When he wasn’t getting sent to the blue tent without his permission, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart found himself playing shorthanded against the Minnesota Vikings.
Only four of the Giants’ five starting offensive linemen played in last Saturday’s loss, as veteran center John Michael Schmitz sat while recovering from a concussion. The fourth-year lineman left an Aug. 7 practice after getting hurt during an 11-on-11 team drill.
Luckily for Dart and the Giants, Schmitz returned to practice earlier this week. As of Tuesday afternoon, John Harbaugh had not confirmed whether Schmitz will play against the Miami Dolphins on Friday night.
However, there is immense benefit to Schmitz suiting up, if only so that Dart can play in a semi-meaningful game with his complete offensive line.
John Michael Schmitz and the New York Giants’ offensive line must step up and protect Jaxson Dart
The most common criticism that followed Dart this offseason was his aggressive playstyle, and understandably so. Trainers evaluated him for a concussion at least five times as a rookie, and he briefly visited the blue tent after taking a hard hit against the Vikings. He immediately passed the test, returned to the game, and threw a touchdown.
Last Saturday should have been proof that the NFL isn’t taking any risks with Dart’s health. Although Dart made his frustration clear, he is forbidden to push back or refuse evaluation for a head injury. The league itself cannot afford for him to suffer another concussion because it’d revive the discussions about football being incredibly dangerous.
Offensive linemen have extremely little margin for error as it is. There’s a reason why Richie Incognito survived in the NFL for as long as he did. Despite the bullying allegations and accusations of being a dirty player, Incognito was a reliable interior lineman. So long as he could keep his quarterback upright, teams only parted ways with him when they felt they had no choice.
That’s not to say that Schmitz is anything like Incognito on or off the field. The bottom line (pun not intended) is that Dart’s injury history means the five men tasked with protecting him must go above and beyond. Jameis Winston might be an incredibly popular top-tier backup, but the Giants should only be seeing him on the field in blowouts or postgame celebrations.
The less involved the blue tent is, the better. In fact, maybe that should be the Giants’ motivation for winning their first Super Bowl in 15 years. They can tear apart the tent and share the leftovers with fans celebrating at the Canyon of Heroes. Roger Goodell would probably love seeing that up close.
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