How special is New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart? Look no further than what opposing coaches and players have been saying about Big Blue’s phenom.
In his press conference on Tuesday in preparation for this week’s game against the Giants, Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio scolded the teams that needed a quarterback in the draft for passing on Dart.
“One lesson learned [is] the teams that need quarterbacks that bypassed him,” he said, “they’re going to regret that.
“Obviously very athletic, an elite scrambler. I think their coaches have done a great job with him. They’ve developed the offense around him. Throws the ball very well, intermediate and deep, and he’s a good player.”
Fangio is not new to the NFL. He has been coaching defenses in this league for 40 years. He knows what he’s looking at.
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
Dart has just four games under his belt as an NFL starter, but he’s displayed enough in that short span to win over even the most seasoned football lifers. Fangio knows what Dart is capable of. He learned firsthand two weeks ago when his defense was carved up by Dart, who had 253 total yards (195 passing, 58 rushing) with two touchdowns (one pass, one rush) with no interceptions for a 104.6 QB rating in the Giants’ 34-17 win.
This past Sunday in Denver, Dart had the Giants up by 19 points over the Broncos with under six minutes remaining, only to have the defense and special teams throw his efforts in the trash. Denver head coach Sean Payton had this to say after the game.
“They found a little spark with that quarterback,” Payton said, referring to Dart. “I was talking to (Giants co-owner) John Mara not too long ago, and I said we were hoping that that change would have happened long, long after our game.”
Last week, leading up to the game, several Giants players were in a social media spat with Broncos star pass rusher Nik Bonitto, who was leading the NFL in sacks after six weeks. Bonitto was held to no sacks and one QB hit on the day, thanks to Giants left tackle, Andrew Thomas.
But, even Bonitto had to admit that Dart is the real deal after a game in which Dart accounted for four total touchdowns (three pass, one rush).
