If you want to know how coaches feel about their quarterbacks, you can listen to what they say, but it makes more sense to watch what they do.
In the case of the New York Giants, there was a play in their 38-7 blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Saturday’s divisional-round game that may have been the final statement from head coach Brian Daboll regarding quarterback Daniel Jones. With 13:21 left in the fourth quarter, the Giants had fourth-and-6 from their own 42-yard line. Daboll was already down 28-7, so if there was a play in his quiver here that could have extended the game, he certainly would have used it.
He didn’t. Daboll brought out punter Jamie Gillan to boot the ball away, and that was essentially the end of the game.
“[The Eagles] hadn’t scored yet in that half,” Daboll said after the game about that particular decision. “I’m counting on the defense maybe just from so backed up to maybe get a three-and-out. Then they had a long drive. We probably could’ve went for it, but we weren’t executing well enough to be there, so that’s what we did.”
On the two plays before that, Jones had taken a Fletcher Cox sack, and thrown incomplete to receiver Darius Slayton. And this looked like the end of the skill set inflation Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafla had performed on Jones’ behalf.
In the end, Jones completed 15 of 27 passes for 135 yards, no touchdowns, an interception, five sacks, and a passer rating 53.8. Out of the hothouse and into the spotlight, and against a defense that absolutely had his number, Jones reverted to his level.
Throughout the 2022 season, the Giants’ first-year coaching staff did everything they possibly could to maximize what Jones had to offer. They took his abilities as a runner, and spammed designed runs with that as much as possible. They had established an overall principle in which Jones would look for his first read, and if it wasn’t clear, he should look for green grass. It was basically the kind of thing you would set up for a mobile rookie quarterback — which, in his fourth NFL season, Jones basically was in the context of having a competent set of coached working with him.
The Eagles were all too aware of this, and they game-planned accordingly.
“Just taking away that first read because we knew they wanted to take us out of the game by getting away quick throws and by him extending the play with his legs,” Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said after. “When you look at [Bills quarterback] Josh Allen and you see the system that he runs, it’s similar to what [the Giants] run; the same thing. We just played off that. Take away his first [read] and get him to move around. We gave ourselves a chance to put pressure on him. I think it’s a credit to [Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon] and the coaches.”
Daboll of course worked with Allen as the Bills’ offensive coordinator before he got the Giants job; his ability to turn Allen from wild stallion to fully-developed professional quarterback is a primary reason he got that gig in the first place. But Allen came into the league with a ridiculous set of raw tools, which Jones does not have. Daboll and Kafka did what good coaches do: They made the most of what they inherited.
But Jones is still the quarterback who posted DVOA of at least -10.0% in each of his first three seasons, which throughout recent NFL history has been an absolute barometer of future bustitude. The other quarterbacks to have such a poor DVOA metric over their first three seasons?
Jeff George (1990-1992), Rick Mirer (1993-1995), Tim Couch (1999-2001), and Sam Darnold (2018-2020).
You may draw your own conclusions from that.
Jones came into Saturday’s game against the Eagles ranked 20th in the NFL in DVOA (+1.1%), but let’s be real. Nobody is looking at that as an indicator that the REAL OMG DANIEL JONES has been unleashed. The fact that Daboll is the clubhouse leader for Coach of the Year is the more obvious story, and justifiably so. There is nothing about Jones’ game that has you thinking he’s on his way to elite status; most likely, his future is either as a disappearing act with the wrong staff, or as a middle-tier starter in the best possible circumstances — which we’ve already seen to a degree.
Because the Giants didn’t pick up Jones’ fifth-year option, he’ll be a free agent when the 2023 league year begins. The Giants have an interesting choice there, but it’s not really a pressing issue if they can find a quarterback who can transcend what Jones is capable of. Based on the tape, which is the best thing we have to go on, that’s not going to be incredibly hard. Jones is a nice player who gives you certain schematic options, but there are also chunks of your playbook you’re simply not going to be able to use.
Daboll was asked specifically whether he saw Jones as the (or a) quarterback of the future.
“All these conversations, we are going to have those. We have a long offseason. There is a time and place to have all those conversations and tonight is not it.”
Perhaps that’s all that needs to be said. Daboll had already made all the statements he needed to make.
