23 Nov Getting to Know NY Giants Quarterback Daniel Jones
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones completed 21 of 28 pass attempts for 244 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 10 against the Eagles. He added nine rushes for 64 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Jones set the tone for the Giants offensively on the first drive, connecting with Darius Slayton for a 22-yard gain prior to running in a 34-yard touchdown. While he didn’t post massive numbers through air, Jones avoided turnovers and connected with a number of his receiving weapons to log four passes of 20 yards or more. Jones has led the Giants to two consecutive victories, completing 44 of 62 pass attempts for 456 yards, two total touchdowns and no turnovers during that span. The team now heads into their Week 11 bye. Not only did Jones lift the Giants (3-7) into second place in the NFC East, narrowing the gap behind sloppy Philly (3-5-1) with a real chance to challenge for the division crown down the stretch, he played a second consecutive turnover free game for the first time in his career. And he proved he can be accurate, decisive and aggressive in a big game without being reckless.
Name: Daniel Stephen Jones III
Nick name: Danny Dimes
Born: May 27, 1997 (age 23) in Charlotte, North Carolina
High school: Charlotte Latin School in Charlotte, North Carolina
College: Duke Jones became the starting quarterback in his sophomore season in 2016 after quarterback Thomas Sirk suffered a season-ending injury. Jones started all 12 games, completing 270 of 430 passes (62.8%) for 2,836 yards, sixteen touchdowns and nine interceptions. During his senior year in 2018, Jones was named the MVP in the 2018 Independence Bowl with he went 30/41 with 423 passing yards and five touchdowns. He later played in the 2019 Senior Bowl for the North team, and was also the MVP of that game, going 8/11 with 115 passing yards and one touchdown.
NFL Draft: 2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 for the New York Giants Favorite Football Team growing up: Carloina Panthers
How are you feeling these days?
I feel good. I feel like I’m as strong as I’ve been. I feel like I’m in good shape. I was in Charlotte for most of the offseason and training there. I wanted to get stronger and wanted to gain some weight for what that does for every part of my game — standing in the pocket, running when I need to, and obviously throwing the ball as efficiently as I can using my strength, my lower body. Each piece of that was part of the goal of the offseason in my training.
What will playing without fans be like for you?
It’s gonna be a little different, but I think we’ll be ready for it. Growing up who was your boyhood idol? Definitely my father. He always put me and my siblings first in anything he did.
Describe your quarterbacking style.
I think I’m a guy who plays from the pocket and a guy who can make all the throws. I see accuracy as a strength of my game, but I think I’m athletic enough to be able to extend plays, to move around the pocket and make things happen. I’m very confident in myself and who I am.
Do you consider yourself a confident quarterback?
I think confidence is the key to playing quarterback. It comes down to confidence in yourself, and your confidence has got to come from inside of you. I think if you’re looking externally for confidence, then you’re also going to be affected by the negative as well. Just finding confidence in yourself and knowing what you can do as a player, as a person, is kind of the way that works and the best way to think about handling a lot of stuff.
What is your message to Giants fans about Daniel Jones, and about the New York Giants?
We’ve certainly put in a lot of work this offseason. I think we’re excited to get out there and looking forward to representing them on the field. We’ll play as hard as we can and do everything we can to win games and represent the fan base, represent the team, and we’re excited to do that.