Daniel Jones passes first NFL test with flying colors

It may be just one preseason drive, but New York Giants’ rookie quarterback Daniel Jones looked very sharp in his first NFL game.

The New York Giants have been raked over the coals for months now over their decision to take Daniel Jones with the sixth pick in the NFL Draft. Jones was a highly polarizing prospect, with many questioning his ability to succeed in the NFL, but the Giants have been steadfast that Jones is the man to succeed franchise icon, Eli Manning.

The Giants let Jones loose in their second drive of the preseason opener against the New York Jets, and Jones was absolutely up to the challenge. Jones drove the Giants right down the field, going five-for-five for 67 yards and tossing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Bennie Fowler to cap off the drive.

A weather delay put an end to his night early and was replaced by Alex Tanney but Jones’ debut, albeit brief, was encouraging for Giants fans.

Jones showcased the ability to make any throw on the drive, completing short passes, passes outside the numbers, and a perfectly placed throw into the corner of the end zone on the Fowler touchdown.

It is fair to say that we shouldn’t read too much into this one drive because it is preseason football when most teams throw out vanilla defenses without their full complement of starters in order to avoid giving away too much in advance of the regular season. The Jets’ secondary also isn’t a strong point, with numerous issues at the cornerback position, but Jones deserves credit for being able to exploit them.

After sitting through months of having the entire football world essentially dump cold water on Jones based on his draft prospects, Giants’ fans have to be absolutely thrilled with what they saw tonight. A few more impressive showings like this could lead to a changing of the guard under center sooner rather than later for Big Blue.