Anything you hear about the New York Giants’ quarterback situation is nothing but pure speculation at this point.
Even if it is coming out of the mouth of head coach Pat Shurmur.
The Giants’ first days of OTAs suggest that the organization is in the midst of a quarterback battle between 38-year-old veteran Eli Manning and the controversial rookie first-round pick, Daniel Jones.
Jones, a Duke product, was selected sixth overall during last month’s draft, much to the chagrin of most Giants fans. Many believed that he would have been available when New York picked later in the first round at No. 17.
Since Jones’ arrival, the message of when he’ll take the field in the regular season has been mixed.
General manager Dave Gettleman suggested that he could be sitting behind Manning for one-to-three years; a wild idea considering Manning is considered to be on his last legs in the NFL.
During Monday’s first session of OTAs, Shurmur confirmed that Manning is the starter with Jones “behind him.”
Yet, the Giants’ second-year coach said on multiple occasions that Jones should be ready to take the field come Week 1, which suggests that Manning’s grasp on the starting job isn’t as tight as believed.
It certainly didn’t help that Manning completed just one-of-six passes with two interceptions.
That could just be a veteran shaking off some of the rust that comes with taking the winter off.
Then again, it could be the first indication that the Giants’ quarterback competition will be wide open this summer.
Through their first moments together on the practice field, the similarities between Manning and Jones remain uncanny. It further suggests that Gettleman was so high on Jones during the pre-draft process because he would provide a seamless transition once Manning’s time runs out.
Jones is an inch taller than Manning while both are somewhat gangly, pocket passers and they both worked with coach David Cutcliffe in college.
Jones does, however, hold the edge in athleticism as he has shown a knack for extending the play with his feet. That has always been one of Manning’s weakest aspects.
Their arms are not the strongest, but their mechanics are similarly sound with an ability to throw the ball downfield with accuracy.
There is a belief that Jones could flourish at the NFL level while working with top talents. His 60.5-percent completion rating last year at Duke was largely swayed by his receivers dropping 38 passes.
Even though Gettleman and Shurmur say that Manning is the No. 1, Jones could make a serious push for the starting job if he shows flashes of that potential seen by Giants management.
