The New York Giants have a rookie quarterback on that roster, and whether or not Daniel Jones actually plays this season, it’s been causing a lot of talk and a lot of speculation recently. It makes sense, considering the Giants spent the number six overall pick on Jones in a move that surprised just about everyone, but it doesn’t make things easier on Jones himself as a player trying to make the jump from a small football school such as Duke all the way to one of the harshest media markets in the NFL.
But Jones isn’t the only high profile quarterback to make the jump from college to a New York NFL team. Sam Darnold was projected by many to end up with the New York Giants, but instead ending up playing for the other team in New York, the Jets.
The Giants went with Saquon Barkley in a move that many will consider a major success now that Barkley is widely considered to be one of the best two or three running backs in the league, but meanwhile, the Jets might have done something the Giants couldn’t do – eliminated questions about their quarterback position for the forseeable future, at least if there’s no sophomore or junior slump for the successful Darnold down the line.
After going through the college to NFL transition in New York, Sam Darnold knows a thing or two about the subject, and offered some advice to Daniel Jones about the matter while speaking to the New York Post in an interview.
If I were to say anything to Daniel, I’d just say, “Keep your head down and work, and be yourself, because if you do that, no one’s gonna say anything about you, and if you don’t make headlines, you’ll be all right.â€
Jones has done something of a good job not making headlines so far, even if he has been the center of a number of articles and headlines simply because of his status as the newest quarterback on the block for the New York Giants. That’s in contrast with Kyle Lauletta, last year’s rookie who ended up making headlines around the league for dangerous driving before even playing in a regular season game.
We’ll see if that continues. Fortunately for Jones, it looks like he’ll have to spend a season sitting based on statements from coaches and even other players claiming Eli Manning is the team’s starter, which should reduce some of the rookie pressure and make it easier to avoid making headlines for the wrong reasons.