Jaxson Dart Rewards Giants' Trust in Win Over Jets

"I think the first thing it starts with is the guys I am out there on the field with and then my coaches putting me in a really good situation to succeed," Dart said. 

"There are a lot of conversations, I think it is unique, you talk to guys all around the league and rookies being able to have input to the coaches, that is not very common at times. I think that our relationship from the players to the coaches has been top-notch since I got here."

Dart was the second quarterback to enter Saturday's game, succeeding Russell Wilson in the second half after a cameo during the first 30 minutes (which featured a fling to tight end Theo Johnson, who turned it into a 30-yard gain before Wilson came back in). 

The rookie thrower offered a look into the early trust the Giants have placed in him, revealing that the coaching staff discussed and confirmed a plan to run an up-tempo effort when he took over in the third quarter.

"[The coaching staff] put me in good situations," Dart said, remarking that it was "cool" that the Giants discussed such a scenario with him. "They let me express the things that I like that I feel confident in running, and the tempo drives. 

“I felt comfortable in that. I felt like that was a good time for us to come out of half and try to change the pace of the game. I just felt like the coaches and the guys on the field helped put me in good situations, and I am just trying to distribute the ball."

The gambit paid off: nursing a one-point lead at halftime, the Giants (2-0) embarked on a nine-play, 71-yard drive that took less than four minutes immediately after halftime, after getting four on a drive just before the break, one where he took a sack that lost no yardage.

From there, Dart began a streak of 13 consecutive completions to finish his day, the first scoring drive featuring a pair of third-down conversions to Dante Miller before finding Dulcich for six. Dart then took advantage of a short field provided by a Makari Paige interception to score on the ground before giving way to Jameis Winston.

"Our offensive line did another amazing job of keeping me clean," he said of his success in the hurry-up offense.

"When I am able to sit back there [in the pocket] and see the field and go through my progressions, I think that is just a quarterback’s dream. Shoutout to the O-Line for that."

Saturday's effort in the annual preseason clash with the Jets continues a sterling summer showing for Dart, who will more than likely take on a de facto redshirt season with Wilson set to take the reins of the blue offense once the regular season kicks off. Through two games, Dart has completed just under 75 percent of his passes, putting up 291 yards and two scores through the air.

"I think Jaxson has done a great job," Wilson said after the game. "He’s learning every day, he’s working his butt off. We’re all working in that room, the quarterback room, and he did a good job."

Dart gets one more chance to show what he has learned this summer before turning the keys to Wilson, as the Giants have one more preseason game on Thursday night against the New England Patriots (8 p.m. ET, WNBC/Amazon Prime Video).

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