Someday, this might be certified as the launching pad, the exact time and place for the Daniel Jones liftoff.
More likely, this NFL debut for Jones will be the highly anticipated yet non-definitive first step for the rookie quarterback who one day will take over for Eli Manning. The Giants open up their preseason schedule Thursday night against the Jets at MetLife Stadium and Jones will either start (if coach Pat Shurmur decides to have Manning sit out) or at the very least receive substantial snaps, taking the field with starters and veterans and later with reserves and youngsters.
For weeks — months, actually — the Giants have pumped up the player taken — too high, in the minds of many — with the No. 6 pick in the NFL draft, insisting he is neither overwhelmed nor under-talented. He has, according to Shurmur, exceeded expectations. Indeed, Jones has looked more than solid directing the offense during training camp practices.
This is another test, the most comprehensive to date, squaring off against a Jets defense, masterminded by manic Gregg Williams, that wants to get off to a flying and destructive start for its new coordinator. For the first time, the pressure will be on Jones and, for the first time, the Giants and their fans get to see how the kid from Duke, a Manning clone in many ways, handles the heat.
“Well, the defense will be different, for one,’’ Jones said. “Going against different looks will be a big thing. I expect it’ll be faster to some extent, just a live game, but I’m excited just to be back playing football again.
“I think as a group on offense, I think we’ve had a good last couple weeks. I think as a unit, we’re ready for it.’’
At Duke, Jones was accustomed to standing in the backfield by himself in an empty set to receive the shotgun snap. He usually took only one step back and then uncorked his throw in a second or two. This pitch-and-catch is not a pattern Jones is asked to do much, if at all, in his new assignment.
The Giants want Jones to take a deeper drop and hang onto the ball just a bit longer.
“It was a little bit, not awkward, but just something he had to work on,’’ offensive coordinator Mike Shula said.
First-year players are expected to make mistakes — it is how they learn, and how their coaches learn about them — and when Jones was instructed to take a slightly deeper drop, growing pains were anticipated.
They were not readily evident, though.
“The next day it would be like, is this the same guy we had yesterday?’’ Shula said.
The Giants are so confident in their decision to draft Jones they might be going a bit overboard in their initial praise of him. There is proof on the field that he is what they insist he is — a quick study — based on the way the second-team offense operates with him in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. It is supposed to look like football, and it does, a sight not always seen when a rookie takes the helm.
“I think he is one of the better guys I have coached so far as far as not making that same mistake,’’ Shula said. “It’s not necessarily the mental mistake but the thing that has caught my eye is the physical things that we’ve asked him to do that cater to us that he wasn’t doing in college.’’
What the Giants want to see out of the chute from Jones is that he can command the offense, make the correct reads and checks, comprehend what the Jets defense is trying to do to him and deliver the ball where it needs to go.
A knock against him coming out of Duke was his arm-strength. In camp, Jones’ arm looks more than fine and his touch on the deep ball is impressive. What he must show is when the protection is breaking down around him and there is a real threat to get clobbered — such peril does not exist in controlled practice settings — he can make the play even if he is unable to step into the throw or have his feet set.
“We’ve talked a lot about him, and for good reason,’’ Shula said. “We still haven’t played a game. That’s the other thing we are going to look at, taking what he has learned so far and applying that to the game.’’
