Following a 48-22 drubbing at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14, New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll admitted that the offense was leaving plays out on the field.
Almost immediately, critics rushed in to blame quarterback Daniel Jones. But Daboll doesn’t necessarily subscribe to that theory, instead pointing out that DJ often has immediate pressure in his face.
“When you get pressure right away in the pocket and there’s not much you can do, then the most important thing is to take care of the ball and live to see another day,” Daboll told reporters. “There are other times he’s created lanes and made some loose plays, whether it be with his feet or throwing the ball. There are other times he’s been able to throw on time and make the right decisions.”
As film gurus began to break down film of the game, they came to similar conclusions.
This seems like a pretty good sampling. And to those who took Daboll’s comment as a thinly veiled shot at Jones, it’s pretty clear the protection was the biggest issue https://t.co/Q8mniSDoZo
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) December 12, 2022
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Retired offensive lineman and current NFL analyst, Brian Baldinger, also looked over the Giants-Eagles film this week and concurred with the rest.
Baldy singled out rookie right tackle Evan Neal and right guard Mark Glowinski as culprits. He showed how their protection breakdowns are not only forcing Jones to rush throws but are costing the offense big plays and leading to injuries.
.@Eagles v @Giants on 3-6! This twist stunt can’t happen. If @Daniel_Jones10 has time maybe he can drop a dime into James for a first down. Protection v this twist has to be better. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/N8mUbB1ygx
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) December 13, 2022
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Jones actually had two deep options on the above play but when it came time to throw, he had already released the ball due to the pressure coming off of the right side. The dump-off to Daniel Bellinger was not the original plan and because of the rushed nature of the play, the rookie tight end took a big hit.
Bellinger injured his ribs on the play and eventually had to leave the game. His status for Week 15 is now in question.
As Baldy alludes, these errors should not be occurring in Week 14. Not even for a rookie. Evan Neal has a bright future but right now, he’s hurting the offense.