Ex-Giants star defends Daniel Jones but warns Dolphins could "embarrass" them

06 October 2023 , 15:34

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Daniel Jones has not made a great start to the 2023 season (Image: AP)

The New York Giants have made a disastrous start to the season, and quarterback Daniel Jones has been heavily criticised for his performances after signing a four-year, $160 million (£131.2m) deal this past offseason.

The Giants are 1-3, but their sole win came against the Arizona Cardinals when they miraculously fought back from a 21-point deficit to win 31-28 -securing their greatest franchise comeback in 75 years. But they've been humiliated in every other game, and Jones has already been sacked 22 times.

Jones has also thrown six interceptions this season, which is already more than last season (5). Former Giants cornerback/safety Jason Bell is aware that the contract may be putting pressure on him, but also believes that he isn't the only one to blame as the offensive line is letting him down.

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Getting sacked in the NFL is humiliating for quarterbacks, and occurs when one of three instances play out. Either the opposition defence is just too strong, the offensive resistance isn't there, or the quarterback doesn't get their throw off in time.

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For Jones, there have been examples of all three in his 22 sacks this season, and Bell thinks that he may be trying too hard to justify the $160 million contract rather than just sticking to what he does best. "The contract put a lot of pressure on Daniel Jones and people now expect him to play at a certain level which represents the dollar value of his contract, that’s always difficult," Bell revealed exclusively to Mirror Sport via 888.

Jones is taking a lot of the blame, with head coach Brian Daboll even seen saying to the quarterback on the sidelines: "What are you doing?" Bell has pointed the finger at the poor offensive line instead, saying that all quarterbacks would struggle under that amount of pressure.

Brian Daboll appeared visibly frustrated as Daniel Jones and the offense had a tough Week 4 game (ESPN)

"When you look at the last game, he has so much pressure on him that I don’t know what quarterback could play under that kind of pressure," Bell added. "We have to recognise that his offensive line is letting him down and he needs a little help.

"We need to understand that even though he is being paid so much money, he still needs playmakers around him. It’s going to be tough for the Giants against the Miami Dolphins because if they don’t go into that game fully prepared then they could get embarrassed."

Tyreek Hill and the Dolphins offense are on course for a record year (Getty Images)

The Giants travel to Miami to face the Dolphins on Sunday, a team that's defense has five total sacks this season and also two picked passes. There may be some respite for Jones though, as although offensively Miami has more points than anyone in the NFL this season, they continue to allow a lot of points.

The Dolphins are averaging 37.5 points scored per game through four weeks, but are also allowing 29.75 points per game. However, the Giants have only scored 46 points this season, the lowest total across the NFL.

Joseph McBride