Colts Daniel Jones calls Jonathan Taylor MVP conversation “spot on”

Colts Daniel Jones calls Jonathan Taylor MVP conversation “spot on”

I feel very fortunate, you know, very very grateful to be here with with these guys. I think we got a we got a really special team and and the guys in the locker room. Um, you know, it’s fun group to be a part of. It’s been fun playing with these playing for these coaches, working with Shane and his whole his whole staff. But, um, yeah, I’ve really enjoyed being here. I’d be remiss if if I didn’t ask you about the Giants letting go of your old head coach, Brian Dable. I mean, what is just your reaction to that? Yeah, I just kind of heard about it um recently and obviously never want uh never want to see anyone fired. It’s an unfortunate part of this this business. Um so yeah, I think that’s, you know, the the reaction and and you know, hope for the best for him and and uh and everybody there in New York. One of the things I was thinking about before coming to sit down with you was like how different your trips home from Germany must have been year-over-year, right? like last year two you’re two and eight, this year you’re eight and two. Um like I mean the ob the obvious question is like how much better is that flight, but I kind of like want to almost zoom out a little bit more like over the course of that year like what do you think was other than the change of scenery of course like for you what changed the most in making sure that the emotions of that flight are different? Um yeah I mean definitely very different trips back uh from Germany. Um, I don’t I don’t know. I mean, I think a lot a lot goes into it and you learn a lot um, you know, along the way and and from different experiences and and different times and um, I feel like I, you know, I’ve done that and then um, yeah, I mean, I can’t say enough good things about, you know, this team and being with these guys um, you know, playing for these coaches and and uh, you know, that that part of it has been been really fun. So Jonathan Taylor running for 244 and three touchdowns helps uh helps everybody’s playing right. Yeah, you took me right there with the JT mention. You see the Wisconsin banner in the background. I’ve been watching to him since he was a freshman coming on the scene there. What is it about when you turn around to hand that ball off to him? Like what are you thinking or like what’s going through your mind when you know he’s about to take off down the field? Yeah, I think you’re thinking something good’s going to happen. uh pretty much every time he touches it, uh he makes he makes something good happen for us. And um yeah, he’s been so so consistent this whole season um running the ball. He’s been good, you know, out of the back field catching the ball as well on screen passes or checkdowns, whatever it is. He he’s just a guy, you know, with the ball in his hands is is dangerous. So, um been huge for our offense and and uh tough to tough to think there’s a you know, anyone in the league playing better than than him right now. Yeah. I mean, kind of going off that, is Dave getting thrown around in the MVP conversation? Like, do you What do you think of that? I think it’s spot on. I think it’s spot on. He’s um Yeah, you know, I don’t know exactly what the numbers are, how the numbers compare to uh past MVP winners, but I, you know, I’d say uh I’d be real surprised if they weren’t right there or not, you know, if not better than than a lot of those guys. So, he’s had an incredible season. um for us so far and and um you know excited to see what he does down the stretch. When you were with the Giants, you had Saquon Barkley in the back field, shared a backfield with him, another elite back. Like what are the main similarities between those two guys in your mind? Um I think there’s, you know, I think there’s a number of similarities. I think for one just their um you know their their physicality, but also their ability to to outrun anybody on the defense and take it the distance. You know, I don’t I don’t think there’s too many guys in the league who who have kind of both both sides of that where they’re breaking tackles or running through the line of scrimmage and bouncing off of guys and then if you give them some daylight are going to are going to take it the the distance. So, um, you know, I think that’s, uh, that’s, uh, unique to to those guys. I’ve been fortunate to play with with both of them. And the other thing I’d say is they just both have a very, um, you know, optim optimistic, positive mindset. Uh, you know, kind of bringing guys together and and um, you know, great great leaders in the locker room. I mean, he’s not the only Colt in the MVP conversation. You’ve kind of been tossed around in there a little bit as well. I know you’re not a guy who’s paying attention to those things, who buys into those things, but like when you hear that, what do you think? Um, I mean, it’s certainly not a bad thing, but um, yeah, a lot a lot of, you know, a lot ahead of us, a lot of of work to do and and, uh, I feel very fortunate, you know, very very grateful to be here with with these guys. I think we got a we got a really special team and and the guys in the locker room. Um, you know, it’s a fun group to be a part of. It’s been fun playing with these playing for these coaches, working with Shane and and his whole his whole staff. But, um, yeah, I’ve really enjoyed being here. Yeah. You mentioned working with Shane and