel Jones threw in the team period should have been turned into a pick-six by Adoree’ Jackson. It got only a bit better after that for Jones, as he had trouble locating open targets and was under too much pressure and was forced to tuck it and run too often.
Caught my eyes
On a third-and-8, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale had rookie LB Kayvon Thibodeaux drop in coverage on a pass from Jones to rookie Wan’Dale Robinson for 28 yards. Have a feeling that will not be the norm this season.
Thibodeaux all summer has shown an explosive burst as a pass rusher and he drew several holding penalties — one on LT Andrew Thomas — in the scrimmage.
Medical report
Giants rookie offensive lineman Marcus McKethan is carted off the field during the Giants’ Blue-White scrimmage.Robert Sabo
Rookie OL Marcus McKethan, a fifth-round pick from North Carolina, went down while pass blocking and had to be carted off the field.
It has been a rough go of it for new TE Ricky Seals-Jones, who missed a sixth straight practice.
WR David Sills V worked on the side, as did newly acquired DB Nate Meadors. CB Rodarius Williams and WR Robert Foster also did not practice. Adoree’ Jackson appeared to cramp up during an extended drive.
The Giants’ hiring of Brian Daboll as their new head coach means it truly is Put Up or Shut Up for Daniel Jones. Last Chance Saloon to be The Mann.
Everybody knows that Daboll worked magic with Josh Allen in Buffalo. While no one should expect the apple of former general manager Dave Gettleman’s eye to automatically join the upper echelon of elite quarterbacks, this will be his opportunity, once and for all, to make the franchise believe in earnest that he can truly be the franchise quarterback who followed Eli Manning.
Daboll isn’t just a creative and innovative offensive mind whose time is past due, he is a builder of relationships and a man of empathy and compassion whom Allen — and Buffalo’s offensive players — respected and adored.
“Players don’t care how much you know,” Daboll said once, “until they know how much you care. I think that’s an important quality that I try to be better at every year.”
Daboll wasn’t hired strictly to lift Jones higher. The Giants want and need him to be the CEO and leader they believed Joe Judge to be before the clown show arrived at the end of this past season.
But Daboll marching in lockstep as a partner with new GM Joe Schoen promises to give Jones a warm and fuzzy feeling — and it doesn’t hurt that Daboll just might be able to bring the Giants’ offense back from the dead and find the end zone without the need for a Seeing Eye dog.
The Giants named Brian Daboll their new head coach Friday night.Getty Images
The Real Daniel Jones must stand up in his fourth season, or Daboll will be whispering sweet nothings to a different quarterback in 2023.
Ready, Willing and Daboll.
“I’d like to say that I’m a leader,” Daboll said once. “You have to develop relationships with your players, but you also have to set a standard and an expectation that you are going to hold them accountable to. Once a player can trust you and you earn their respect, they’re more accountable to you.”
There were times when Daboll showed Allen tough love on the sideline, and their bond was unbreakable.
“I think teams would be foolish not to offer Brian Daboll a job,” Allen said Monday. “I’m praying they don’t, because I want him back here, but I love him and his family too much to really think that.
“I think he’s one of the best coaches in the league.”
Josh Allen (right) called Brian Daboll (left) ‘one of the best coaches in the league.’Getty Images
The jury remains out on Jones following the neck injury that cost him the final six games of this past season. Judge’s offensive coordinator woes and the wretched state of the Giants’ offensive line both helped sabotage his career. The Giants — from John Mara to Schoen on down — love Jones’ dual-threat physical tools and intangibles, and they will hope and pray that Daboll will be able to unlock the promise Jones showed as a rookie under Pat Shurmur.
In Mara’s mind, Jones is not a 12-25 quarterback.
When Daboll lost his grandmother in September, Allen and the Bills rallied behind him and for him with a 43-21 win over Washington.
“He’s a guy that I love dearly and to go out there and play the way we did for him, the guys understood that, and we wanted to go and execute and play well for him,” Allen said.
