The Dart Knight

By: Josh Frey-Sam

There was never going to be a good time for Jaxson Dart to make his first start.

I can tell you this week — as the New York Giants are preparing to face the Los Angeles Chargers at MetLife Stadium — sure as hell isn’t. That sound you hear is Chargers’ defensive co-ordinator Jesse Minter licking his chops with a rookie quarterback set to face his stifling defence.

If you’re behind, Giants head coach Brian Daboll announced Tuesday that Dart is taking over starting duties from incumbent veteran Russell Wilson, who lasted 12 quarters under center.

Perhaps this was as good a time as any, though.

The Giants play one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this season, with trips to Denver, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, New England still on the horizon. The home schedule doesn’t look any better, with Philly, San Fran, Green Bay, Washington and Minnesota among the teams paying a visit to East Rutherford.

There’s an argument to be made that the team could’ve waited one more week to make this move, with the New Orleans Saints being their Week 5 opponent. The only problem is that the game takes place in NOLA, and starting your rookie on the road is less than ideal.

The next best would’ve been against the Niners on Nov. 2.

So, at home, in the noon slate, against a non-divisional opponent — it makes sense that this is where we land.

Just as important, I don’t think Daboll could wait any longer.

Sure, Russ carved up the hapless Dallas Cowboys defence two weeks ago, but he didn’t eclipse 170 passing yards while the Giants failed to score 10 points in each of the other two games.

I think the breaking point was at the penultimate drive against the Chiefs when Russ fired a ball through the back of the end zone on fourth down, giving no one a chance to catch the ball.

Truth be told, we might’ve seen Russ play his last down in the NFL. Of course, injuries can change that, but the Giants also have Jameis Winston as an option.

I mentioned that I don’t think Daboll could wait any longer, and I think that also applied to GM Joe Schoen, who, along with Daboll, is on the hot seat.

One tried and true way to save your job is show that you can develop a young quarterback and instill some promise for the future of the program. With Dart presumably going to need some time to acclimate to the NFL game before he really takes off, Daboll is making this move now in hopes Dart — along with fellow rookies Cam Skattebo and Abdul Carter — can show out in the second half of the season.

If pre-season was any indication, it might just work out that way. Dart was impressive when he got a chance. The most notable thing was he always looked in control and no moment appeared too big for him.

That last part is what gives me hope that he actually might beat the odds and perform well from the get-go.

What can we expect to see? A lot of RPOs and read-options. Dart specialized in those at Ole Miss, and his quick processing and terrific ball-handling ability make the RPO game his best chance at succeeding quickly.

I’m curious how Minter will prepare for him this week. The last time the Chargers faced a quarterback with this level of mobility was Lamar Jackson in Week 12 last year. The Ravens posted 30 points in a win on that night, and it was statistically one of the worst outings of the season for Minter’s defence.

I’m not suggesting you back the Giants at +6.5, I’m just saying Dart presents a much different challenge for defences than Wilson.

The ripple effect for fantasy certainly piques my interest. Dart can run and throw, so he projects as a high-floor player once he gets his feet under him.

The biggest beneficiary is undoubtedly Malik Nabers, who, outside of his explosion in Week 2, has seven catches for 84 yards. I don’t expect many people to be racing to deal Nabers, but I’d recommend buying low if you can.

I also like what this could do for Cam Skattebo. No one respected Wilson as a threat to run, so Dart’s legs should hold defenders and open up some more running room as Skattebo looks to take over the Giants’ backfield.

I’m excited to watch this kid, and you should be too.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh