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The 2022 New York Giants haven’t even played a preseason game yet, and starting quarterback Daniel Jones is already coming under fire.
A lot of the recent criticism has centered around a viral video of an incompletion in the Giants’ blue-white scrimmage at MetLife Stadium last Friday. In the video, Jones appears to throw the ball away on a failed connection with wide receiver Kenny Golladay.
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While that video made the rounds on social media, an old clip from last year’s blue-white scrimmage started circulating. Similarly, in the year-old video, Jones has a misconnection with his intended target and throws an ugly interception.
Among the people now defending Jones as these clips go viral is former New York Giants quarterback Kyle Lauletta.
“Hold on now…” Lauletta tweeted on Tuesday, in response to the video from 2021. “The backside dig is designed to win vs. [Cover 2]. Idk the WRs rules but he totally stopped running and the slot guy should have sat down to help occupy the hook defender. Football is a TEAM sport for a reason. People love to slander yet know nothing about football [eye-roll emoji]”
Lauletta, 27, was a fourth-round pick out of Richmond in the 2018 NFL Draft. He only spent one season with the Giants (2018), then spent the next season on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad. He has bounced around the Eagles, Falcons, Browns and Jaguars — as well as the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers and New Jersey Generals — since 2020.
Lauletta was teammates with Jones during the summer of 2019, before being waived as the Giants cut their final roster down to 53 men.
Chris Simms Also Rushes to Defend Daniel Jones
Kyle Lauletta isn’t the only former NFL quarterback who is currently defending Jones. Chris Simms, the son of legendary Giants quarterback Phil Simms, is also lending his expertise to explain Jones’ viral mishaps.
Here’s what Simms tweeted about the play from last Friday:
“I see some calling this as a bad throw by Daniel Jones,” Simms wrote. “This is a throwaway. If that ball is on target, it’s a pick. He read the play, realized the CB’s leverage, and threw it where only his guy could get it. Also, Giants fans, stop over-analyzing scrimmage clips on August 8th.”
Simms, who played for three different NFL teams from 2004-09, also shared a YouTube clip from Chris Simms Unbuttoned where he defends Jones even further.
“Let’s just blame Daniel Jones because that’s easy,” Simms said on the podcast. “And all the idiots on Twitter will chime in and go, ‘Yeah, he sucks! That’s our quarterback!?’ No, it is your quarterback, and you don’t know what you’re talking about, so calm down.”
Giants Release ‘Daniel Jones Ride Along’ Video
Daniel Jones doesn’t spend a lot of time in the spotlight, so any time he’s featured in a behind-the-scenes video it’s somewhat intriguing. As part of a training camp series on YouTube, the Giants put a camera in Jones’ car and captured his commute.
(Skip to the 1:35 mark in the video for the Jones ride along)
“This staff brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” Jones said during the ride along, referring to new head coach Brian Daboll and his assistants. “It’s been fun to be a part of [it].”
Jones is in Year 4 and already under his third head coach since entering the NFL.
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