Daniel Jones missed the final six games of the season due to a neck injury.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Sometimes you just know, or you believe you know. Mike Tomlin, Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, John Harbaugh, Sean Payton, Jimmy Johnson, Andy Reid. Somebody knew.
Or somebody got lucky. Because there is always an element of luck involved. There have been countless can’t-miss hotshots who missed, for example. The Giants haven’t been lucky lately. Ben McAdoo, Shurmur, Judge. Ray Handley right after Bill Parcells.
So while it is impossible to shout “Super Bowl, here we come!” from the top of the Empire State Building — the top of the Quest Diagnostics Training Center is far more realistic — Daboll’s hiring by the bright new GM signals the dawn of a new day, and a time for whipsawed Giants fans to trust that Schoen got it right, and keep their fingers crossed that the merciless football gods will now concede that the law of averages is on their side.
After too many years of Dumb and Dumber, the glass-half-full Giants fan is saying today: “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.”
Yes, I’m telling you there’s a chance.
I would have told you there was a chance with Brian Flores, too.
Brian DabollGetty Images
Schoen has to evaluate the hell out of the players in the draft, and Daboll has to coach the hell out of his players — and hire better offensive coaches than Judge did.
“Always hire somebody you know,” the late George Young said once. “That way you have a good idea of what the person’s like. No surprises.”
Schoen hired someone he knew. Parcells and Bill Belichick weren’t options. The Giants landed two Bills anyway.
“You hire somebody with a high energy level,” Young also said. “And something to prove.”
Daboll, who will turn 47 in April, has plenty to prove. That he is more than an offensive coordinator. That he is more than just a quarterback whisperer. That the lessons he learned under Belichick and Nick Saban will steel him to weather the inevitable storms.
Here’s your shot, Danny Boy. Your last shot to be The Mann.
There is no doubt the Giants believed they hired the right head coach even after Joe Judge went 6-10 in 2020, his first year on the job. Giants ownership loved Judge’s tough-but-fair style, his embracing of what it takes to win in the New York/New Jersey area and the way the team fought through most games. Also, the Giants went 5-3 in the second half of last season, showing outward signs of improvement.
There is also no doubt the Giants do not feel quite as confident Judge is the answer as his second season approaches its end. The Giants were 4-10 heading into Sunday’s game against the Eagles in Philadelphia and ownership is extremely disappointed in another season spent out of playoff contention.
Still, there has never been any groundswell that Judge’s job security was tenuous in any way, which is why an ESPN report that the Giants are planning to bring back Judge in 2022 comes as unsurprising on many levels. That the team is also planning on bringing back Daniel Jones — who is under contract in 2022 — at quarterback is also the expected course of action.
The Giants plan to keep head coach Joe Judge for the 2022 season.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
The fallout of another brutal season will be felt high in the football operation, as the Giants are strongly expected to dismiss general manager Dave Gettleman. The Giants are 19-43 since Gettleman, 70, took over and he will either head into retirement or be outright fired. Either way, the Giants will be looking for someone new to pair with Judge to get the franchise out of a decade-long rut.
The Giants also plan to keep Daniel Jones (#8) as their quarterback for the 2022 season.Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Lest we forget, co-owner John Mara on the day the Giants introduced Judge as the head coach said, “It’s up to us to show a little more patience with this coach than perhaps we have over the last few years because he is a first-time head coach.” The Giants fired Ben McAdoo before his second season was complete and fired Pat Shurmur after two full seasons. Mara detests the idea that the Giants were becoming a fly-by-night operation that cycles through head coaches, realizing that the most successful franchises stress continuity.
Judge, 10-20 as a head coach, privately has been concentrating on finishing out this season but also planning for 2022 and beyond, and those around him have seen no indication that he was worried about his job security. After the Giants were defeated by the Dolphins, Judge made sure to mention that the Dolphins were in Year 3 under Brian Flores — like Judge, a former Bill Belichick assistant with the Patriots. Judge continuously talks of building something with the Giants the right way and this is what ownership wants to hear, although ownership would have preferred the building process include a few more victories this season.
