New York Giants tight end Darren Waller has put on a show throughout organized team activities thus far, connecting with quarterback Daniel Jones on big play after big play.
Waller’s presence alone is noticeable within the Giants’ offense and it changes their entire dynamic. He truly provides something they haven’t had in years.
But there’s still a lot of development to be done. There are many intricacies to Mike Kafka’s scheme and Waller is still trying to learn them.
“What I love most about it is the challenge. It requires you to know everything that’s going on on the field, not just have yourself fixed in one spot, like you need to know the whole picture of the offense,” Waller told reporters on Thursday. “Why the quarterback’s looking in a certain direction, why you need to be in a certain window at a certain time. It forces you to move fast, think fast, and I love challenges. That’s what I like the most about it.”
Kafka’s offense isn’t the only thing Waller loves about the Giants. He’s already a big DJ fan but more than that, he’s a fan of the organization as a whole.
“There are different cultures everywhere you go, different types of energy. This is a really light place, a really fun place, really empowering place in a way, where you just be yourself in all ways. As long as you’re not putting the team at risk by getting a flag or things like that, you can really let your personality show,” he said. “That’s what I love about being here. It’s just been fun, and it’s also been challenging. Guys holding me to a high standard since I got here, and I try to reciprocate that.
“They value our opinions here. As a player, I feel like a lot of places I’ve gone, you’re told to do things a certain way, and you do those things. But here, they ask a lot of questions. They want to know what you’re thinking, what do you like to do more. So, to offer input is a really cool thing because coaches and players have got to be in partnership. We’re all together. We shouldn’t be clashing with each other. We’re all going the same direction.”
The Mara and Tisch families have always been loved and respected by the players, but the locker room culture in East Rutherford has been toxic for years. It’s encouraging to hear from incoming players like Waller that general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll have completely turned things around in just one year.
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