Colts WR seems to rip Giants over Daniel Jones' previous struggles

Quarterback Daniel Jones appears to have revived his career with the Indianapolis Colts this season after going 3-13 in his last 16 starts with the New York Giants before they released him last November. 

During a Thursday appearance on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio, Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman blamed the Giants for Jones' issues with the NFC East team. 

Michael Pittman was "excited" to have Daniel Jones as QB1 before 6-1 start

"When he came in, obviously, there was a bunch of negative media," Pittman said about Jones, per Kevin Patra of the NFL's website. "I always thought of Daniel as a good quarterback. He just wasn't in a great system to help him succeed. But I always thought that he was super tough. He's a tough guy. He used to take a lot of sacks. He used to stand in that pocket and deliver throws and stuff like that. I was excited for him."

Pittman was referring to how the Giants' offensive lines routinely betrayed Jones during his tenure with the organization (2019-2024). More recently, Jones won six of his first seven starts with the Colts to guide Indianapolis to the top of the AFC South standings. 

Pro Football Reference stats show that Jones enters this weekend ranked second among qualified players with an 80.4 adjusted QBR and first with a 57.3 percent passing success rate. According to StatMuse, only six quarterbacks tallied more combined passing and rushing touchdowns than Jones (14) over the season's first seven weeks. 

Michael Pittman thinks Daniel Jones got too much hate during Giants tenure

Head coach Shane Steichen and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner are among Colts personnel who have noted that Jones has given the club some needed "confidence" this fall. It certainly sounds like Jones' current teammates are glad the Giants discarded him.

"[When] he got here, and he was nothing like what the media portrayed him out to be," Pittman added about Jones. "And I just never could understand why Dan was over-hated where he was at prior. Because the way he showed up, he's a great dude, a great teammate, he's a guy that you love to be around inside the building and outside of the building. I never understood how that negative stuff found him when he was at his other spot."

The Colts next host the Tennessee Titans (1-6) this Sunday. As of Friday morning, ESPN BET had Indianapolis as a 14.5-point favorite.