The Giants selected Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart in the first round of this year’s NFL draft with an eye toward building the franchise.
Carter was expected to make an impact immediately, as the third overall pick out of Penn State, while there was some thought Dart might not see the field until late this season or perhaps even next year.
Not anymore.
Now, entering Week 4 of the season, the two will start together for the first time, as Dart takes over for the benched Russell Wilson after an 0-3 start.
Asked following Friday’s practice about the duo potentially being the future for the Giants, Carter shook his head.
“We’re the present,’’ Carter said.
And the Giants are about to find out what that looks like.
Instead of building Dart up slowly after picking him 25th overall out of Ole Miss, where Eli Manning played, the Giants say they’ve seen enough from the 22-year-old, not to mention Wilson, to make the move.
Quarterback coach Shea Tierney said the organization has been looking toward this transition since they picked Dart.
“It just goes all the way back to the draft process,’’ Tierney said. “We know what type of person he is and how he prepares. We’ve had a plan for him. He’s done really [well] with that plan. He’s answered all the questions and done a really good job with it.”
Still, if the Giants and Wilson hadn’t stumbled out of the gate so badly, Dart would almost certainly have remained the backup.
But after an uninspiring loss to Washington in the season-opener, an impressive outing from Wilson and the offense against what’s proven to be one of the worst defenses in the league in Dallas, then a flop at MetLife Stadium versus Kansas City during which the deep passing game completely disappeared, it’s now Dart’s team.
The rookie has impressed both coaches and teammates with his attitude and work ethic, on top of his athleticism and throwing ability.
Or, as many — including Jameis Winston — called it: “swag.”
“He has incredible swag and I think that’s just in him,” Winston said. “You have some people that have it and can talk to everybody in the building and also go out there and put a smile on your face with how they perform on the field.”
Tierney agreed.
“We used ‘moxie’ in the past,” Tierney said. “It’s the ‘it’ factor. I think that’s all the same. He just has a really good way about him. He doesn’t let things rattle him. Something we stole from Tommy DeVito is, Rule No. 1 is don’t panic. And Jaxson, without knowing that, has kind of done that.”
That may be true, but he’s also never lined up against an NFL defense in a real game, which will change Sunday against a Chargers defense that’s allowed 16.7 points per game, third fewest in the league.
“I don’t think there’s any soft landing spot in the NFL,’’ Tierney said about the timing of the switch. “Espeiually when you’re going to make your first start as a rookie quarterback.”
The Giants coaches say they know there will be ups and downs, but they believe Dart is built to withstand them. And he won’t be overwhelmed due to lack of preparation.
Daboll said Dart called him “late [Thursday] night about the red zone” and the coach advised the quarterback to, “ ‘Get some sleep. We’ll hit it in the morning.’ But he’s on and it’s all football for him.”
Daboll also doesn’t want Dart putting it all on himself.
“I think it’s most important that everybody does their job as [well] as we can do it.” Daboll said. “Jaxson has a job and it’s not solely on Jaxson. It’s not solely ever on a quarterback. … You don’t have to go out there and be a hero.”
No, but the Giants sure could use one.
“I’ve watched him grow since minicamp when we first came in and I told him, ‘Never just sit back and wait for your turn,’ ” Carter said. “Always prepare like a starter because you know at any moment, it could happen. And here we are. So he’ll be ready.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