Jones will miss the final three games this season with a sprained neck. The Giants are 0-3 without him and there was not much confidence in the building there would be much success with Mike Glennon taking over at quarterback. The Giants will give Jake Fromm his first NFL start against the Eagles. Jones’ absence does not give Judge a pass for a second-half swoon but it has been included in the evaluation process of his body of work.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants will be without quarterback Daniel Jones for at least this week’s game against the Miami Dolphins, coach Joe Judge told reporters Friday.
Jones has not been cleared for contact after suffering a neck strain during last week’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Jones was believed to be injured while running the football on the second play, but he had said there wasn’t really soreness until after the game.
He was moving and throwing well at practice as a limited noncontact participant throughout the week.
“At this point he has not been cleared for contact, so we’re going to go ahead and hold him out of this game,” Judge said. “At this point, we don’t feel 100% comfortable with him until the medical team clears him fully, so as of right now we will rule him out.”
Mike Glennon is set to start in Jones’ place. Jake Fromm, signed by the Giants this week off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad, will back up Glennon.
Glennon went 0-5 as a starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. His last win as a starting quarterback came during the 2017 season with the Chicago Bears.
Jones didn’t take many, if any, first-team reps at Thursday’s practice, sources told ESPN. So the Giants have been preparing for this outcome.
He is expected to be reexamined Monday. Jones will make the trip with the Giants to Miami and then to Arizona, where they will practice next week leading into a matchup the following Sunday with the Los Angeles Chargers.
So far, Judge has said that the third-year quarterback is not expected to be out for the season “at this time.” He reiterated Friday that remains true, even though uncertainty exists.
“We will evaluate him for the future, including as soon next week, with the doctors,” Judge said. “We don’t have any answers as of yet [when he will be cleared].”
The Giants (4-7) are still searching for answers about what Jones is three years into his career. This stretch run was supposed to provide more clarity after they fired offensive coordinator Jason Garrett last week and some of their top playmakers got healthier.
Instead, the Giants are in a sit-and-wait mode with their quarterback and some of his playmakers. Wide receiver Kadarius Toney (quad/oblique) is not expected to play Sunday, and there is doubt with wide receiver Sterling Shepard (quad).
“There really is really gray area in what [the timetable] is [for Jones]. There is really no final decision on that,” Judge said. “Obviously at this point we’ll push and get him on the field as soon as he’s healthy and ready to go. He wants to be on the field as well. He just wasn’t cleared for contact today.
“In terms of what it’s going to look like in immediate weeks coming up, future weeks down the stretch, there are no answers right now. Everything else would be hypothetical or guesses right now.”
This is the third straight season that Jones has been forced to miss a game late in the season. He missed time with a high ankle sprain as a rookie and for a hamstring injury in 2020.
Jones, 24, has completed 64.3% of his passes for 2,428 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He also has rushed for 298 yards and two touchdowns.
Glennon, 31, went 16-of-25 passing for 196 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions while playing in a blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 10.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Prime time has not been kind to Daniel Jones and the Giants. It was cruel to them Monday night.
Locked in a taut battle with the Chiefs, the underdog Giants battled long into the evening, taking a lead early in the fourth quarter and threatening to dig Patrick Mahomes and his mates into a deeper hole than they already were in.
There was no upset, though, as the Giants and Jones could not take enough advantage of one of the worst defenses in the NFL and Mahomes, far from brilliant, was able to pick apart the Giants on a final drive that ended with Harrison Butker’s 34-yard field goal with 1:07 left and sent the Giants home with 20-17 loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
Jones tossed short touchdown passes to tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Evan Engram, but the Giants could not do enough with the ball in their hands to escape with a victory.
