NY Giants: 7 reasons to be excited about the future

A Healthy Quarterback

Daniel Jones regressed in his second season. But he also dealt with lingering injuries that took away his best ability.

Jones had fewer touchdowns, fewer passing yards, and a lower rating in 2020. But anyone who thinks that he is going to be a quarterback known for his arm is under a delusion. Jones’ strength is in his legs, and he did show improvement in this aspect of his game.

He ran 20 more times, had nearly 200 more yards, and his yards-per-game average was up by nearly 10 yards. And that’s after he only attempted 10 rushes across the last three games he played.

As his coaches and teammates have said, Jones proved he’s a tough kid willing to play through pain. But if his legs are not healthy, neither is his game.

Let’s look at sacks as an example. Jones was sacked 45 times, up from 38 in his rookie campaign. He was sacked six times in Week 14 and again in Week 16. He only attempted one run for three yards in those two games.

He was sacked five times in Week 9, when he rushed for just four yards. And he was sacked twice in Week 5 when he rushed twice for -7 yards.

The secret to beating Jones and thus beating the Giants is for teams to contain his rushes and put him in the ground. If they take away his legs, Jones is hard-pressed to beat a defense with his arm.

What’s more, Jones was sacked in 12 of the 14 games he played this season. In Week 6, he was sacked once, but ran seven times for 74 yards. Week 12 was the only game in which he wasn’t sacked, but he only played 63% of the offensive snaps, going down with a hamstring injury. But before he did, he ran six times for 19 yards.

His legs are what save him from getting sacked, and it’s also how he can keep defenses on their toes.

As I mentioned in a post during the Giants’ bye week, Jones was well on his way being one of the NFL’s leading rushers at quarterback. Only Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson were ahead of Jones, who was only one of five quarterbacks with at least 300 yards rushing through the first 10 weeks.

And as I mentioned earlier in this post, the Giants are far more likely to win a game if the team can rush for more than 100 yards in a game.

Jones’ biggest asset for this offense is his ability to run. He was the Giants’ second-leading rusher this season, behind only Wayne Gallman. He rushed for 423 yards on 65 yards, with an average 6.5 per carry. Further, 17 of those rushes were first downs.

It’s exciting that you could mention Jones in the same breath as the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson. The Ravens have had the NFL’s leading rushing offense for the past two years, in part because of the explosive players in their running-back-by-committee, but in larger part because of what Jackson could do with his legs.

A healthy Daniel Jones gives the Giants the dimensions needed from a quarterback in today’s NFL. And while it remains to be seen if a big-time receiver will help his arm, it’s a definite that his legs help the Giants win.