The New York Giants haven’t had a lot to get excited about in a long, long time.
Super Bowl XLVI, when the Giants upset the New England Patriots, was a while ago. In the 13 seasons since there have been only two playoff appearances and one win. The Odell Beckham Jr. supernova was cool. Saquon Barkley had some highlights, before he left the Giants and his career took off. The Giants had that one playoff season with Daniel Jones, before he left the Giants and his career took off. But mostly since February of 2012 the Giants have been unwatchable, no matter how many times the NFL forces them upon everyone in prime-time broadcasts.
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On Tuesday, there was something to get fired up about.
The Giants couldn’t continue to keep Jaxson Dart on the bench while Russell Wilson struggles. The Giants benched the 36-year-old Wilson for Dart, the second of the team’s two first-round picks. A new era begins.
All of a sudden, the Giants might not be so unwatchable.
Giants first-round pick Jaxson Dart will start on Sunday against the Chargers. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
(Cooper Neill via Getty Images)
Jaxson Dart leads Giants into new era
The Giants traded up to take Dart in the first round of April’s draft, and opinions on him were split. Then in August, Dart was the story of the preseason. He was excellent every time he played, and it’s worth wondering how close the Giants were to starting him over Wilson in Week 1.
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The Giants waited, and Wilson looked bad in two of New York’s first three games. On Sunday night — the NFL really, really likes putting the Giants in prime-time games, no matter how bad they are — there were repeated shots of exacerbated fans after yet another Wilson incompletion. Giants players and coaches probably shared their pain.
[Get more Giants news: New York team feed]
The team made the switch to Dart and he’s not the only young player who Giants fans can get excited about. Receiver Malik Nabers is coming off a tremendous rookie season, though his second season has been up and down, mostly due to quarterback play. Rookie running back Cam Skattebo got a shot to be the featured back on Sunday night due to Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s injury early in the game, and Skattebo had 121 yards from scrimmage, bouncing off defenders just like he did at Arizona State. The team is going to sell a lot of Skattebo jerseys this season. And the Giants’ first first-round pick this year, defensive end Abdul Carter, hasn’t gotten off to a fast start but he was the third overall pick for a reason. He’s a tremendous prospect and he should be just fine.
Dart. Nabers. Skattebo. Carter. That’s a heck of a fun young core for Giants fans to follow. And it’s not like they’re the Giants’ only young stars.
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Giants have a fun young core
The Giants have other good young players as well. From last year’s draft, safety Tyler Nubin, cornerback Andru Phillips, tight end Theo Johnson and linebacker Darius Muasau have all become key contributors in addition to Nabers and Tracy. Pass rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns are still in their primes, as is game-wrecking defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II.
Having a low-ceiling quarterback far past his prime didn’t really fit with all that young talent. There has been endless debate about when to give Dart the starting job. There has been trepidation about doing it too early and stunting his development. But it was clear that Dart wasn’t any worse in the present than Wilson, even if the Giants need to simplify the offense for the rookie. He can make plays like Wilson did when he was at his impressive peak with the Seattle Seahawks. He will give a jolt to the entire Giants franchise.
Giants coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen need the excitement to lead to wins. The Giants are 0-3 and the futures of Daboll and Schoen have been debated even more than when was the right time to make Dart the QB1. There is plenty of intriguing young talent on hand. The final 14 games of the season will be about Giants ownership seeing some progress from the team as a whole. Then they’ll decide if Daboll and Schoen are the right fits to lead the franchise forward.
The Giants have had some great stretches through their history. It’s a proud franchise with four Super Bowl titles. Perhaps Tuesday marked the beginning of another memorable era.
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