Jets and Giants fans elated about new eras
Jets quarterback Justin Fields and Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart. Credit: Errol Anderson; Lee S. Weissman
There was one thing on the mind of Nick Ender of Wayne, New Jersey, as he hung out in the MetLife Stadium parking lot before the Giants’ home preseason opener Saturday night.
It wasn’t the game against the Jets that was to begin in a few hours.
“Playoffs,” he said confidently. “Russell Wilson is going to be the real deal. And that defensive line is amazing.”
Such predictions are easy to make in August, and though Ender’s father, Teddy, was quick to remind him that the Giants face “the sickest schedule in the NFL,” it didn’t matter. Playoffs it is for this fan.
Well, there’s a long way to go before that’s even a realistic option for either of the teams that were on the field in this preseason game — or for the fan bases of the two franchises that have been through years of parallel disappointment together and mingled with each other in the parking lots and stands on this warm summer evening.
Saturday, though, was all about hope and optimism as both squads unveiled new looks, new players and new attitudes to the home crowds. The Giants won, 31-12.
For the Giants, the game marked the MetLife debut of rookies Jaxson Dart and Abdul Carter, the two big pillars of promise on the team. Also, Wilson, who won a Super Bowl in this building, took his first snaps for the Giants here.
The Jets had a new quarterback, too, as Justin Fields made his first appearance in his new home stadium (even though he and the Jets technically were the away team). The game also marked the return of former Jets Pro Bowl cornerback Aaron Glenn, now the head coach providing a decidedly different direction from the one that had been heeded the past few years.
“I’m excited to see Garrett Wilson and Justin Fields reunited,” said Dylan Tamburino, 16, a Jets fan from Miller Place.
Tamburino, wearing a Sauce Gardner jersey, said he does not miss Aaron Rodgers — “I’m kind of happy he is gone; it was time to move on” — but did admit it’s hard to keep getting behind a different quarterback every few years.
“It can be annoying that we don’t have a franchise quarterback,” he said. “Hopefully soon.”
The Giants and their fans think they do in Dart, and they were excited to put eyes on him in person for the first time on Saturday. He didn’t disappoint, replacing Wilson and completing 14 of his 16 passes (including his final 13 straight!) for 137 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a score.
“I think he’s been great so far,” said Sam Leigh of Woodmere, who was attending the game with the Enders. “He had that amazing touchdown pass last week to Lil’Jordan Humphrey [in the preseason opener in Buffalo]. He’s been sharp and accurate. We went to a training camp practice and he had a good arm, good pocket presence, great mobility.”
Leigh said it is refreshing to be excited about a young quarterback. “The last few years with Daniel Jones have been brutal, to say the least,” he said.
Across the lot, another 16-year-old, Anthony Abarno of Plainville, Connecticut, was decked out in a red Ole Miss No. 2 jersey like the one Dart wore in college. Clearly a Giants fan, right?
Nope. Abarno is a Jets fan, but a huge Dart fan. He met Dart at the Manning Passing Academy last summer — Abarno is a highly touted high school quarterback himself — and received the jersey as a gift in December, four months before Dart wound up here via the draft.
“He’s the GOAT,” Abarno said. “He plays like me, so he’s a good guy to look up to.”
Is Abarno disappointed that his favorite quarterback doesn’t play for his favorite team?
“No,” he said. “I’ll just root for both New York teams.”
The biggest question fans have for Dart is when they’ll get to see him play in regular-season games. Once the preseason wraps up, Wilson is expected to be the starter heading into September and Dart will be on the bench.
“It’ll be hard to wait,” Leigh said. “But they’ll do the right thing. [General manager Joe] Schoen and [coach Brian] Daboll have a plan for him. When he’s ready, I’ll be ready.”
It was pointed out that while Leigh and Nick Ender are rooting for the Giants, their visions for the season may be difficult to align. If the Giants make the playoffs, as Ender wants, then Wilson likely will be the quarterback to get them there. That would mean not seeing much from Dart.
“That’s fine,” Leigh conceded. “I can wait a year if I need to.”
Then again, maybe they’re both right. Rookie quarterbacks have taken their teams to the playoffs plenty of times in the last few seasons. Maybe the Giants are next?
That’s down the road. Saturday was all about relaxing, welcoming pro football back to the area with its new cast of actors and enjoying the preseason for what it is.
“There is a reason we like coming to these games,” Teddy Ender said. “We’re still undefeated.”
“And,” Leigh added, “even if the Giants lose, you don’t leave down in the dumps.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
