Jon Gruden questions Brian Daboll's hesitation to start Jaxson Dart after Russell Wilson fails miserably in Giants' season opener vs. Commanders

NFL: New England Patriots at New York Giants - Source: Imagn
NFL: New England Patriots at New York Giants - Source: Imagn

As many expected, Russell Wilson started for the New York Giants over Jaxson Dart in Week 1 against the Washington Commanders. As many also expected, the Giants struggled to hang on right from the start. The Commanders picked things up right where they left off in last season's NFC championship game, running the visitors out of Landover, 21-6.

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With the veteran Wilson at the helm of Brian Daboll's offense, all he could muster were two field goal drives. New York had no answer to Washington's consistency, which saw it run over the visitors with 220 rushing yards on the day. The Giants couldn't keep pace by any means, recording merely 74 yards on the ground and 157 through the air.

Among the many who criticized Daboll's call to start Wilson instead of Dart were former Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden. He was excited to see the rookie in action following his preseason performance, but was left disappointed in a number of ways after Week 1.

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"Too many New York Giants leave the building and play better," he said, via Wake Up Barstool on X. "And then, yesterday, I was eager to watch Skattedo, I was eager to watch Jaxson Dart, and I just see another six-point performance from the G-men. Very disappointing against a common opponent like the Washington Commanders."
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He was pressed on the matter of Dart not starting, to which he responded:

"I thought [Dart] had an excellent preseason. I don't know why you don't give him all the reps and give him all the development that it takes to get ready to play. This is what the Giants need. They need a fresh start at quarterback. And I think yesterday is a perfect indication to give Jaxson Dart the ball. It's time to move on."
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Looking at Russell Wilson's performance with Jaxson Dart on the sideline

Even though the Giants had the most time of possession in the game, Russell Wilson couldn't make the most of it.

Scrambling to keep up with the onslaught of the Commanders, Wilson threw 37 passes on the day. However, he completed a mere 17 of those throws for a 45.9 completion percentage. His 17 passes totaled 168 yards and no scores, giving him a quarterback rating of 61.9, which doesn't measure up to Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels's 106.3.

Giants Nation! Check out the latest New York Giants Schedule and dive into the Giants Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann
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