Daniel Jones sits in the eye of a New York storm that is currently engulfing general manager Dave Gettleman after he made the QB the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Inside that storm, the former Duke quarterback isn't worried about the rising winds and swirling danger that sits outside. He's just focused on his job.
"I haven't paid too much mind to that," Jones told SiriusXM NFL Radio about the draft reaction, via the team's official website. "I think that's key to playing quarterback, to being consistent as a quarterback, is keeping your head in the same place. I think that just comes down to your confidence in yourself, and your confidence has got to come from inside of you. I think if you're looking externally for confidence, then you're also going to be affected by the negative as well. Just finding confidence in yourself and knowing what you can do as a player, as a person, is kind of the way that works and the best way to think about handling a lot of that stuff."
Prior to the draft, Gettleman noted that it takes more than talent to be a quarterback in New York. It takes thick skin and an ability to brush aside criticism. If his initial comments are an indication, Jones appears to own those characteristics.
To be true, little of the critiques of the draft pick are about Jones, but rather the draft capital Gettleman used to acquire his services, especially after playing Eli Manning's hype man all offseason. Many analysts note Jones has ideal size and his short-passing game could mesh perfectly with Pat Shurmur's system.
Players don't decide where they are selected. Teams do. Teams bust.
So while Jones is a reason for the storm, the anger hasn't been directed at him specifically, yet. In fact, he might be the most liked player by the middle of the season -- fans of bad teams always love the backup QB.
Jones is ready to spend the season learning from Eli Manning, preparing for when the Giants job is officially his.
"I think it's a tremendous opportunity for a young guy to go into a place where there's a future Hall of Famer who's done it for a really long time at a really high level and definitely knows what it takes," Jones said. "So that to me is a big advantage in where I am right now. So I'm looking forward to it, just being teammates with him, being able to learn from him in the building every day. I think that's a special opportunity. I've spoken to him once (since the draft) and he just congratulated me, said he's excited to be up there. I think I understand he's got a job to do, I've got a job to do, so we're going to do the best we can to help the Giants win as many football games as we can, and I'm certainly happy with whatever my role is."
When the time comes for Jones to officially take the mantle from Manning, then ignoring the swirling storm will become more difficult, and he'll show his true mettle.
