Giants’ rookie QB Jaxson Dart says the game is slowing down

Dart talked about learning from Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Tommy DeVito, and even Pat Mahomes

The New York Giants returned to the practice field on Sunday, and the gathered media were fairly unanimous in their assessment.

The Giants’ fourth practice was easily the best of rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart’s young career. Dart was, by all accounts, comfortable, accurate, decisive, and efficient.

“It’s just continued growth each and every day. I can definitely feel a difference in the first day to even today,” Dart said after practice.

The difference, he said, is that after three practices and a day to digest, the game is “slowing down a little bit.”

Dart has been sharing second team reps with veteran Jameis Winston, and he certainly appreciates the opportunities before him. Both on the practice field and to learn from the Giants’ other three quarterbacks.

“Trying to study late as much as I can,” Dart said. “It’s definitely very humbling to be in a room with Russ (Wilson), Jameis (Winston) and Tommy (DeVito). Just guys that are just extremely smart, but at the same time I’m learning every second. So just trying to take in each opportunity and get better from it.

“But I feel like today, going into it,” I felt confident in the different installs that we had and I felt at the same time the coaches gave me a lot of freedom, so I was able to make some checks that I wanted to and I feel like that just allowed me to play just faster and be able to make quicker decisions.”

While Dart earned a “Kwillie” for his mistakes as well as his good plays in the first three days of training camp, both sides of the coin are part of the process. The mistakes, however, don’t seem to be frustrating to Dart. Rather, he’s frustrated by the fact that he can’t get out there and practice more.

“I told Dabs earlier this week after the first day I was like, ‘I wish we had two-a-days so we could practice again,’” Dart said. “I just really look forward to the next opportunity that I have.”

Dart knows that he’s a rookie and his job is to learn and get better. While he might be the future of the franchise, he doesn’t have to start right away.

“I understand that I’m going to make mistakes and that’s part of me learning the system, the game speed,” Dart said. “I threw a pick, and I was able to go into the locker room and talk to (cornerback) Nic (Jones) about what he saw from a defensive perspective. So those conversations that I’m having are super cool. I’m just constantly learning, and I think something that I take pride in is when you make a mistake, try not to make that same mistake again. I understand I’m going to make mistakes, but I’m excited for the next opportunity trying to get better.”

Speaking of Jones and making mistakes, Dart told the gathered media that Jones (a former Chiefs defender), who tormented him in the first two practices, has been helping him with his eye discipline. He’s also been relaying some of what he (Jones) learned from practicing against Patrick Mahomes.

“He’s like, tendency-wise, if you see this, this is probably what’s coming behind it. Just a lot of it was him just in the spot drop zone and playing off my eyes,” Dart said. “He is just telling me a lot of times, because he played with (Kansas City Chiefs quarterback) Pat (Mahomes) and what Pat used to do with him and just kind of manipulate different plays and schemes to make it work. And I think that when I’m able to hear that, it helps me try to incorporate those things into my game.”

Ultimately, Dart is an aggressive and competitive young man. He had a 1-on-1 game of basketball against star receiver Malik Nabers (at Russell Wilson’s house). Nabers mentioned that the two “got into it” and that Dart earned his respect.

“Yeah, it was intense,” Dart said. “I think it’s just two guys who compete at the highest level in whatever that they’re doing. And when you’re in a competitive situation like that and you want to win, I think it says a lot about him, as well as me. Just you can do whatever it takes, and I think it’s good bonding.”

Off the court and on the field? Well, Dart doesn’t just want to pick up five yards and move on to the next play. He, and the rest of the Giants’ quarterbacks, want to attack the defense and stick the dagger whenever they get the chance.

“I don’t want to play like a robot,” he said. “I think that’s just my play style. When I’m on the field, I’m going to be aggressive in any situation. A statement that, I guess a quote that we go by in the quarterback room is being aggressive but not reckless. And so, when you have opportunities to put the dagger in, that’s what you got to do.”

That said, Dart wants to be smart with the ball and not put it in danger needlessly. His aggressiveness led to him breaking Archie and Eli Manning’s records at Ole Miss. But at the same time he also only threw six interceptions last year, three of which came in a game in which he was playing injured and after he lost his starting receiver and center.

“You can’t be reckless and it’s just situational based as an offense,” Dart said. “You look at the turnover margins and the turnover ratio of the most successful teams in the league to the least successful team, and that’s probably the number one thing that goes into it. So, you have to keep those things in mind, but at the same time you got to be a dog on the field and make those plays when they’re there. And like I said, this time it’s okay to make some mistakes and to learn from them.”

The Giants’ fourth practice almpst ended in highlight reel fashion, as Dart nearly threw a touchdown on fourth down. The ball was tipped at the catch point (the offense would probably argue pass interference in a live game setting), but rookie running back Cam Skattebo managed to haul it in.

“Wasn’t that sick?” Dart said of his teammate’s play. “I mean that’s like elite awareness, especially from a running back. I haven’t really seen a play like that. I’m excited to look at the review.”

But, it was only almost a highlight reel play. Skattebo’s right toe was on the sideline as he made the catch, so it was an incompletion.

“Unfortunate,” Dart said when told it was incomplete. “It looked cool, though.”