New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart burst onto the scene the past few weeks and has made a name for himself with his energetic play and flamboyant style.
That has a lot of NFL fans and onlookers excited for the Giants and the future of the game in general. Not everyone, though. Some opponents aren’t completely sold on Dart’s ascent, such as Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper, who faces Dart and the Giants this Sunday.
Cooper, the reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week, is not in awe of what he’s seen of Dart. After all, he faces the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert twice a season, so Dart’s ability to run and vacate the pocket is nothing new to him.
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“But we’ve went against QBs who have ran around in the pocket and who’ve tried to do stuff with their legs,” Cooper said, via the Denver Post. “So, ain’t nothing we haven’t seen.”
“We play one of the best quarterbacks twice a year, every single year. So once you go against that, you kinda get a feel of the game. And, you know what you need to do. You gotta make ’em feel uncomfortable in the pocket.”
And the Broncos have been doing that a lot this season. They have an NFL-high 30 sacks and racked up nine against the Jets and their very mobile quarterback, Justin Fields, last week in London.
Dart is aware of how good the Broncos’ defense has been this season and told reporters that they just have to “weather the storm” and battle through it.
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“Obviously, the sacks stand out as the first thing and their ability to rush the passer at every down, not just third downs,” Dart said on Wednesday. “First of all, they’re just coached really well and they play really well together. They play really hard. So, it’s going to be a really good test for us, one that I think that we’re all excited for just because, in my mind I see them as one of the best defenses in the entire league. So, being able to just go out and compete, yeah, they do a lot of really good things and they’re coached really well.”
The Giants as a whole know how good the Broncos’ defense can be.
“They’re as good as it gets right now,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said. “They rotate guys. (Nik) Bonitto is an unbelievable pass rusher. You can’t have a plan for all of them. They all can rush. I think 12 guys have at least a sack.”
It will be up to Dart, his swagger, and his chain to make something happen on Sunday in Denver.
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This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Broncos’ Jonathon Cooper unimpressed with Jaxson Dart and his ‘chain’