Kurt Warner wants to see more from Daniel Jones before he supplants Eli Manning
Former Giants quarterback Kurt Warner said he still needs to see if Daniel Jones' right arm can carry the offense. Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II
Kurt Warner still isn’t completely sold on Daniel Jones, but he does think the rookie's standout preseason has made the Giants’ quarterback situation “more complicated.”
The Hall of Famer and NFL Network analyst — and former Giant who was replaced by rookie Eli Manning as the starter in 2004 — said that Jones’ performance this summer will only shorten the patience the team has with Manning.
“I think there is a grace period that you have to have with Eli Manning because of what he’s done,” Warner told Newsday at the NFL Network event to kick off the league’s 100th season on Tuesday. “He’s earned the right to be able to play this thing out the best he can on his own terms. Daniel has come in and exceeded expectations and now the fan base is excited about him. Now the pressure from the outside is excited about him. I think it makes it a little more complicated.”
However, Warner said the Giants should stick to their initial plan. They should stick with Manning…maybe even all season.
“When the time comes that you believe Daniel Jones is the better quarterback than Eli Manning is the day you have to start him,” Warner said. “If you’re not sure about that, I believe Eli should get his 16 games this year and let this thing play out. And then, if you are ready to go in that direction you go in that direction next year. But if you go ‘Eli is not playing well, we think Daniel is playing better,’ then you have to make that decision. As hard as it might be.”
Warner spoke to reporters at the start of Giants training camp and said at the time he was skeptical of some of Jones’ abilities coming out of college. Since then, Jones has completed 25 of his 30 passes for 369 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He’ll start for the Giants against the Patriots in Thursday night’s preseason finale.
Impressive, sure. But Warner wants to see more.
“Big-picture wise I didn’t have a whole lot of concerns [about Jones],” Warner said. “My one concern is the physical aspect of things. And that doesn’t show up in, you’re playing a [preseason] game and can you throw an 18-yard out or can you throw a 50-yard post. Everybody who plays this game can do those things in a perfect world. The questions become, when you get a little pressure, when you have to move your feet, when the window is closed a little bit more and you have to make that special, unique throw just based on physical ability, can you make those throws? I haven’t seen that yet. It doesn’t mean he can’t do it.”
To be fair to Jones, it’s the preseason. There aren’t a lot of quarterbacks anywhere in the league at any stage of their careers who have been called upon to do that in the past month. Warner agreed.
“But there are certain guys I know can do it,” he said.
Jones isn’t yet among them.
“I think he’s answered every other question that you could have,” Warner said. “He’s got great poise. I’ve seen him take hits and bounce back from that. Decision-making, which is one of the things I thought was his greatest strength, seeing the game and making decisions, you’ve seen that come out in preseason. So all of the stuff that I liked going in continues to show up so you feel really good about that. I just want to see if he’s a guy who can carry a team with his right arm. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good quarterbacks who can’t do that. But that’s what makes great quarterbacks. That’s what makes franchise quarterbacks. That’s the only thing I need to see from him.”
For that, Jones will have to play in a regular-season game. He’ll have to replace Manning.
“And who knows,” Warner said, “it could be a while before we probably see that.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
