Getty Daniel Jones #8 of the New York Giants
The praise from former Detroit Lions players keeps flowing in for the New York Football Giants this offseason.
First, it was NFL Network’s Good Morning Football co-host Nate Burleson predicting Big Blue capturing the NFC East throne in 2020. Now, retired 11-year NFL pro and current-day ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky has taken to Twitter to heap praise on 2nd-year quarterback Daniel Jones’ “lights out” accuracy and ball placement.
Rewatching all of @GiantsDaniel Jones 2019 season-gonna post some videos tomorrow but he was absolutely lights out ACCURACY wise vs man coverage (#1 thing needed vs man) Ball being placed exactly where it needs to be per where the defender is in coverage. Really well done.
Don’t dust off Orlovsky’s comments simply as a UConn alumn sticking to his northeastern roots. If anything, his alliance aligns much more with the team that shares MetLife stadium with the G-Men. Orlovsky recently went on record proclaiming he would take New York Jets’ signal-caller, Sam Darnold, over Jones, without much debate.
This is simply the matter of an analyst breaking down film and coming away utterly impressed by what Jones put on tape.
A quick glimpse of Jones’ ability to dissect defenses in man-coverage should tell you why.
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An Improved O-Line Should Bring a Finer-Tuned Jones
It’s no secret Jones’ biggest downfall in his rookie season was turnovers. While his 24 passing touchdowns led all 1st-year quarterbacks, his 18 fumbles topped the league ranks and his 12 interceptions also ranked-1st amongst all 1st-year players.
However, we should expect to see a finer-tuned Jones in the pocket in what will be his 2nd-pro season come (hopefully) September. Why? Simply put, he won’t have defenders breathing down his neck play-in and play-out.
Jones was sacked 38 times and took 66 hits in just 13 games in 2019. The abundance of pressure he was under on a virtually per-snap basis certainly played a role in Jones’ accumulation of turnovers, as well as lack of downfield throws.
Yet, after years of trotting out mishmash o-lines only to watch future Hall of Famer Eli Manning be treated like a battering ram, New York finally took it upon themselves to address the unit this offseason.
The team used two of their top three picks in the 2020 NFL Draft to acquire what has the making of being Big Blue’s bookend tackle pairing for the next decade, in Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart. Additionally, 5th-rounder Shane Lemieux should compete for the starting center position day one. They also inked swing tackle, Cam Fleming, to a team-friendly deal this offseason, giving the team a quality sixth o-lineman with versatility and starting experience.
Jones Ready to Stretch the Field in 2020
Orlovsky recently questioned Jones’ arm strength and ability to push the ball down the field in a recent interview on the My Sports Update Football Podcast. However, his 7th-ranked, nine touchdown passes to travel 20+ yards in the air, per PFF, shows he certainly has enough juice to test defenses vertically.
Those numbers should only grow in 2020 with another year under his belt and a budding o-line unit to protect the young QB.