I ran into my neighbor, a retired firefighter and an active New York Giants fan, earlier this week while I was out with the dog.<\/p>\n
He (my neighbor, not the dog) asked me, \u201cSo, what do you think of Jaxson Dart?\u201d<\/p>\n
My response? \u201cI like him, I thought he played really well. It looks like the Giants got themselves a quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s been the overall response since Dart\u2019s performance in the first preseason game. Overall, Dart\u2019s performance was about as good as we could ask for. He made some mistakes and there\u2019s obviously room for improvement, but he acquitted himself well.<\/p>\n
His performance over the last week or so has been a big change from the start of training camp.<\/p>\n
\u201cJeez, it\u2019s a world of difference,\u201d Dart said when asked Wednesday afternoon about his growth since the start of camp. \u201cObviously, you just feel more and more comfortable each and every day. I think the biggest thing just starts with the relationships that I have with the guys in the facility, just all around, and really being able to come to work every single day and just love it. I think this is just a special place where people hold each other to a high standard, and I kind of want to be a part of that to raise it. I think that we\u2019re all just hungry to win here, so we\u2019re chasing that for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that just from a knowledge standpoint, I\u2019m way ahead from where I was,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Not only is Dart learning and maturing himself, but he\u2019s also benefitting from being around mature NFL like Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, as well as the Giants\u2019 coaches.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s just kind of the maturity of it when you get into an NFL system is that you\u2019re just constantly learning and being around a special group of guys that are here and some great veterans, especially in the quarterback room,\u201d Dart said. \u201cIt\u2019s been great just to kind of get these different experiences, be put in these different situations. I think now when I\u2019m able to step out on the field, I know that it\u2019s still early, but being able to go through so many different scenarios and situations and our understanding of ball and why Coach Kafka is calling a certain type of play and just the different looks. In the NFL, there\u2019s a lot of disguise pre-snap, and just being able to see that and being able to start my eyes in the right spot. So I think that I\u2019ve made some big strides since I first got here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dart\u2019s development shifted into a new gear this week with the joint practices between the Giants and the New York Jets.<\/p>\n
Head coach Brian Daboll praised opportunity presented by practicing against new faces. Daboll was excited by the opportuity for his team to practice against unfamiliar players, unfamiliar schemes, and unfamiliar techniques.<\/p>\n
Dart definite noticed the difference, as well as an increased intensity when not practicing against your own teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I feel like obviously when you\u2019re going against a new competition, the intensity ramps up a little bit,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are different looks that you\u2019re getting from the defensive side of the ball. I think that we\u2019re very used to going against our defense. A lot of times certain concepts are key in certain players just because of the overall look that you get. When you play against somebody new, it\u2019s a little bit different. You have to adjust. I think that was really good for our team, especially for us as a quarterback room to work on our progressions, work on our eyes, and kind of just work the pocket. I think that we were able to do a really good job with these two practices.\u201d<\/p>\n
Overall, Dart seems to understand the opportunity in front of him as an NFL quarterback, as well the opportunities in practicing against a defense like the one fielded by the Jets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just trying to take advantage of the opportunities that I get, trying to watch the film as much as I can to go into depth and just keep learning,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been really cool to play against these caliber players at the highest level, and I think that obviously raises your mindset and your intensity to compete at a really high level each and every day because if you\u2019re slacking at all, it\u2019s going to show. I\u2019m really liking this process, and I\u2019m just going to take my opportunities and try to make the most of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also been quite a bit of trepidation regarding the Giants\u2019 offensive line. Overall, the Giants\u2019 line played well against the Buffalo Bills (even missing Andrew Thomas), and that seems to have continued against the Jets\u2019 front.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought they\u2019ve done a great job, a great job,\u201d Dart said when asked about his blockers. \u201cIf you look back at last game, I don\u2019t know how many pass attempts that we had, but we didn\u2019t have one sack. I sent a message to them after the game that \u2018I\u2019ve never played in a pocket like this,\u2019 so I thought that they\u2019ve been able to compete at such a high level. I think it\u2019s really unique just how close that they are, really from wherever they are on the depth chart. They\u2019re all together, they\u2019re all communicating, and it\u2019s been really cool to see. As a quarterback, when you\u2019re able to play behind that, it makes your job a lot easier. I thought that they\u2019ve done a great job, and I know that they\u2019re going to continue to work and progress themselves as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dart will get another chance to see his linemen in action soon enough. The Giants will host the Jets at Metlife Stadium on Saturday (7 p.m.), and he\u2019ll get to play against a Jets\u2019 front that\u2019s allowed to hit him.<\/p>\n
(Hopefully he\u2019ll continue to work on cutting down on taking unnecessary hits.)<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t wait,\u201d Dart said. \u201cMy first time going into the stadium was (for) the Zach Bryan concert, and I think just standing there and being able to look at all the great players\u2019 names in the stadium and then just kind of seeing the atmosphere and trying to picture what a sold-out stadium is going to be like and just the energy involved. I can\u2019t wait. It\u2019s going to be a lot of fun. I hope that the fans come out, and they\u2019re super passionate. I hope that we can make a home field advantage for us. But I can\u2019t wait, and I know that there\u2019s going to be a lot of energy for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n