Jaxson Dart Watch officially on after Russell Wilson falters in his Giants debut
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart throws the ball before the start of an NFL game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday in Landover, Md. Credit: AP/Stephanie Scarbrough
LANDOVER, Md.
Start Dart?
No, not yet.
For Brian Daboll to make a move to promising rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart this week and sideline Russell Wilson would be a sign of panic.
No matter how awful Wilson looked on Sunday in a 21-6 loss to the Commanders, you don’t bench a Super Bowl-winning quarterback after one bad game.
And you certainly don’t throw a rookie into the fire against the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Week 2 with an offense as dysfunctional as the Giants’ looked on Sunday, unable to protect Wilson, run the ball consistently or do much of anything else.
But at the same time, it is fair to say that the day’s events at Northwest Stadium poured accelerant onto the growing fire around the Giants’ quarterback situation.
Had Wilson looked good in the opener, even in a loss, Dart-mania might have remained on simmer at least until the end of summer.
The Giants were not that fortunate, and Daboll did not help matters after the game.
Given three chances by reporters to assert clearly that Wilson will start against Dallas, Daboll never quite said he would.
Answer No. 1: “We’re going to get home. We’re going to look at our game and collectively we’ve got to do better.”
Answer No. 2: “Yeah, so we’re just here after the game. I’ve got confidence in Russ. We have to do better around everybody.”
Answer No. 3: “I’ve got confidence in Russ. We’re going to go back and evaluate the tape. This game is not on Russell Wilson. It’s not on Russell Wilson. I want to make that clear. I’ve got confidence in Russ. We have to do a better job all the way around.”
Even if Daboll does stay with Wilson for Week 2 against Dallas, the Dart Watch officially is on now.
As Dart dressed between Wilson and No. 3 quarterback Jameis Winston in the visiting locker room, reporters approached the rookie. A team spokesman said Dart was not available for comment.
Daboll did finally address the fact that he named Dart No. 2 on the depth chart over Winson, saying, “I thought Jaxson earned it.”
As for reports the Giants had installed special packages for Dart in Week 1, Daboll said it is standard procedure to prepare plays that backup quarterbacks are comfortable with should they be needed.
The coach said he did not consider inserting Dart into the game.
Why not? “We were right there until the end,” he said. “Until we got down there and missed on that [last scoring chance].”
Wilson was asked about the specter of Dart playing — or at least the call for that to happen from some fans — and said he does not feel any added pressure because of it.
“No, I just focus on what we can control,” he said.
Of greater importance than what Wilson thinks is what a certain second-year receiver thinks. Malik Nabers is the team’s biggest star . . . at least until Dart gets on the field.
Nabers caught five passes for 71 yards, with a long of 25, and was targeted 12 times. He was visibly frustrated, getting into a sideline argument with Daboll between the first and second quarters and sitting on the bench with a towel over his head in the final minutes.
Daboll and Nabers both dismissed the incident as simply two intense people acting intensely.
“We’re two, I would say, highly competitive people,” Daboll said. “Want to get him the ball. That’s all it is.”
Nabers said he was concerned the “energy wasn’t right” with the team and expressed that to Daboll.
“It’s two competitive people going at it,” he said. “He wants to win; I want to win. I feel like that’s the reason he got me over here is because me and him are just alike.”
Like his coach, Nabers stressed that the loss was a team effort, from lack of protection to missed opportunities for catches. He did not blame Wilson.
“We have to be better as a whole offense trying to get open for Russ,” he said. “We had a lot of plays that needed to be made, myself included. Russ is putting the ball in some great spots. We just have to come up with the catches.
“We have to be open when he needs us to be open. We take that as a whole offense. We’ve all got to be better.”
That obviously is true. But there can be only one quarterback, and there is no escaping the position’s importance, both on the field and in the public discourse.
Dart’s day has not arrived yet. But on Sunday, it was clearly visible on the horizon.
Russell Wilson's passing numbers in his Giants debut:
Comp./Att. Yards TDs INTs Sacks Rating
17/37 168 0 0 2 59.3
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
