The New York Giants have wrapped up their preseason with a perfect 4-0 record. A big reason why they’ve won all of their preseason games is the quarterback play behind Eli Manning and Daniel Jones.
If the team plans on keeping 3 quarterbacks they will have to decide between very different players. One of them is Alex Tanney who has really faded down the stretch of training camp. The other is Kyle Lauletta, who was considered a goner by many before stepping it up in his 2nd training camp.
Here’s the passing stats from both quarterbacks through 4 preseason games:
Alex Tanney:
24/46 52.17 comp. % 322 yards 2 TD 3 INT
Kyle Lauletta:
37/62 59.67 comp. % 453 yards 4 TD 0 INT
Their numbers are very different, with Lauletta looking like the better passer, but what jumps off the page even more is their stats in the last 3 weeks.
Here’s Tanney’s passing stats since week 2 of the preseason:
10/27 132 yards 37 comp. % 1 TD 3 INT
Now, here’s Kyle Lauletta’s passing stats since week 2 of the preseason:
28/50 337 yards 56 comp. % 3 TD 0 INT
While there’s a huge difference in efficiency between the two quarterbacks, it’s fair to point out Tanney has mostly competed against second-team defenses while Lauletta has competed against their-team defenses. Overall, such variance in efficiency can’t be excused.
Why Lauletta hasn’t officially jumped Tanney on the depth-chart no one knows but there’s no doubt Lauletta has played better football in the last three weeks.
Laulettas raw numbers outmatch Tanneys, should team-building principles also be a factor?
Pat Shurmur has expressed his interest in veteran backups in the past, but he didn’t have a first-round quarterback on the roster when he said this.
Now that Daniel Jones is on the roster, is a developmental youngster with potential more valuable than a well-versed veteran?
Alex Tanney has been in the league dating all the way back to 2012 and has thrown 14 passes since joining the NFL. Chances are, he doesn’t have any un-tapped potential that wasn’t found elsewhere.
On the other hand they have a young kid who is under contract for 3 more seasons. He’s progressed quite well with a year 2 jump in production. The team also invested a fourth-round pick in Lauletta last year, it would be unfortunate for the team to waive their rights to him 3 years earlier than they need to. Not only does Lauletta have more to offer in the future but the team invested in him more than Tanney.
If the New York Giants want to move on with only 2 quarterbacks it’s understandable considering Daniel Jones’ promising start. However, as time has gone on it makes more and more sense to keep Kyle Lauletta instead of Alex Tanney if they want to keep 3 quarterbacks.