Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sport
Kevin Sweeney

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky Perfectly Broke Down Why Daniel Jones is to Blame for Giants’ Struggles

Daniel Jones Dan Orlovsky Giants ESPN

The New York Giants’ 1–3 start has everyone playing the blame game, with much of the ire directed at an offensive line that gave up a whopping 11 sacks in Monday night’s 24–3 loss to the Seahawks. But when breaking down the film, ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky believes QB Daniel Jones’ decision-making is the biggest culprit of the Giants’ offensive woes.

During a segment on ESPN’s NFL Live Tuesday, Orlovsky analyzed several key plays from Monday’s game and came away with the conclusion that the Giants’ offensive line was only to blame for four of the 11 sacks the team conceded.

“It’s okay for us to expect more out of the performance from Daniel Jones,” Orlovsky said. “I understand he’s playing with backup offensive linemen, and they did not play great. But out of those 11 sacks that we talked about, one is Parris Campbell on a trick play… four of them on the offensive line, six of them are on Daniel Jones either holding the ball too long, trying to escape and maybe run for one or two yards… It’s okay for us to sit there and say, ‘I expect our sixth-year, 40+ million dollar quarterback to figure them out.”

Among the plays Orlovsky broke down are the catastrophic strip-sack that set up Seattle in the red zone and the 97-yard pick six by Devon Witherspoon. In both cases, he assigned the blame more to Jones than the offensive line. In the first instance, Jones did a poor job of recognizing where pressure was likely coming from and changing the play. And in the second, Jones forced a throw to his first read into double coverage rather than hitting open men on his second and third check.

In all, the easy-to-understand breakdown helps the disastrous play of the Giants offense, and seems likely to only add to the criticism of Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract this offseason.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Middle children are more cooperative than their siblings, study suggests
After decades of debate, one of the largest ever studies on birth order suggests it does actually make a difference
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Work or play? The rise of online ‘kidfluencers’ is raising complex legal and ethical questions
Videos of children opening boxes of toys and playing with them have become a feature of online marketing – making stars out of children as young as two.
The Conversation
The Conversation
She's here for 'a kitchen pep talk' during the holiday whirlwind
If you’re feeling too overwhelmed to cook during the holidays, maybe a new book by Margaret Eby can help
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
All the celebrities that have supported Blake Lively after Justin Baldoni lawsuit
Lively has received a huge amount of support after filing the lawsuit against Baldoni
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Where’s Santa? Here’s how to track his journey this Christmas Eve
NORAD’s Santa Tracker website launched this year on December 1
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Gen Z’s politics are hard to categorize – and a harbinger of a new political order
The great clashes to come will be less between left and right than between those inside and outside a dying establishment
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play