New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones made his preseason debut Friday night at MetLife Stadium against the Carolina Panthers.
It was one drive, but it was very effective. Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract in the offseason, led the Giants 75 yards on ten plays, which ended with a Jones four-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Bellinger.
On the drive, Jones completed eight of nine passes for 69 yards and a touchdown. Ultimately, the Giants would defeat the Panthers 21-19.
“I thought we did some good things,” Jones said after the win. “I thought we executed pretty well. A couple plays could sharpen up a few things there; we’ll look to do that. But overall, I thought we executed well.”
Jones connected with the newest weapon, tight end Darren Waller. On their only drive together, Waller had three receptions for 30 yards.
The fifth-year quarterback talked about the things Waller brings to the table.
“I(Waller) watched a lot of his tape. You watch a lot of tape from teams across the league, so he shows up all the time making plays, and you’ve seen that, but it’s definitely different when you get on the field with him,” Jones said. “He’s extremely versatile. I think that is something that’s impressed me. He’s got the vertical speed to run past people, but he’s also got good feel and understanding of the underneath stuff also.”
Jones is impressed by Waller, and Waller is impressed by Jones.
“Yeah, for me, I know for my process getting ready for a game I like to make my day to my personality, how I carry myself, be the same every day from practice to a game,” Waller said. “I see that in him. It’s like there’s nothing really different from a practice to a game – like he has to get more hype or more intense; it’s like he’s just himself and confident in what he brings to the table, and his performance is consistent as well, and that’s why we love him.”
The Giants have one more preseason game next Saturday against the Jets; we probably won’t see the Jones-to-Waller combination again until Week 1 against the Cowboys. However, after one drive, it sure looked good.
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