G
olden Tate knows all about Daniel Jones’ game firsthand, and the former New York Giants’ wide receiver believes one big problem continues to harm the team’s starting quarterback.
Tate played for the Giants for two seasons, including Jones’ rookie season in 2019. The retired wideout told Damon Amendolara on “Watch D.A. Live,” how Jones is “such a smart guy. He’s very, very, very smart. And I think maybe sometimes he’s too smart for his own good and overanalyses a little bit, and it just slows him up a tad bit.”
Although Tate went on to explain how Jones should be out of excuses after the Giants selected “fantastic” receiver Malik Nabers sixth overall in the 2024 NFL draft, the idea Jones is slow making decisions has been gaining traction since Week 1’s 28-6 defeat to the Minnesota Vikings.
Golden Tate Highlighted Familiar Failing
Tate has explained a key and longstanding flaw in Jones’ game. It concerns sluggish processing from the pocket.
The same issue was noticed by Dan Schneier of CBS Sports. He believes Jones’ “eyes are SLOW,” and the problem is magnified by the Giants’ QB1 not possessing “the arm talent to make up for any lack of anticipation.”
This play involved a missed connection with Nabers, exposing what’s undermining the Giants’ offense. Nabers is already the unit’s go-to target, even as a rookie, but his success depends on a quarterback capable of getting him the ball in space.
Jones will need to play more on instinct than second guessing if he’s going to be the guy.
Daniel Jones Already on Borrowed Time
He’s made just one start since November, but there are already calls for Jones to be sent to the bench. For now, head coach Brian Daboll is prepared to resist those calls for change, but how long will his resistance last?
There’s also a broader point. One based on not all of the Giants’ struggles being on Jones. Not when Daboll and his staff were out-thought by the Vikings.
As Doug Farrar of Athlon Sports put it, Vikes defensive coordinator Brian Flores ditched his blitz-heavy approach in favor of four-man pressure and congested coverage shells.
Essentially, the Vikings challenged Jones to stand in the pocket, make quick reads and beat them with his arm. Those core traits continue to elude No. 8, but Flores also challenged Daboll’s concepts and play-calling.
Successfully melding what Jones can and can’t do with the playbook helped the Giants shock the league in 2022. The problem is the option-based, play-action passing game in support of running back Saquon Barkley was never going to last.
Helping Jones take his game up a level or two was always going to be the next step. Injuries have delayed the process, but now Jones and Daboll have more of what they need to make things work.
There can’t be any more excuses for a signal-caller who gets to throw to dynamic receivers behind an offensive line bolstered by addition in free agency. Nor will allowances be made for a head coach who has full ownership of the call sheet.
Jones has a fundamental weakness, one highlighted by Tate, but still needing to be fixed by Daboll.
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