and the offensive staff obviously. Was there a moment could have been during the offseason, like just one practice, could have been a week during the regular season, like was there a time where you really felt things click into place for you when it came to almost mastering this offense? Um I I don’t know. Um I I mean I do remember some practices right after training camp. Uh kind of those practices in between training camp and and week one. Um where you’re you’re not all the way in game plan mode and you’re kind of you’re still you know practicing against your defense and and and uh you know running your core plays. And I remember, you know, a couple practices where Shane was out there calling it kind of offscript and making it up as he as he went and, you know, hey, let’s try this, let’s try that. And, you know, it was somewhat collaborative where I was, you know, suggesting things and we’d try that. and a lot of I think just that kind of you know that process of of communicating of trying different things of of um seeing if we can come up with a good idea or good good idea there to um you know depending on what the defense is doing and just you know working with Shane that way has been has been a lot of fun. I think that you know started in camp and you kind of got a sense for it towards the end of camp. I like want to ask a football nerd question, but I don’t like understand enough to make it the best question it could possibly be. But I know that Greg Olsen, for example, was talking about how throwing out of heavy personnel has kind of been one of the defining offensive aspects of this entire NFL season for the successful team. So, like for you when you’re throwing with multiple tight ends on the fields, like rookie tight end Tyler Warren for example, you’re just heavier personnel, like what are some things that you’re looking for when you’re out there in those for formations, but throwing the ball? Yeah, I think for one, I mean, I think our coaching staff does a really good job scheming some of that stuff up and and and finding things uh finding things, you know, within the defense to attack week to week and and you know, sometimes it comes out of bigger people, sometimes it comes out of, you know, uh lighter sets, but um I think when you do get in heavier people, obviously your threat to run the ball and and um you know, they’ve got to account for that and and be able to defend that, especially when you have someone like Jonathan Taylor. But we’ve also done a really good job complementing that, you know, that with with some play action shots or or different, you know, pass game concepts that um, you know, get get guys like Tyler open. And I think when you have tight ends who are versatile, um, like Tyler, like Mo, like like Tree, I think all those guys um are huge for for those plays working. How does Daniel Jones spend a bye-week? Are you a trip guy? Are you a chilling at home kind of guy? Like what’s on the docket for you? Uh yeah, I’m just going to relax. Um not taking any any tropical vacation, but just yeah, I think you just try to try to recover physically um you know, from uh from the the first half of the season and and uh and get your body back to to where it needs to be. And then there’s a you know, a review and a a studying yourself self scout type um you know, piece of it, too. So, you know, I’ll do that. But, uh, enjoy some some downtime and and recovering. I love, uh, being able to get to Indianapolis every year for the combine. Have you had a chance to try the shrimp cocktail from St. Elmo yet? Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I’ve got the the the, uh, St. Elmo shrimp cocktails. Legendary. Legendary stuff. It’s uh, it’s Yeah, I’ve been there a few times. Really, really fun spot. Great spice. Open your right up and sinuses. Does wonders. All right, Daniel. Uh, one last thing here before we get you out of here. Uh, we run this series. It’s called In My Bag. So, it’s more about not like a time where you maybe had your best play or, you know, your most highlight real worthy rep, but something where you look back on it and you’re like, man, I was really in my bag for a second there. Like, what is Daniel Jones’s in my bag moment? I don’t know. Uh, I don’t know. That’s a tough one. Um, I mean, uh, I’m just thinking about the game yesterday. Uh, I thought, uh, you know, obviously kind of back and forth wasn’t the cleanest game in in a lot of a lot of senses. I thought things I could have done better, you know, certainly to help us out. But, um, you know, we we made some plays down the stretch that that helped in the fourth quarter and the overtime period and and guys came up big in a couple of spots and and obviously JT, but Tyler did a great job and and uh threw him threw him a couple passes that, you know, maybe that was a piece of it, but um, yeah, fun fun win for us Sure.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones joins Chris Bumbaca to reflect on the team’s thrilling overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons in Germany. Jones praises teammate Jonathan Taylor’s MVP-worthy season, and discusses his own growth under coach Shane Steichen. From locker room chemistry to offensive strategy and bye week plans, Jones opens up about what’s driving the Colts’ 2025 success. Plus, he compares elite running backs Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley, reacts to the Giants’ coaching change.

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