Jaxson Dart leads the Giants to victory in his first career start — but it comes at a cost.
Brian Daboll looked like a new man. For most of the past two years, the Giants head coach has worn the expression of someone who just opened a pizza box to discover all the cheese plastered to the back of the lid — exasperation, frustration, resignation.
He was a living, breathing version of that Ben Affleck meme with the cigarette and the Dunkin’ cup on the sidelines each week. And who could blame him? Even the Giants fans who wanted Daboll run out of town last winter could relate to his dour demeanor and short answers with reporters. They were living this, too.
MetLife Stadium had become the place where hope and happiness went to die — and, maybe soon, it will revert back to that. But on Sunday afternoon, for the first time in a long time, there was hope.
The Giants had just defeated the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium, 21-18, and Daboll found the player who made it happen near midfield. He took off his hat with his left hand and made a fist with his right hand, and before he could wrap Jaxson Dart up in a bear hug, the world caught a glimpse of Daboll’s teeth and dimples.
“THAT’S F---ING WHY!!!” he yelled at the rookie quarterback. (That colorful quote comes courtesy of our photographer, Andy Mills, who was close enough to snap an image the head coach probably would like to frame for his office.)
Daboll had made it clear that this decision to break the glass and start the first-round pick was all his, and finally, the coach had pushed the right button. Dart wasn’t the reason the Giants won this game — that was a defense that finally lived up to its potential — but there is no question he had breathed life into this franchise for one afternoon.
He had shown people what was possible.
“The kid’s a competitor,” Daboll said. “It’s not going to be perfect. I’m sure he’ll be the first one to tell you there’s a lot that he can do better. But I like his traits, I like his toughness. I’m glad we got him.”
This wasn’t quite as passionate as Terrell Owens famously crying at the podium, but still, the message from Daboll was the same: That’s my quarterback!
Dart completed 13 of 20 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown with another 10 carries for 54 yards on the ground, but this wasn’t about the numbers. It was his fight, his spirit.
He punctuated a 40-yard run with a stiff arm to a Chargers defender that was ill-advised and ineffective — and the entire play was called back by a holding penalty anyway. But, finally, someone on this Giants team was throwing punches.
The referee noticed him doubled over after that run, trying to catch his breath, and sent him into the blue tent for a concussion test. Dart was “pissed,” to borrow his word, and it felt like all 81,954 fans were asking themselves the same question: Why can’t we have nice things?
“I want to do my best to be a spark,” Dart said. “I want to create excitement on the field. I want to be explosive when opportunities are there, to just bring a little bit of swagger.”
We have waited this long to inject a bit of reality into this discussion, but it’s time. Swagger isn’t going to make up for the loss of receiver Malik Nabers, who likely tore his ACL leaping for a pass in the second quarter. If Dart wanted to know what life was like in this Giants offense without a true No. 1 receiver to stretch the defense, he could have just dialed up his predecessor, Daniel Jones, in Indianapolis. Now, he’ll find out on his own.
The Giants defense gave Dart prime field position several times, including once after defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence picked off a pass and rumble to the Chargers’ 3-yard line. The offense had to settle for a frustrating field goal, a reminder that Dart isn’t going to solve a lot of the dysfunction on his own.
Another concern: Dart already was limping around with a tight hamstring. His entire identity, it seems, is built around the idea that he is a gunslinger who will stop at nothing to extend a play. Can he survive an entire season playing that way?
If you’re a Giants fan, it might be best to enjoy this moment and not look too far into the future. Daboll is smiling now, but with the Eagles, Packers, Lions and Broncos on the schedule over the next two months, he might revert back to Coach Affleck Meme long before Thanksgiving.
This season isn’t about climbing over the Eagles in the NFC East or contending for that fifth Lombardi Trophy. It is about finding something — anything — to give fans a reason that the cycle of soul-crushing losses finally will come to an end.
It is about hope. Dart offered a glimmer of it on a lovely Sunday afternoon, and in the process, the Giants won a football game. Hallelujah.
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Category: General Sports
