Eli Manning ‘excited’ for Daniel Jones as he enters another season with new Giants coaches

Eli Manning suggested he had high hopes for Daniel Jones as the New York Giants quarterback learns a new offense from a new head coach – his third in four years.

Manning had high praise for Brian Daboll, who is taking the reins from Joe Judge, and said he was excited to see what Jones can do in the new scheme.

“I think with Coach Daboll, and what they’re doing, and that staff, and (new GM) Joe Schoen, having been around the facility some, the atmosphere has changed,” Manning told the NFL Network on Friday. “So I’m excited for Daniel, I know he’s worked extremely hard, and you know, been through a lot of offenses, a lot of coaching changes, so hopefully this can be the right one.”

Daboll’s claim to fame was what he was able to do with Josh Allen while he was an offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills. Allen turned into a top-flight quarterback over the last two years. Jones and Allen are both 6-foot-5 with the ability to scoot.

The big difference has been Jones’ inability to stay healthy over the course of a 16- or 17-game season. The Giants quarterback has never played more than 14 games in a season since he became the full-time starter after Manning’s retirement. Over the course of three seasons, he’s recorded 8,398 yards with 45 touchdown passes and 29 interceptions. 

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Additionally, the Giants’ inability to find success at head coach has been an issue. Jones started with Pat Shurmur as a rookie in 2019 before the team eventually moved to Judge and later Daboll.

Manning played under Tom Coughlin for most of his career before the team went to Ben McAdoo and Shurmur.

“By my fifth year, I had been in the same offense the whole time, I knew it, I could coach it up, new guys are coming in, I was speaking the same language as my offensive coordinator and as (former head coach Tom) Coughlin, and kind of preaching the same stuff,” Manning added. “And with (Jones), it’s all new, and it’s learning, and he’s consistently trying to learn and learn and learn, and it just takes some time before it all sinks in.”

Jones is entering a prove-it year with the Giants. The team did not pick up his fifth-year option, and it could be now or never for him to really step up and make a difference for New York.