Jaxson Dart rumbled down the field Thursday night, hoping to squeeze more out of this fourth-and-4 scramble.
Then, he took a big hit from two Patriots defenders — a moment that underscores the fine line the Giants must walk this season (and beyond) with their fearless first-round rookie quarterback.
They just experienced far too many injury issues from Daniel Jones’ unwillingness to slide during his six mostly awful seasons in East Rutherford. They surely don’t want a repeat of that with Dart, who they envision as a major upgrade from Jones.
Dart’s mobility, toughness and confidence are weapons, and Brian Daboll doesn’t want to coach those traits out of him.
“When I step on the field, I expect to play at a high level — and, to be honest, I have the confidence that I feel like I’m going to be the best player on the field every time I touch it,” he said after Thursday’s third and final preseason game against the Patriots. “That’s just the standard that I have for myself.”
Dart just went through a mostly strong first NFL training camp and trio of preseason games. It’s unclear when he will hit the game field again, though it could very well be soon, as quarterback Russell Wilson ought to have a short leash entering Week 1.
Whenever Dart plays (or starts), he and Daboll must find a way to balance his running aggression, to keep him more consistently healthy than Jones was here.
“He’s definitely not scared,” said wide receiver Darius Slayton. “But we try to remind him: ‘You don’t have to prove you’re not scared. I’ll take your word for it. Just slide. I believe you’re tough.’ But that’s just his DNA. That’s what he’s made of.”
Dart’s fourth-and-4 scramble Thursday came on his fourth and final drive, late in the first quarter. It wound up being his final play of the game. He ran 23 yards to the Patriots’ 32-yard line, before two defenders sandwiched him, knocking the wind out of him. Officials removed him from the game for a concussion evaluation.
(Dart fumbled on the play, and the Patriots recovered. But it was a free play because of a defensive holding penalty, so the Giants retained possession.)
Dart passed the concussion test, as he figured he would. He was annoyed as he entered the blue medical tent on the sideline, snapping his fingers and rolling his wrist — a “hurry up already” gesture to the Giants’ medical staff. He wanted to return to the game. But quarterback Jameis Winston threw a touchdown on the play after his scramble.
“I didn’t understand why I got taken off the field,” he said. “So I wanted to get back out there and finish the drive. Everybody [on the medical staff] was kind of just walking over. And I’m like, ‘Let’s go. I want to get back out there.’”
He said he told the medical staff: “You would feel uncomfortable if you got the air knocked out of you, too. I’m fine. I’m just trying to get my breath.”
Though Dart was OK, his night was over after that drive. Daboll had seen enough good stuff from the kid. But even after the game, Dart couldn’t let go of the impatience and frustration he felt about getting yanked after his long scramble.
He was asked a general question about how to balance when to slide and when to rumble ahead for extra yardage.
His response: “Never been taken out of the game for getting the air knocked out of me, so that was a first. But I quite honestly felt like I could split [the defenders] when I saw the open field. In that situation, I didn’t feel like I was in too much of a threat to get a big hit on me.
“If you’re going to take a big hit, then, yeah, you slide. But I didn’t feel like I was in a situation where I was going to take a really big hit. I felt like I could extend the play and make something out of it. I feel like if I could just break a tackle, then I’m gone.”
This is always Dart’s mindset: He thinks the next touchdown is just a play — or half a play — away. It’s how he’s wired, ever fearless. It’s one of the biggest things Daboll loved about him in the pre-draft process. And it will serve Dart well, perhaps often.
But as he will learn in the NFL, too much hero ball can be dangerous. Some moments — as he surely knows, deep down — warrant more caution.
Whenever he gets into a regular-season game — either as the starter or with a package of plays — it’s just a matter of whether he will have to learn that lesson the hard way.
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Darryl Slater may be reached atdslater@njadvancemedia.com.
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