What was meant to be a productive sixth year with the New York Giants has predictably become another season to forget for quarterback Daniel Jones.
Daniels hasn't been atrocious, but he hasn't been a reliable starter either. Under head coach Brian Daboll, the Giants are 2-6 and riding a three-game losing streak. It looks like another lost season is a sea of lost seasons. When will this carnival ride stop?
He attempted to right the ship this offseason, even after New York had already given Jones a lucrative contract extension.
He urged general manager Joe Schoen to trade up in the 2024 NFL Draft to secure their quarterback of the future. Daboll knew what football fans soon discovered: Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is the real deal and a future superstar.
Whether the Commanders would have actually traded back with the Giants is another conversation, but the missed opportunity has clearly gotten the best of New York's head coach.
Brain Daboll couldn't sound less thrilled about facing Jayden Daniels if he tried
Facing Daniels is a sore subject for Daboll, as HBO's Hard Knocks made abundantly clear: he wanted Daniels in New York. Instead, he's now tasked with game-planning against the rookie of the year frontrunner and MVP candidate.
And that physically pains him.
When speaking to the media about their upcoming matchup against the Commanders, Daboll had a laundry list of compliments to throw the rookie sensation's way.
"He's one of the better quarterbacks in the league already. He's got great vision. He can throw the ball to any area he needs to throw it. He can throw it under pressure. He can escape, make plays with his feet. He can escape, make plays with his arms. He's got good command, which we knew. We knew he was a smart guy when we spoke with him. He's playing really well, at a high level. You can tell there's a lot of confidence in him. He has a lot of yards per attempt. Makes good decisions. Does a lot of good things." - Brian Daboll.
Brian Daboll talking about Jayden Daniels with the enthusiasm of someone having tuna fish on wheat toast at lunch for the 8th consecutive day.pic.twitter.com/s58e9TNNqD
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) October 31, 2024
This isn’t the best look for Daboll. He couldn’t seem less energized about facing Jayden Daniels - with every compliment he offered, he appeared to be in visible discomfort. You can almost sense him holding back thoughts of an alternate reality where the Giants traded up to draft Daniels as their franchise quarterback.
It's a sad space to be in, but instead of showing disappointment and regret, Daboll should focus on what he can control: rallying a team hungry to end a three-game losing streak and eager to steal a win from a division rival.
Jones is not the answer at quarterback - he hasn’t been for a while. But instead of dwelling on missed opportunities, he should channel those frustrations as fuel, igniting the fire for an upset.
Daboll's comments are a frustrating reminder the Commanders have found their star quarterback while the Giants are still searching for theirs.