With just under 12 minutes to play in the third quarter of Jaxson Dart’s first NFL start, an overzealous NFL officiating crew gave us the perfect juxtaposition of the Giants’ new starting quarterback and the man he replaced.
Dart took off, evaded a defensive tackle, lowered his shoulder and broke a tackle at the second level. As he got into the open field, he began to wield his left hand like a cudgel once he got within five yards of Chargers defensive back Cam Hart. Dart swung that left hand and smacked Hart on the side of the helmet, a punch reminiscent of the first one you’ve ever thrown. Behind-the-school-dumpster stuff, off-balance and without understanding. Dart was so frustrated that the play was called back for holding—it is the Giants, after all—that he rested his hands on his knees and hung his head. The officiating crew mistook the physicality of that run and the subsequent gesture as a warning sign of head trauma and sent him to the sidelines for evaluation.
