With just one brilliant start, Daniel Jones changed the paradigm for mobility under center for the New York Giants -- and for nicknames of quarterbacks league-wide.
Forget "The Sheriff" or "The Red Rifle" or "The Pharaoh". Football's hottest nickname is "Danny Dimes."
The now-ubiquitous nickname for the Giants rookie sprouted organically from the creative mind of the internet this summer, as Jones surprised many by lighting it up in the preseason. The QB's moniker went mainstream following his debut on Sunday afternoon, when he led Big Blue back from an 18-point halftime deficit against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win 32-31, throwing and rushing for four total touchdowns in the process.
While the football media-industrial complex has taken to the alliterative appellation, Jones has no real opinion on the matter.
"Yeah, I've heard it a little bit more recently," Jones told reporters this week, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan. "I don't know. It's all right, I guess. There could be worse nicknames."
There could, and there have been. Raanan added that Jones was nicknamed "Swag" in high school and "The Future" while in college at Duke University. Creative.
The sober Jones might not be all the way into his sobriquet, but his receivers are buying "Danny Dimes." Below is a sampling for their support, as told to Raanan:
Sterling Shepard: "I like it. The fans like it. It's like the same way they came up with 'Quads' (for Saquon Barkley). People liked it. People stuck with it. (Danny Dimes) stuck with him, and he still throws dimes."
Evan Engram: "Yeah, it's fitting. It's nice. It rolls right off the tongue."
Darius Slayton: "I've used it a couple times myself. It's an accurate description of him."
Just five months ago a ridiculed sixth overall selection, Jones has come a long way from tabloid punching bag to international man of memes. An historic debut and a money nickname will do that for you.
