There was never any doubt about Daniel Jones’ ability to gather those around him, gaining their trust and support. That’s what happened in his freshman year.
Turning the Giants’ confidence in him into a win, well, that takes more time.
Not surprisingly, this week Jones organized several Giants offensive players – wide receivers, tight ends and even a few lines – to travel to Phoenix, Arizona, for a few days of throwing sessions, The Post confirmed. Monday to Friday training – organized entirely by Jones – will be the first unofficial fieldwork before the 2021 season.
Teammates quickly took on Jones when he arrived in 2019 as an underrated selection in the first round, considered to be the defender of the next franchise in line after Eli Manning.
A year ago, Jones arranged a week of throwing and running trails in Texas, assisted by Colt McCoy, the veteran reserve defender, former star of the University of Texas. Discover that this spring’s sessions will be much more advanced and beneficial, given that Jones and any returning offensive players have all become familiar with a season in offensive coordinator Jason Garrett’s system. Last spring, the entire off-season program took place virtually, making it especially difficult for a sophomore to learn a completely new offensive playing card.
Saquon Barkley, who is doing some rehabilitation work in Arizona, is expected to attend the sessions, although his recovery from reconstructive knee surgery will not allow him to attend. Sterling Shepard will join, as will offensive officers Nick Gates and Will Hernandez.
Newly signed receptionist Kenny Golladay is also expected to attend, becoming the first time he and Jones connect on the field and begin to feel each other.
NFL teams are allowed to open their off-season programs on April 19, but these meetings will be virtual at first.
This is a huge season for Jones. He is 8-18 as a starter, with a career passer rating of 84.1 and a second season (11 touchdown passes, 10 interceptions) that was a step down from his production (24 touchdown passes , 12 interceptions) as a beginner. The Giants began finding more weapons for Jones and signed Golladay and receiver John Ross, plus Kyle Rudolph.
Head coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman recently doubled their commitment and faith in Jones, as did co-owner John Mara.
“Listen, we think Daniel’s world is in this building,” Mara said last week. “We want to see him take the next step. I have no other specific benchmarks than to win a few more games. I think he will have a better team around him this year than he had in previous years, so we certainly expect him to take the next step. I just want to see him continue to improve, because I think he has everything he needs to be a long-term winner in this league. ”
Golladay, after signing a four-year deal worth $ 72 million, said he considered Jones “still a little fresh in the league” and added, “I feel like he and I can he does some good things. ” Rudolph, who needs leg surgery and will not be back in action this spring, called Jones a “stud” and went out on a limb when he compared his new teammate to a former defender. to the NFL.
“He has all the intangibles to be an Andrew Luck-type defender,” said Rudolph, who spent his first 10 NFL seasons with the Vikings. “We hope we put a lot of pieces around him and we can take some of the pressure off him, letting him go there and play with confidence and let all those attributes and abilities take over.”
Logan Ryan, the 30-year-old safety last summer, has spent a season with Jones and believes Jones’ only ingredient is time in the league.
“I love Daniel,” Ryan said. “Daniel has everything he needs to be an elite defender. The thing he needs is experience and you can’t hurry. I know we live in a society where we want results in a week. We want results in a year. He had his first year of starting. He will learn from some of these mistakes. Sometimes you have to commit them to learn from them.
“Obviously, more will be expected from him this year than everyone else. I expect more of me to be in the program for a whole year. We expect Daniel to lead us to victories this year and I think he can ”.
It all starts this week in Arizona.