Jaxson Dart’s Tuesday in the red zone had two very different endings.
First came the good part: he finally put a couple of touchdowns on the board during the Giants’ red zone period at training camp in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Then came the kind of mistake that turns a harmless practice rep into a lesson.
After scrambling into the end zone, Dart fired the ball at corner Greg Newsome’s helmet as he walked away. Newsome reacted immediately, and tight end Isaiah Likely had to step in to hold him back.
John Harbaugh didn’t let it slide. He said the move would have brought a real penalty in a game, so the offense paid for it in practice.
“I think it’s a 15-yard penalty for taunting,” Harbaugh said. “So we backed up the extra point and had to do it again.
Did you see that? That’s how we handled it.”
Asked whether he said anything directly to Dart afterward, Harbaugh made the point pretty plainly.
“I think he understands that for the game-winning extra point, we don’t want it to be a 50-yard extra point,” the coach said. “Do you think I need to say anything in that case? Pretty clear cut, right?”
The flare-up fit the tone of the day. The defense had been in control for much of camp’s first week, and Dart’s offense has been looking for answers.
His first touchdown pass of camp came Tuesday to Likely, but even that play was close to going the other way. Corner Dru Phillips tipped the ball and nearly picked it off before Likely finished the play.
Dart also had a scramble touchdown after the defense couldn’t touch him once he broke loose, but the offense had already endured a string of frustrating snaps. He completed a pass to Likely, then scrambled, overthrew Odell Beckham Jr. in the end zone, and had another throw knocked down at the line.
Likely said the exchange with Newsome was part of the competitive edge showing up late in a long practice.
“[That’s just] them competing,” Likely said. “Training camp, day two of pads, getting tired, obviously in the red zone, points are at stake.
I mean, that’s the type of dog you want in a quarterback. And obviously, Newsome, I’ve been playing him for quite a while.
I know he’s a dog himself, so he’s not going to back down on nobody.”
Dart and the offense still have four more days in West Virginia to clean things up and find more consistent success. For now, the bigger issue is composure.
Camp is the place to learn that lesson. September is not.
In Other News...
Odell Beckham Jr. Just Got His First Real Chance To Matter
Odell Beckham Jr. finally got a longer look with the offense during camp, and it came at a time when the receiver room could use a little stability. With several pass-catchers limited or working off to the side, Beckham spent more time on the field and saw more targets than he had earlier in camp, giving the veteran a better chance to show he still fits into the picture.
He caught passes from Jaxson Dart and looked sharp getting into routes, even if a few throws did not connect. For a Giants offense still sorting through its depth and availability at receiver, the bigger question is whether this was just a useful practice rep or the start of something more meaningful as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Giants Enter A Crucial Camp Stretch With Two Early Problems
The Giants are into their sixth practice of training camp, and this is the week John Harbaugh has pointed to as the most important stretch for getting real work done in pads. Veteran defensive tackle D.J. Reader framed it the practical way, noting the body has to be prepared for the season, which is why this portion of camp carries extra weight for a roster still trying to sharpen its habits.
Two issues have already surfaced as the team settles into the grind: too many penalties and an offense that needs to be cleaner. Those concerns make the next few days especially important, with the public practice window set for Aug. 5 through Aug. 8, giving the Giants another chance to show progress while the work is still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxson Dart Puts Giants Right Back In Quarterback Debate
The Athletics annual quarterback tiers always offer a useful snapshot of how NFL decision-makers really view the leagues passers, and Jaxson Darts first appearance on the list gives the Giants a fresh point of conversation. The rookie landed 24th overall among 35 veteran quarterbacks, which is notable enough on its own for a first-year player and puts him in the third tier with other newcomers as the league starts to sort out what he might become.
For a team that has been searching for stability under center, the feedback around Dart is the part worth watching. Defensive coaches seem to buy the athleticism and playmaking, while offensive coaches and executives sound more guarded, pointing to consistency and durability as the questions that still hang over him. In other words, the early league-wide read on Dart is encouraging enough to keep the Giants intrigued, but not settled enough to end the quarterback debate anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]