Social media erupted when the New York Giants grabbed quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Most of the reaction proved negative and Jones told reporters Friday that he is aware of the criticism that followed his selection.
Jones, however, prefers to concentrate on what matters.
"It'd be hard to be completely unaware of a lot of that stuff and the way it works nowadays, but I don't focus on it," Jones said. "I think there's a lot to focus on and a lot to learn for me right now, being here, learning the offense, trying to pick up a lot of stuff. So, I'm not sure I can afford to really focus on that too much."
The quarterback's approach is the correct one, of course. But it might sound easier said than done, especially in a town full of fans starving for success after the Giants have compiled an 8-24 record over the past two seasons.
For his part, Jones appears to understand the challenge of playing in New York and knows it's up to him to prove his critics wrong.
"I don't think anyone that comes to New York has probably come into a situation where there's more tension than they had previously," he said. "You know, it's all part of it. Like I said, it's my job to make people believe in me. I understand that. Like I said, there's a lot of work to do and I'm excited to do it."
Meanwhile, the jury remains out on whether the Giants made the correct decision to take Jones so high in the draft.
The rookie signal-caller, though, has the luxury of not being thrown into the fire immediately given the presence of Eli Manning, who has one year remaining on his contract.
And if Jones will spend the next season on the sidelines, the chance to absorb knowledge from Manning while learning everything about the NFL can't be overlooked.
"I think the first thing that I thought with this opportunity is how awesome it is to have a guy like Eli," Jones said. "Keeping that in mind, you know making sure every day I'm learning from him, but also focusing on improving myself I think is a big part of that process. Like I said, it's a huge opportunity to learn and I'm certainly mindful of that. I'm looking forward to learning."
