National Football League

Giants HC Brian Daboll wants Daniel Jones to fully take control

Published May. 20, 2022 5:10 p.m. ET

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Quarterback Daniel Jones hasn't sustained much success during his first three years as a member of the New York Giants.

And despite a decent statistical showing during his rookie campaign in which he tossed 3,027 yards and 24 TDs, Jones has thrown nearly as many picks (17) as he has TDs (21) during his last two years.

His new coach Brian Daboll though, has plans to change all of that. According to the Giants' new headman, he intends to "turn" Jones "loose" in New York's offense this upcoming season. It's an approach he's already emphasizing to Jones in practice, pushing him to unleash more aggressive throws, with less fear of negative happenstances.

"We want to make sure we protect the ball," Daboll said ahead of his team's third OTA practice Thursday, per ESPN. "But again, you can't go out there and play afraid. Be smart, not reckless, if you will. If he's got a shot on the right read, let it go.

"There's going to be things that happen in every game," he continued. "The defense is going to make a good play, there might be a tipped ball. We're going to have to do a good job of taking care of the football, but I want him to turn it loose."

Daboll's offensive schematics were highly respected around the league during his tenure as Buffalo's offensive coordinator. In his last two years with the squad, Daboll drew up the designs behind Josh Allen's rampant scoring forge (Allen tossed 75 TDs from 2019-21), and helped him finish as an MVP candidate in both seasons. Jones meanwhile, was tied for 20th in INTs during that same span, and has relinquished 49 turnovers (third-most league-wide) since entering the league.

"The facts were we were turning the ball over a lot. I was turning the ball over a lot," Jones reflected on his first three seasons. "But I don't know. I think as a quarterback you have to be able to do both: You have to be aggressive, take shots, but also protect the ball. It's finding the balance there and the best guys can do that. So I'm always working to improve that piece of the decision-making process and being smart."

"Yeah, you never want to throw interceptions," he explained. "But just the idea to be aggressive. Take your shots. Make something happen. Let the receivers know we're going to do that. We're going to give you all opportunities to make plays, and we're counting on you to make plays in situations. I think that is kind of a mindset [Daboll] has to attack a defense, attack downfield. And as a quarterback and decision-maker, you're a big part of that. That's something we talked about, and he wants to see at practice."

Jones doesn't see the transition as painstakingly difficult.

"It's not like a hard change in mindset," he told reporters. "A lot of it is just understanding plays, situations, philosophies on when to be aggressive, [and] when not to be. I don't think it's a big overarching mindset you apply aimless every play. I think it's specific to what the play is trying to do, what the coverage is doing and understanding that piece."

It's a mindset he's determined to smoothly implement, and one he hopes pays tremendous dividends.

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