Support for Daniel Jones seems to be dwindling among New York Giants fans.
After the team brought in Drew Lock to challenge for his position and made attempts to trade up for Drake Maye in the recent NFL Draft, confidence in Jones appears shaken. However, Giants legend Carl Banks has stepped in to offer a different perspective.
“People always accuse me of being a Daniel Jones sympathizer, but I understand how the game is played and fans see it in a different lens,” said Banks via Forbes, a member of the Giants’ 100th Anniversary Team.
“You have to look at the entire process of why people fail or succeed. He didn’t play well last year before his injury, and he’d be the first to admit that. There’s a cause and effect to that.”
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Banks, who was a dominant force on defense alongside Lawrence Taylor in the 1980s and ’90s and contributed to the Giants’ two Super Bowl victories under Bill Parcells, also brought up an often-overlooked aspect of Jones’ struggles—the Giants’ offensive line performance.
Banks criticized the offensive line, which allowed a league-high 85 sacks last season, the second-most in NFL history. “Some people think he was never good, and that’s fine,” Banks remarked. “But in the NFL, if your line gives up a historical amount of sacks, first, your quarterback likely won’t finish the season. Second, it’s tough to make great decisions under constant pressure because he’s getting hit so much. That’s a reality many want to overlook. As someone who used to hit quarterbacks, I can tell you it definitely affects their decision-making.”
By highlighting these challenges, Banks advocates for a more nuanced evaluation of Jones’ performance and suggests it’s too soon for the Giants to give up on him.
