Once the Giants finally stopped doing everything possible to screw up Daniel Jones, they made him their $40 million man with the expectation that his best is yet to come as he enters his prime at age 26.
It’s coming.
In the eyes of the Giants, Danny Dangerous is coming.
“I think Daniel right now’s throwing the ball better than he ever has, me going against him when I was in Baltimore and practicing with him all year last year,” defensive coordinator Wink Martindale told The Post. “What’s tough is his athleticism, ’cause you could defend one play and it turns into another play when he scrambles and either finds a receiver or runs for 10 or 12 yards.”
What makes Danny so dangerous is the Brian Daboll-Mike Kafka offense that he has the benefit of engineering for a second straight season.
“His mechanics at the line of scrimmage … getting guys in and out of the huddle, good tempo at the line of scrimmage. … He’s in a totally different place right now just with the operation,” Kafka told The Post. “In Year 2, that’s what you get. Year 2 in the same system, same head coach, coordinator, quarterback coach, there’s a lot of familiarity, and so you’re able to take advantage of that.”
Of course no one will be calling him Danny Dangerous if he throws just 15 touchdown passes again this season.
“Just what I see from the defensive side of the ball, I see a more confident player, and a guy that communicates more, and he’s not afraid to let it rip,” Martindale said.”I think that it’s just gonna be every day you’re gonna see something better with him.”
Safety Jason Pinnock believes that Danny Dangerous can be a top-10 quarterback.
“It looks like his reads are way more fluent to me,” Pinnock told The Post. “He just looks way more confident back there.”
Daboll plus Kafka plus a more confident, liberated Danny Dangerous with the best weapons he has had should be primed to give headaches to opposing defensive coordinators.
“I think the entire offense, with Mike what he does with the offense, and Dabs. … It’s tough schematically when you combine Buffalo’s offense with Kansas City’s stuff, and because of my experience I can see the flavor of both of ‘em come together,” Martindale said.
Jones never felt overly uncomfortable following Eli Manning, but he has never felt more comfortable as the organization’s chosen one.
“That’s our goal as a group is to be tough to defend, keep defenses on their toes with the different things we can do, the different ways we can attack, get the ball downhill, get the ball in space, get the ball over their heads,” Jones told The Post, “and my job is to help execute that.”
His commitment and dedication to his craft are exemplary, and his leadership has grown for all to see and hear.
“He’s continuing to take it up a notch, you got a bunch of new players installed into the offense, he’s taken them under his wing and bringing them along and teaching them and coaching them up, and they communicate a lot about how he wants things,” Kafka said. “I think he has a really good relationship with that group.”
Phil Simms had tight end Mark Bavaro. Manning had Jeremy Shockey for four seasons. Jones now has Darren Waller.
“He’s a big target, so that’s always a little bit easier when you’ve got a guy like that who can create as much separation as he can and run like he can,” Jones said.
Quarterback, New York Giants is his dream job.
“You’re representing a fan base with a long tradition of winning and a passionate, enthusiastic city that loves football, loves their team,” Jones said, and has said from Day 1. “This organization, speaking of the tradition and culture that they have for winning, and the Mara and the Tisch families, I think it’s a unique position and you get to represent that. It’s also a tremendous responsibility to uphold that standard.”
This is the right time, entering Year 5, for Danny Dangerous to begin to inspire comparisons to his franchise quarterback predecessor. Manning won his first Super Bowl in Year 4.
“It’s important to him that he plays well and important to him that he plays well for the organization, but for his teammates, too,” Kafka said. “And I think he has a lot of pride in how he handles that.”
He is in a good spot.
“I am yeah. I feel good, ready to go, still stuff we’re working on, but think we’ve had a good camp so far,” Danny Dangerous said.
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