Ring the bells, light the torches, tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend — do whatever you need to do to spread word that the Jaxson Dart era is officially taking over in East Rutherford. News broke Tuesday that Dart will be the next starting quarterback for the New York Giants, making his debut at MetLife Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4.
It’s truly exciting (or terrifying, depending on who you ask) times for Giants fans — regardless of whether or not he finds instant success. At least it’s something different. Still, a first start only says so much. Look no further than former Big Blue draft bust and current Colts legend Daniel Jones, whose career opener in Giants blue yielded unreal results, only to flame out almost immediately.
Back in 2019, the former Duke standout lit the world on fire in his first start — and Giants fans would kill for that kind of energy again. A hot start for Dart would obviously be better than him coming out and faceplanting, but fans can learn a thing or two from Danny Dimes’ debut: it’s not about how you start but how you finish.
And as long as the 22-year-old rookie shows signs of growth and development throughout the season, it’ll likely be a much more enjoyable experience this time around. Still, here’s to hoping some of that Jones magic wears off on Dart in his first start... at least in Start 1.
Jaxson Dart needs Daniel Jones-sized flash to give Giants fans a reason to believe
If Dart wants to win over the fan base immediately, a 336-yard, two-touchdown victory like Jones’ oughta do the trick. Just over six years ago, the oft-maligned quarterback shocked the world with one of the most electric career openers in recent memory.
On top of the gaudy passing stats, he also ran the ball four times for 28 yards and two touchdowns. Talk about coming in hot. What’s even crazier is he did all that on the road. Fortunately for Dart, he’ll at least have the hype and energy of the MetLife crowd behind him to feed off.
Unfortunately, he's running into an absolute buzzsaw of a defense led by head coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who could be Brian Daboll's eventual replacement.
Chances are slim he replicates Danny Dimes’ first-start magic, but never say never. The rookie quarterback impressed all offseason, especially in the preseason. So while it might feel absolutely crazy for Giants fans to root for Dart to actually play like Daniel Jones in New York, there’s no denying his debut was electric.