Jake Fromm Era starts for Giants
Jake Fromm of the Giants throws a pass during the fourth quarter against the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Jake Fromm Era started in the fourth quarter of the Giants’ 21-6 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday and might continue next Sunday against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
That’s how bad Mike Glennon was on Sunday. And how promising Fromm looked in his NFL debut at MetLife Stadium.
It was only one series. But with Daniel Jones’ season in peril because of a neck injury, coach Joe Judge would not rule out starting Fromm next week.
"We got to a point in the game and I wanted to see what Jake could do," Judge said. "Point blank. We weren’t doing enough moving the ball otherwise, so I wanted to make sure I had the chance to go ahead and see Jake. Now we’ll obviously have a conversation about what we’re going to do this week. We’ll talk about it as a staff. We’ll make the best decision for the team."
It’s hard to imagine how starting Glennon would be the best decision for the team. The journeyman threw three interceptions and had a 24.8 passer rating. He was 13-for-24 for 99 yards.
Fromm came in with 3:41 left in the game and completed his first four attempts (and then only two of his next eight to finish 6-for-12 for 82 yards, including a 36-yarder to Kenny Golladay).
Fromm, 23, was signed off Buffalo’s practice squad on Dec. 1. He was a fifth-round pick out of Georgia for the Bills last year.
He was one of the few Giants who had a ball playing on Sunday. He said he "completed a childhood dream . . . It was just fun. To be able to get out and move the ball a little bit and try to compete and give us a chance to win there at the end."
Judge had hinted during the week that he was thinking about using Fromm at some point on Sunday. If Glennon had played well, perhaps he wouldn’t have, but that’s not what happened, and Fromm was ready.
"I was just trying to stay prepared throughout the whole game," he said. "Didn’t know if I was going in at any particular time. Just trying to stay ready and they told me there late in the fourth quarter that, ‘Hey, you’re up and just try to get ready. Try to make something happen.’ "
He did when he hit Golladay with a long gain down the right sideline on first down with less than two minutes left. Golladay outfought Anthony Brown for the ball and was tackled at Dallas’ 14-yard line.
"Obviously, the play was called and you get a certain look and it’s ‘let’s give our guy a chance,’ " Fromm said. "Kenny did a great job going up and making a play, and that’s what you’ve got to do. Got to get the playmakers the balls."
Alas, Fromm missed his final four throws and no points came of the drive, which started at the Giants’ 7-yard line and ended at the Cowboys’ 9.
"When you get close like that, obviously you want to punch it in and get six," Fromm said. "Especially in the situation we were in."
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
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