Giants rookie Daniel Jones happy to stay with No. 8
Daniel Jones isn’t big on change. Especially not if something is working.
So when he had an opportunity to switch jersey numbers to 17, the number he wore in college, which became available when the Giants waived Kyle Lauletta, he declined.
“I’ll just stick with 8,” he said. “I’m not really too tempted. I like 8. Eight’s been good.”
Besides, there are plenty of other upheavals in his football life this week. For the first time since he was a redshirt freshman at Duke in 2015, Jones is preparing for a game in which he is not expected to play. Forgive him if it takes him some time to adjust to that dynamic.
“This week I’ll learn a lot more about that,” he said of his role as a backup quarterback in the NFL. “Whatever I can do to help Eli [Manning] prepare, help the offense prepare, help the defense prepare on scout team, that’ll be my role, and I certainly understand that. Throughout the week, I’ll figure it out, how to best serve the guys who are playing.”
Manning will start Sunday against the Cowboys and, if all goes according to plan, Jones will watch from the sideline.
“It’s a change, it’s a little different,” said Jones, who up until now had gone into preseason games with the expectation of playing and playing early. “It changes the preparation . . . A lot of things will be different, just try to help where I can, and I look forward to it.”
Of course, this is the NFL, and plans have a way of evaporating quickly. So beside being the valet, Jones has to get himself ready in case he needs to play on Sunday.
“That’s my role, to be engaged and to know what we’re doing and to be prepared,” he said. “I certainly will be. I take that very seriously.”
Goodson traded
The Giants traded linebacker B.J. Goodson to the Packers for a conditional pick after announcing their intentions to release him.
Goodson started 13 games for the Giants last season. They signed veteran linebacker David Mayo to replace him.
Mayo was a former draft pick of the Panthers when Dave Gettleman was the general manager there and played special teams for the Panthers under current Giants coordinator Thomas McGaughey.
Giant steps
The Giants named captains for the season: Manning, Nate Solder and Saquon Barkley on offense, Alec Ogletree and Antoine Bethea on defense, and Zak DeOssie and Michael Thomas on special teams . . . Wide receiver Sterling Shepard said he has been practicing without a splint on his fractured left thumb for about a week and a half. “It’s been feeling great,” he said. “To be honest, this feels a lot better than the past few times that I’ve broken it. This is probably one of the best breaks that I’ve experienced.” Ba-dum-tss!