The New York Giants are not messing with their quarterback situation. The new regime has made it clear that Tyrod Taylor is the backup and Daniel Jones is the starter.
There was no quibbling over the meaning. Everyone has to win a job or that the QBs will compete in order to get a job.
Jones is the starter under the new general manager and coach, with perhaps his biggest backer being ownership and John Mara.
He has shown enough talent to make us believe we can win with him, Mara said last week.
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Mara and the Giants believe Jones is a quarterback they can build around, even if they need to see it first.
After the latest Mara endorsement, Schoen and Daboll referred to Taylor as the backup, so Jones will begin the spring workouts, training camp and the regular season as the starter.
Jones is in the final year of his contract and this is a make-or-break season for him. The Giants have not made a decision about whether to pick up his fifth-year option. The deadline is May 2.
Two years ago, when Joe Judge took over as head coach, he wouldn't say the name of Jones until he saw them on the field.
The opposite end of the spectrum is naming your starting quarterback in March.
Taylor came in as the backup, according to Daboll, who spoke at the coaches breakfast in Palm Beach last week. I think Daniel is a good athlete, he has made some really good throws. I am pretty sure that he wants some plays back.
I think going into it right now and the start of the offseason program, we kind of got it set the way we want it set.
Jones had a neck injury that cost him the final six games of last season, but the Giants have no concerns about that. There will be no restrictions this spring.
There were people in the organization who thought Jones was close to returning last season. He will face his first contact almost five months from now.
He should be ready to go this spring, according to Daboll.
Taylor is in case. Even with the team short on salary-cap space, it was important for Schoen to get a reliable backup. He went after both Trubisky and Taylor before focusing on Taylor.
Taylor was signed to a two-year deal worth $11 million with the potential to earn more with incentives if he plays. He fits what the Giants were looking for in their backup quarterback, a veteran to work behind and push Jones.
I like Tyrod a lot, and I was in Buffalo with him the first year. A guy is working out. He was the first one in. Always there. First one in, last one out. He is smart. He is a leader. He is athletic. They want to do things on offense and he can run the system. If he has to go into the game, you don't have to change your offense. They can run the same offensive scheme with similar type skill sets.
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That was one of the guys we targeted. You don't have to completely change your scheme in order to run an offense. That was important.
Taylor will play this year according to Jones history. Jones has missed games due to injury in each of his first three professional seasons.
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Jones as the long-term answer at quarterback. He has a 12-25 record as a starter and 49 turnovers in 38 career games.
The new coach, GM and ownership believe this will be the year that he finally puts it all together, despite the inconsistent start to his career.
Mara said that there was going to be a lot of skepticism about that. You will have to wait and see. Which quarterback would have excelled in the situation that we have been in over the last few years? It was very difficult. He did the best he could. He has been hurt.
He is going to be healthy this year. The offensive line should be better. Some skill players are out there. There is a new scheme. A head coach has been successful in developing quarterbacks.
All of those things show that we are going to be better. There is going to be skepticism until we do it.
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