Giants' Jaxson Dart not having 'a blast' watching from the sideline but is making sure to stay ready
Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart leaves the field after a Week 1 loss to the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7 in Landover, MD. Credit: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Jaxson Dart wants to play — at least as much as Giants fans have wanted to see him play since Russell Wilson’s substandard performance in a season-opening loss to Washington last weekend.
“As a competitor, I don’t have a blast watching from the sideline, but it’s just the way that it is,” the first-round pick out of Ole Miss said Friday. “My job is just to do what I can control, and when I’m sitting there, I’m itching. You just want to compete. You want to be out there.”
Dart won’t be out there immediately — or at least when Sunday’s road game against the Cowboys kicks off. Brian Daboll said earlier this week that Wilson will start again despite the team’s poor offensive performance against the Commanders. The Giants gained only 231 yards and failed to score a touchdown. Wilson completed 45.9% of his passes for 168 yards and rushed for 44 yards.
Still, Dart said he is confident that if he is called upon, he’ll be as ready as possible.
“I’m confident in myself, so whatever opportunity happens — or whatever may happen — I’m preparing for that opportunity,” said Dart, whom Daboll designated as the second-stringer ahead of 11-year veteran Jameis Winston. “I feel like I’m going to go out there and succeed any time I’m on the field. So that’s just kind of the approach that I have.”
To be ready, Dart is putting in extra hours. He and Winston run the full game script after practice so they are acquainted with what’s being installed.
“Not getting those reps [with the starters], you have to make sure that you do a lot of time outside of practice,” Dart said. “Going through your own walk-throughs, bringing other guys out there on the field to stay late after practices and go through the script again . . . I do all that I can. I spend as much time as I can to make sure that whenever I have an opportunity out on the field, I’m prepared to do my job at the highest level and I can feel confident in that.”
“He’s not waiting for his moment, he’s preparing to be the very best,” Winston said. “I think that’s just his [mindset]. He’s been working hard his whole life, so why stop now?”
Dart understands that not taking snaps with the starting unit, and gathering non-starters to run the game script after practice, doesn’t help build chemistry with the main receiving corps. So he stations himself behind Wilson in practice to get familiar with what a quarterback should see and learn the tendencies of various receivers.
“I try to do a really good job at just watching the tempo of how they run routes,” he said.
He also is aware that after the Week 1 loss, there were calls for a change at quarterback.
“It’s just kind of the nature of the sport. Any time you don’t win, people talk and things like that happen,” he said. “It’s completely different when you win. So you have to take all that with a grain of salt.”
Notes & quotes: OT Andrew Thomas (foot) was limited in practice for the second consecutive day and was listed as doubtful. Daboll said he “has done a good job of hitting checkpoints” but described him as still “in rehab mode.” James Hudson III is likely to start again . . . WR/KR Xavier Gipson practiced but Daboll seemed to suggest he won’t see action until Week 3 against Kansas City. “We like the talent,” Daboll said. “We’ll give him some chances out here as we get going next week and see where he’s at.” Gibson was signed this week after the Jets cut him following his key fumble in last week’s loss to Pittsburgh.
Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.