The Giants’ last-gasp offensive series was doomed, as they had no timeouts to work with and it ended with a whimper.
With the game tied at 17, the Chiefs (4-4) got a huge break when Mahomes was intercepted by Darnay Holmes, but Oshane Ximines was called for an offside penalty. There was also a questionable 15-yard facemask penalty on Tae Crowder after a 14-yard reception by Travis Kelce. A 24-yard shovel pass to speedy Mecole Hardman set up Butker’s game-winning kick, completing a nine-play, 53-yard drive.
Daniel Jones and the Giants lost to the Chiefs on Monday.AP
The Giants are now 2-6 in what in every year since 1978 would have been midseason, before this year’s increase to a 17-game schedule. This means the Giants are on pace for a four- or five-win season, which would represent a disappointing backslide after they finished 6-10 in 2020, Joe Judge’s first year as head coach.
Jones dropped to 0-6 in his career in prime-time starts. He completed 22 of 32 passes for 222 yards and shook off an interception on his first pass. Mahomes (29 of 48, 275 yards) found Tyreek Hill 12 times for 94 yards and one touchdown.
Once again, the Giants are on a once-a-month win cycle. They went 0-for-September, beat the Saints in New Orleans in early October and beat the Panthers last week in late October.
The return of rookie Kadarius Toney (4-26) did not provide any fireworks and the Giants lost Sterling Shepard to another injury.
Down 14-10, the Giants were bending but not breaking on defense and came up with a key turnover when Logan Ryan yanked the ball loose from Travis Kelce. James Bradberry recovered the fumble and returned it 13 yards to the Giants’ 43-yard line. From there, Toney finally got cooking with catches for 11 and 6 yards and the Giants cashed in when Engram — yes, Evan Engram — crossed in front of safety Daniel Sorenson on a 5-yard touchdown reception, with Jones leading Engram the way he needed to be led. The Giants were ahead 17-14 with 14:53 remaining.
The lead did not last long, but this does not mean the Giants caved in on defense. They forced the Chiefs to need 14 plays to advance 57 yards, stiffened when Mahomes was sacked by Trent Harris — activated off the practice squad earlier in the day — to force a Butker field goal to make it 17-17.
James Bradberry can’t keep Mecole Hardman from the end zone.Getty Images
The Chiefs got the ball at the start of the game and went to work, carving up the Giants with dinks and dunks and shovel passes. With the greatest of ease, the Chiefs marched to the Giants’ 5-yard line, got a bit too cute with their play-calling and then lost the ball when Mahomes fired too hard to Jerick McKinnon. The ball deflected up into the air and was intercepted in the end zone by a diving Julian Love. It was interception No. 10 for Mahomes and continued a confounding turnover pattern.
That burst of defensive opportunism was doused when Jones on his first pass of the night looked for Darius Slayton but never saw linebacker Willie Gay, who intercepted the ball and returned it to the Giants’ 13-yard line. Four plays later, Mahomes located Hill in the back of the end zone for a 7-0 Chiefs lead.
The Giants went three-and-out on their next possession but three straight Mahomes misfires got the ball back in the Giants’ hands. They got a huge boost from John Ross’s leaping grab against safety Daniel Sorenson for a 50-yard pickup. The next play was a bit of trickery, as Jones flipped to Toney and Toney fired 19 yards to Shepard. Soon enough, the Giants were on the Kansas City 1-yard line and Rudolph was breaking free for his first touchdown reception with the Giants — the first for any Giants tight end this season. That completed an 85-yard drive to pull the Giants even.
It became uneven when Derrick Gore started gashing the Giants in the ground game, finishing what he started with a 3-yard scoring run to make it 14-7.
A 41-yard gain on a screen pass by Devontae Booker — yes, Booker — got the Giants on the move again, but they stalled on the Kansas City 13-yard line and Graham Gano’s 23-yard field goal pulled the Giants within 14-10.
