The arrow is certainly pointing up when it comes to the quarterback position in the Tri-State area. Both the New York Giants and New York Jets feel they have the man under center to eventually, one day, lead them to the promised land.
However, what if you had the choice between both Big Blue’s Daniel Jones and Gang Green’s Sam Darnold to be your quarterback for the next 10 years? Who would you pick?
According to former 12-year NFL veteran and current ESPN analyst, Dan Orlovsky, he knows exactly who he’d choose. Apparently, it’s not much, if any, debate.
“Sam Darnold. That’s an easy answer for me,” Orlovsky said while appearing on the My Sports Update Football Podcast. “I think Sam Darnold’s one of the most talented guys at that position that has come out of the draft in years. Think anyone that tries to sit here and tell you that they can make an honest evaluation of Sam Darnold is lying. There’s absolutely no way. He’s had the bottom five offensive line when it comes to pass blocking and run blocking his first two years. He’s had change over at coach and offensive coordinator, and they probably have the least talented roster skill-position wise in the NFL over the last two years.”
Interestingly enough, a lot of Orlovsky’s reasoning behind why Darnold is the better choice could also pertain to why one would choose Jones.
Much like Darnold, Jones has already endured a head coach and offensive coordinator change. He’s also currently operating with a receiving corps that was just ranked the 21st-best in all of football by Pro Football Focus.
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Orlovsky Questions Daniel Jones’ Arm Strength
Orlovsky wasn’t all negative towards Jones, stating that the quarterback “surprised me” in his rookie year. He admits that he originally asked himself “Man, what does Daniel Jones have in his game that makes him the 6th-pick of the draft?” Because he didn’t see the “franchise-changing, transcendent talent,” that you need to have to be selected where Jones was.
Orlovsky does believe Jones will take the next step in the ball security department next season, stating “I’m not like a huge worrier about the ball security in the pocket. This kid works hard, he’ll work at it.” However, where Orlovsky does have questions in Jones’ game is with the QB’s arm strength.
“I want to see where his arm strength goes,” said the ESPN analyst. “Again, to become great, which is what is what you have to be when you’re the 6th-pick, you’re got to overcome.” Orlovsky noted that Jones “struggled versus zone defense last year when everybody has their eyes on the quarterback and sees the ball starting to come out and they can break and close windows. I want to see if his arm takes a step forward strength-wise, so that doesn’t become his case.”
The Numbers Say Otherwise
In terms of Jones’ “questionable arm-strength,” there’s been much more well-recognized quarterbacks that have come through the league with far weaker arms and gone on to brilliant careers. Does that Brady guy in Tampa Bay ring any bells?
While Jones may not wow you with arm strength like fellow signal-callers Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford, he still manages to stretch the field. Per PFF, Jones ranked 7th in the NFL in 2019 in touchdown passes that traveled 20+ yards in the air, with nine.
When it comes down to it, this debate is far from over, and there’s no perfect answer at the moment. However, the playing field was a bit skewed in this discussion, as Orlovsky later stated he would take “Sam Darnold over every young quarterback that’s come in the NFL the last three years,” which led to audible shock from the host.
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Ex-NFL QB Picks Between Daniel Jones & Sam Darnold for Next 10 Years