Beating up on New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones has become the “in thing.” The cheapest and easiest way to score echo chamber points is by slamming the Duke product and having the confidence that the criticism will be widely accepted.
It would be considered punching down if Jones weren’t on a $160 million contract.
Still, it’s the path of least resistance which explains why most take it.
Former Giants linebacker and current FOX Sports analyst, Emmanuel Acho, recently opted to take that float down the lazy river, ripping into Jones during an episode of Speak.
The Giants would be betraying their fan base and the other 52 men on the roster if they start Daniel Jones, based on recent tape. pic.twitter.com/OhQFNWAH47
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) August 20, 2024
“If the Giants do not bench Daniel Jones, they are admitting they are forfeiting the season,” Acho said. “When you walk into an NFL locker room and Daniel Jones is your starting quarterback, you’re admitting — not just to the 53 players plus the 10 practice squad players — you’re admitting to your fans that ‘we are submitting’ during the course of the season. We are already saying, ‘Mercy.'”
Acho continued his rant, claiming the Giants are “betraying” every single player on the team.
“You are betraying the entire organization,” Acho proclaimed.
Effectively, Acho said, Jones is a “zero.”
Although Acho took it upon himself to speak for Jones’ teammates, they have largely disagreed with his take. Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers and running back Devin Singletary praised Jones a week ago, each calling him a “dog.” Similar sentiments have been shared by wide receiver Darius Slayton, linebacker Bobby Okereke, and several others.
The issue with Acho’s analysis, at least in this instance, is that he claimed the “recent film” proves Jones shouldn’t be starting. However, the only film comes from the Houston Texans game when Jones, quite realistically, came out of the gate playing ugly football. But that changed in short order as Jones looked much more comfortable and dynamic in the second quarter.
Any other film from this year — all from training camp practices — shows a more than capable player returning from a torn ACL. Jones has been far and away the best quarterback on the team.
As someone who has been at most practices this summer, Daniel Jones is the best QB that #Giants have. Smaller gap between QB2 and QB3 https://t.co/7Gt2xSnChL
— Ryan Dunleavy (@rydunleavy) August 20, 2024
Acho, who never made it off of the Giants’ practice squad, may feel a certain way from the outside looking in, but those who reside in East Rutherford — the executives, coaches, and players — clearly disagree with his take.
Jones, who won a road playoff game as recently as 2022, will start in Week 1 and the Giants believe he can return them to the postseason.
