Heart of a Giant Award winner meets NY Giants’ Dexter Lawrence
Old Tappan football player accepts Heart of a Giant Award and Super Bowl LX tickets, meets Giants lineman Dexter Lawrence.
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart is struggling to cope with the team’s eight-game losing streak.The Giants’ latest defeat was a 29-21 loss to the Washington Commanders, dropping their record to 2-12.Dart expressed frustration as the Giants failed to correct some of the same mistakes, including a punt return touchdown, dropped passes, and penalties.
EAST RUTHERFORD – In a post-game moment of honesty and humility, Jaxson Dart admitted that he’s still searching for ways to cope with all this losing.
The New York Giants have done far more losing than Dart ever anticipated when he took over as their quarterback, especially after upsetting the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles in his two of his first three starts.
Then, on the road in Denver the week after that, Dart refused to accept what has been this franchise’s unfortunate reality for much of the past decade-plus. And when he scored on a gutsy touchdown run for a two-point lead with 33 seconds left, the rookie from Ole Miss never gave a thought to the idea that somehow, the Giants would find a way to give the game away.
Of course, they did – and Dart’s Giants have not won since, testing his patience and his confidence with each of the eight consecutive defeats, the Broncos‘ collapse included. The latest: Sunday’s 29-21 loss to the Washington Commanders after which Dart was asked how he avoids getting as discouraged as others may expect him to be.
“I think I’m still learning that,” said Dart, who completed 20-of-36 passes for 242 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed for 63 yards. “I haven’t gone this long without a win in my career. You definitely try to obviously learn from the things that you didn’t play well enough from. I’m trying to just live week to week and trying to get a little bit of motivation, be a little bit of a spark, just trying to communicate as positively as I can. These hurt, so you’ve got to try to take it for what it is and try to rally the troops to get better for the next week.”
Make no mistake: regardless of what happens with the Giants down the stretch of this lost season, with the firing of head coach Brian Daboll well in the rear view now, with defensive coordinator Shane Bowen fired two games ago and this team still struggling the last two weeks to find a way to change the narrative, the presence of Dart must be an organizational priority.
That comes with preserving and protecting Dart from losing the swagger and aura that preceded his ascension to the position he is in now as the franchise’s quarterback of the present and future.
Because after this one, Dart seemed at a loss for how this keeps happening to a team he believes has far more potential than its 2-12 record shows.
“I think that our losses have been pretty simple for the most part: just us not being a team that finishes consistently in the fourth quarter. I think that that’s just the reason,” Dart said. “That’s what we have to fix. I think that when you watch back the tape, you understand why we’re not winning games.”
Certainly did not take a rocket scientist to figure out why against the Commanders.
The horrendous coverage on Washington rookie Jaylin Lane’s 64-yard punt return for a touchdown in the waning moments of the first half. Two critical drops by veteran captain Darius Slayton, one that would have gone for a first down and one that could have been a touchdown.
A foolish personal foul on center John Michael Schmitz that preceded Slayton’s second drop, with Schmitz for excessive yapping with Commanders players instead of going back to the huddle on a third-quarter drive on which the Giants were building momentum.
Two missed field goals by Younghoe Koo, but neither had much of a chance as both were from beyond 50 yards and going against the wind. Still, they represented two additional empty possessions. There was also a 51-yard pass play from Marcus Mariota to Terry McLaurin, who spun safety Dane Belton around in coverage before breaking a tackle attempt by cornerback Paulson Adebo on his way to the end zone.
Perhaps the most frustrating development in the game was the officials’ seemingly overbearing treatment of Dart himself. The Giants had a first-and-goal from the 1 when Dart tried to get back to the line of scrimmage when a first-down pop pass into the end zone was covered. The officiating crew took Dart off the field even though he did not appear to take a big hit relative to perception, sending him to the sideline and the medical tent for a concussion evaluation.
Any rhythm the Giants had been building was lost when Jameis Winston was forced into the game ice cold from the bench. Dart was cleared soon after, but he missed two plays, only to return and fire incomplete to Wan’Dale Robinson.
Because of the narrative that has been perpetuated by discourse surrounding Dart and the need for him to protect himself on the field, there is reason to question whether that has unfairly created this dilemma in which he is being forced to walk upon a fine line that does not apply to most players.
“I’m not really sure what the reason was I had to come out of the game,” Dart said. “It was just a really – it was weird. I don’t understand it. … But I was definitely surprised, just didn’t feel like it was that big of a hit at all. Obviously, just the situation that we were in too, first-and-goal on the two, that’s a big thing that happens in the game. So, I was definitely surprised.”
Dart promises that he is still confident in the Giants’ future, even after another uninspiring performance in a half-empty MetLife Stadium. Admittedly, the present is starting to wear on the QB who continues to be adamant in embracing the role of leading a floundering franchise out of the oft-embarrassing malaise that has become its brand, overshadowing the dulled shine of the four Vince Lombardi trophies that sit on display in the lobby of the Giants’ training facility.
“It’s little plays that you have to make, and the other team is making, and we’re not,” Dart said. “And we’re not making enough of those.”
For the Giants, that adds up to an eight-game losing streak.
It’s something that has become all too familiar for this team.
With three games left, hope is doubtful to return until next season.
And as much as Jaxson Dart continues to fight the apathy that has gotten the best of so many around here, the reality isn’t what he expects it to be.
That’s more painful than anything he has experienced previously, which is why Dart is motivated and desperate to change that before it’s too late.
The Giants’ young QB deserves better, and that’s the bottom line.