NFL quarterbacks can do a lot on the football field, but no man is an island. They need to have a functioning team around them if they are to ultimately succeed.
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has been lambasted by fans and detractors since the day he was selected sixth overall by Big Blue back in 2019.
Jones has had his issues, sure. He is often hurt and has a propensity for turning the football over at the most inopportune times. He also hasn’t been able to beat the Giants’ most hated rivals, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
As a result, the Giants have had exactly one winning season in Jones’ five years with the club, leading critics to lay the team’s entire failure on his shoulders.
The truth is, Jones was charged to succeed with a surrounding cast of subpar players and coaches. A recent study shows the Giants have had the second-worst supporting cast over the past five seasons — and were just a fraction away from being the worst.
NFL ranks in "Supporting Cast Rating" in terms of average team PFF rush, receiving, pass blocking and run blocking grades (everything except passing) over the past five seasons: pic.twitter.com/4l7WSUlWGb
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 6, 2024
Management has acknowledged that they haven’t done enough to support Jones.
“We’ve done everything possible to screw this kid up since he’s been here,” Giants co-owner John Mara said back in 2022.
The Giants did ink Jones to a $160 million extension after that statement only to have him get hurt once again in 2023. This spring, they tried desperately to trade up in the NFL draft to select Jones’ replacement, but to no avail.
Instead, they were left to address their many other roster needs, which is what they should have been doing all along.
