Abdul Carter: See video of NY Giants rookie during practice
Get a closeup view of Abdul Carter during Giants practice in East Rutherford.
EAST RUTHERFORD – Russell Wilson posted two words on social media that together speaks to perhaps the most important quality the New York Giants must show if they want to stabilize a season that is suddenly spiraling for a team under siege, erasing months of built-up good will and optimism.
Mentally tough.
That’s about all the Giants’ veteran quarterback can hold onto after directing an offense to six points in a Week 1 loss to the Washington Commanders. How can Wilson and Big Blue turn this around?
Improved play across the board from the offense.
More physical play and far better execution on the line.
Catch the football – period.
Run the football more effectively.
The calls for Jaxson Dart promise to only get louder from here if Wilson and the Giants don’t get better and fast, beginning Sunday afternoon in a building they have not won as an organization in nine years.
The Dallas Cowboys have actually beaten the Giants in their last 13 meetings with Dak Prescott at quarterback, so as with anything else, the quarterbacks will take center stage.
And with the Giants, that includes the quarterback who did not play in the 21-6 defeat to the Commanders on Sunday: rookie Jaxson Dart, who will continue as the No. 2 QB this week.
The Giants have to win the game mentally AND physically to pick up the victory that’ll lower the temperature around the franchise yet again just one week into what was supposed to be a new season with tons of promise and optimism.
“We understand that it’s going to be a battle every week. It’s a 17-round fight and we’ve got to go win round two,” Wilson said. “That’s what’s important right now. When you’re boxing and you’re fighting and you’re playing, you can’t think about Round 10 or Round 15. You’ve got to think about Round 2, so I think that’s what’s important right now for us.”
Wilson compared this 0-1 hole in which the Giants find themselves to the second round of a heavyweight boxing match. They’ve taken a punch. It’s time to throw one and prove this does not have to be a first round knockout.
Early Sunday morning, reports popped up everywhere that the Giants had a package of plays prepared for Dart, intel that was revealed through anonymous sources from national network outlets.
Does that mean the Giants believe Dart is ready to start? Not necessarily. Does that mean Brian Daboll is going to yank Wilson from the lineup after one game in which, let’s be real, the stats left a lot to be desired (17-of-37 passing, 168 yards)?
The Giants believe Wilson will be decisive and put the football where it needs to go, on time and accurately. They also trust he will stay away from the negative plays that have crushed this offense the last two years, allowing for the offensive line to put forth a steadiness that has been non-existent.
But on Sunday against the Commanders, for the first time as a Giant, Wilson looked his age and struggled to pull the Big Blue offense out of its tailspin.
“I didn’t play good enough. I think you always want to play better,” Wilson said. “Obviously, whenever you don’t win, you always feel like there’s more to do. I think that’s the biggest thing and just focus on playing great this week.”
In a fight to choose urgency over panic, Wilson wants the Giants to show resolve despite the pressure that’s rising from the outside in.
“Part of it is not worrying about the stuff down the road, not worrying about yesterday,” Wilson said. “It’s just being really freaking great today and that’s what winners do. They’re obsessed with today. They’re obsessed with the moment. I know what that looks like. When your expectations are always high, if anybody beats themselves up over a loss, I know I do, more than anything else. I hate losing. But at the same time, it’s part of growth and part of the process and I think it’s a pruning process. So for us, we’ve just got to get back to just the fundamentals of the game.”
Uncertainty will reign if Wilson and the Giants fail to do that again on Sunday.