I ran into my neighbor, a retired firefighter and an active New York Giants fan, earlier this week while I was out with the dog.
He (my neighbor, not the dog) asked me, “So, what do you think of Jaxson Dart?”
My response? “I like him, I thought he played really well. It looks like the Giants got themselves a quarterback.”
That’s been the overall response since Dart’s performance in the first preseason game. Overall, Dart’s performance was about as good as we could ask for. He made some mistakes and there’s obviously room for improvement, but he acquitted himself well.
His performance over the last week or so has been a big change from the start of training camp.
“Jeez, it’s a world of difference,” Dart said when asked Wednesday afternoon about his growth since the start of camp. “Obviously, you just feel more and more comfortable each and every day. I think the biggest thing just starts with the relationships that I have with the guys in the facility, just all around, and really being able to come to work every single day and just love it. I think this is just a special place where people hold each other to a high standard, and I kind of want to be a part of that to raise it. I think that we’re all just hungry to win here, so we’re chasing that for sure.”
“I think that just from a knowledge standpoint, I’m way ahead from where I was,” he said.
Not only is Dart learning and maturing himself, but he’s also benefitting from being around mature NFL like Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, as well as the Giants’ coaches.
“I think that’s just kind of the maturity of it when you get into an NFL system is that you’re just constantly learning and being around a special group of guys that are here and some great veterans, especially in the quarterback room,” Dart said. “It’s been great just to kind of get these different experiences, be put in these different situations. I think now when I’m able to step out on the field, I know that it’s still early, but being able to go through so many different scenarios and situations and our understanding of ball and why Coach Kafka is calling a certain type of play and just the different looks. In the NFL, there’s a lot of disguise pre-snap, and just being able to see that and being able to start my eyes in the right spot. So I think that I’ve made some big strides since I first got here.”
Dart’s development shifted into a new gear this week with the joint practices between the Giants and the New York Jets.
Head coach Brian Daboll praised opportunity presented by practicing against new faces. Daboll was excited by the opportuity for his team to practice against unfamiliar players, unfamiliar schemes, and unfamiliar techniques.
Dart definite noticed the difference, as well as an increased intensity when not practicing against your own teammates.
“Yeah, I feel like obviously when you’re going against a new competition, the intensity ramps up a little bit,” he said. “There are different looks that you’re getting from the defensive side of the ball. I think that we’re very used to going against our defense. A lot of times certain concepts are key in certain players just because of the overall look that you get. When you play against somebody new, it’s a little bit different. You have to adjust. I think that was really good for our team, especially for us as a quarterback room to work on our progressions, work on our eyes, and kind of just work the pocket. I think that we were able to do a really good job with these two practices.”
Overall, Dart seems to understand the opportunity in front of him as an NFL quarterback, as well the opportunities in practicing against a defense like the one fielded by the Jets.
“I’m just trying to take advantage of the opportunities that I get, trying to watch the film as much as I can to go into depth and just keep learning,” he said. “It’s been really cool to play against these caliber players at the highest level, and I think that obviously raises your mindset and your intensity to compete at a really high level each and every day because if you’re slacking at all, it’s going to show. I’m really liking this process, and I’m just going to take my opportunities and try to make the most of them.”
There’s also been quite a bit of trepidation regarding the Giants’ offensive line. Overall, the Giants’ line played well against the Buffalo Bills (even missing Andrew Thomas), and that seems to have continued against the Jets’ front.
“I thought they’ve done a great job, a great job,” Dart said when asked about his blockers. “If you look back at last game, I don’t know how many pass attempts that we had, but we didn’t have one sack. I sent a message to them after the game that ‘I’ve never played in a pocket like this,’ so I thought that they’ve been able to compete at such a high level. I think it’s really unique just how close that they are, really from wherever they are on the depth chart. They’re all together, they’re all communicating, and it’s been really cool to see. As a quarterback, when you’re able to play behind that, it makes your job a lot easier. I thought that they’ve done a great job, and I know that they’re going to continue to work and progress themselves as well.”
Dart will get another chance to see his linemen in action soon enough. The Giants will host the Jets at Metlife Stadium on Saturday (7 p.m.), and he’ll get to play against a Jets’ front that’s allowed to hit him.
(Hopefully he’ll continue to work on cutting down on taking unnecessary hits.)
“I can’t wait,” Dart said. “My first time going into the stadium was (for) the Zach Bryan concert, and I think just standing there and being able to look at all the great players’ names in the stadium and then just kind of seeing the atmosphere and trying to picture what a sold-out stadium is going to be like and just the energy involved. I can’t wait. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I hope that the fans come out, and they’re super passionate. I hope that we can make a home field advantage for us. But I can’t wait, and I know that there’s going to be a lot of energy for sure.”
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