For every player, their first NFL training camp can feel like a whirlwind. On the fly, a player must pickup and learn an entirely new playbook, an entirely new group of teammates, and an overall new way of life that’s seismically different than their college days – all with the added pressure of countless eyes critiquing your every move on the practice fields.
But for Jaxson Dart, who has been thrown into the New York media market to play the most important position in all of sports, he can already feel himself making an adjustment to the NFL way, despite still being in the first week of his first pro camp with the Giants.
“It’s just continued growth each and every day. I can definitely feel a difference from the first day to even today,” Dart said after Sunday’s practice session. “The game is starting to slow down a little bit the more that I get comfortable with the plays and the system. Just trying to take advantage of the opportunities that I get. Trying to study late as much as I can. It’s definitely very humbling to be in a room with [Russell Wilson], Jameis [Winston], and Tommy [DeVito], guys who are just extremely smart, but at the same time I’m learning every second. So just trying to take in each opportunity and get better from it.”
Giants head coach Brian Daboll reiterated earlier this week that Wilson, a former Super Bowl champion and the most senior member of the group, will be the Giants’ starting quarterback, but everyone is still expected to go out there and compete at the highest level.
And so far, Daboll seems encouraged by what Dart has brought to the table.
“Much like all the rookies: some good, some things to improve, but he’s got the right mindset,” Daboll said on Sunday morning. “He’s here real late, he works. It was good to see him finish a drive two days ago. He’s throwing where he needs to throw it, and we’ll keep working with him.”
And while Dart may be lower on the depth chart than some of the veterans around him, seeing the No. 25 pick in last April’s NFL Draft on the field is certainly tantalizing for Giants fans, given Dart’s status as the eventual face of the franchise.
As Dart explained, he’s still learning as he goes, but he wants to make sure that his aggressive mindset doesn’t change.
“I don’t want to play like a robot. I think that’s just my play style when I’m on the field,” Dart said. “Like, I’m going to be aggressive in any situation. A statement, I guess a quote that we go by in the quarterback room is ‘Be aggressive, not reckless,’ so when you have opportunities to put the dagger in, that’s what you’ve got to do. But at the same time, you can’t be reckless. It’s just situational-based as an offense.
“You look at the turnover margin, the turnover ratios of the most successful teams in the league to the least successful team, and that’s probably the No. 1 thing that goes into it. So, you’ve got to keep those things in mind, but at the same time, you’ve got to be a dog on the field and make those plays when they’re there. Like I said, at this time it’s okay to make some mistakes and learn from them.”
