Giants first-round rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart had another strong preseason performance on Thursday night, and head coach Brian Daboll is thrilled with the progress Dart is making.
“Being a rookie quarterback is not easy — being a quarterback is not easy — so he knows he’s got a lot of things to work on, but he’s made progress every day and I’m glad we drafted him. I’m glad he’s our guy,” Daboll said.
Dart went 6-for-12 for 81 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, then left the game after taking a hit at the end of a 23-yard run. Daboll likes the aggressiveness Dart showed on that run but would have preferred to see him slide at the end of it.
“I wouldn’t coach it out of him, there’s just certain times that you’ve got to make the right decision, and I would say this particular game is a good time to slide, in a preseason game,” Daboll said. “Every situation is different. I’ve had different quarterbacks that could run and were productive running the football, but there’s a time and place you’d like to take as few hits as you can. I like Jaxson’s competitiveness, his toughness. You’ve got to make the right decision. Those are split-second decisions, I trust him, and I would never take his competitiveness away.”
Daboll said Dart just got the wind knocked out of him and was cleared to return, but that it was the right time in the game to take him out anyway. Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito both played well after Dart left the game, and Daboll said he was very pleased with all of his quarterbacks’ performance this preseason.
Now it’s time for the regular season, and Russell Wilson will start Week One. But Dart is the biggest reason the Giants have to be excited about their future.