Former MVP Calls Out Giants’ ‘Cringeworthy’ Plays, But is Still Encouraged

The New York Giants and franchise quarterback Daniel Jones had a turbulent preseason game against the Houston Texans on August 17, and it’s caught the attention of NFL analysts. Former NFL MVP quarterback Boomer Esiason watched the game, and while he says there were some “cringeworthy” moments, he still has hope that Giants head coach Brian Daboll and the crew are working to turn things around.

Former NFL MVP Quarterback Boomer Esiason Talks Giants

During his WFAN radio show on August 19, Esiason said he noticed Daboll make some bold moves after Jones’ two facepalm-worthy interceptions in the first quarter of the Texans game. He said that Daboll opted to keep Jones in the game and make some aggressive play calling to get Jones and the offense to try to find some chemistry together.

“It was cringeworthy, the way the game started,” Esiason said on the show. “It was leading into all the anti-Daniel Jones people. Then, as the game went on, what I recognized was what Brian Daboll was doing. He was saying, ‘Listen, you’re staying out there. We’re going to throw the ball. We’re going to get you into this, and we’re going to move this thing down the field.’ I saw a lot of aggressive play calling. A lot of one-on-one on the outside, and we’re going for it down the field. And that was encouraging.”

Things did start to turn around after Daboll’s change in tactics. Jones finished the game completing 11 of 18 passes for 138 yards.

Will it be enough to appease Giants fans? Time will tell, and the proof will be in the pudding. Both Daboll and Jones likely need to perform extra well this season to stay with the franchise. But, Esiason notices an urgency in Daboll’s demeanor and is encouraged by it.

“Brian Daboll is not messing around over there,” Esiason said. “He’s trying to get this team on edge, to get a competitive angle of what they’re trying to build. I was really encouraged with watching the ball thrown down the field.”

Discussing Daniel Jones’ Hiccups

During the show, Esiason’s co-host, Gregg “Gio” Giannotti, discussed Jones’ inconsistency on the field. Giannotti said that although there are “reasonable explanations” for Jones’ problems, especially “dealing with a new offensive line,” that inconsistency is an issue.

“The problem is we’ve seen Daniel Jones year-in and year-out, inconsistent play, injuries,” he said. “If you’re a Giants fan and you see him play poorly, even in a preseason game that doesn’t count, you go, ‘Here we go again, the guy sucks.’ And you can’t blame any fans to going there.”

In a Zoom call following the Texans game, Daboll discussed the loss to the Texans and Jones’ shaky performance. Despite the hiccups, Daboll stood by Jones, saying there were some things he liked about the quarterback’s time on the field.

“I thought there was two plays that we’d like to have back, but I thought he played fast,” Daboll said via Giants.com. “It’s different when you’re out there in practice. This was good for him to get out there and get some live reps with the rush, the ability to get hit, he had that (12-yard) scramble. But I’d say he operated well in the pocket.”

The New York Giants’ final preseason game is August 24 on the road against the New York Jets.

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