EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Being booed is nothing new for New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
It’s part of what happens when playing for struggling teams in New York, especially when the team used a high draft pick to try to turn around the franchise.
The only exception was in 2022 when the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 had a career season and helped new coach Brian Daboll get the Giants (9-7-1) to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
It led to a four-year, $160 million deal, but things haven’t been great since.
Jones started last season poorly, was limited to six games by a neck injury and later an ACL injury and the Giants finished 6-11.
The bounce-back season the Giants had hoped for started with a season-opening 28-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Jones was 22 of 42 for 186 yards and had one of his two interceptions returned for a touchdown. New York’s offense was limited to two field goals.
Jones was booed during the game and walking to his car after it.
“I feel like I’ve been doubted plenty for a long time and dealt with that time and time again and done a good job with it,” Jones said Wednesday. “I think my mental toughness is in a good spot and I’m not concerned about that.”
Daboll and Jones speak almost every day and the two have gone over Sunday’s loss. They talked about Jones’ footwork, what he is seeing and his decision-making.
Both are hoping for improvement Sunday when the Giants travel to face the Washington Commanders (0-1). What they would like is for the offense to get into a rhythm and not be faced with too many second and third-and-long plays.
“We’ve played one game, so no one did good enough that first game,” Daboll said. “So again, team sport and we’ll work on fixing it.”
As far as the fans being unhappy, Jones said he understands their frustration over the past several seasons. However, he said he is concerned about making sure his teammates and coaches are happy.
“That’s what I’m focused on,” he said. “I’ve got people I trust, who I have relationships with, who can help me out. But in terms of other people and what they have to say or what they think from their perspective and what their observations are, it’s really not very important to me.”
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