Personally, I think that there’s a lot to like about the signing.
His biggest problem in New York was that he had two General Managers who seem/seemed totally indifferent to the need to build a solid Offensive Line. All too often, his pocket simply collapsed, and two or three pass rushers would converge on him before he had a chance to set up.
Secondly, he had a corps of receivers that could only generously be described as nondescript, a group that was chronically prone to injury and resulted in a situation in which Jones was sometimes throwing to receivers on Sunday who had been brought in off the street on Tuesday.
Third, as Giants owner John Mara mused, the Giants never did a good job of supporting Jones. He saw 3 coaching changes, going from Shurmer, who was fired after Jones rookie season, to Joe Judge who lasted two years, to Brian Daboll, who would have been fired save for the fact that Mara is worried about instability.
What Jones brings to the table is a strong arm, good accuracy, and mobility. If anything happens to Richardson, Jones can step in and you don’t have to shuffle the playbook and change the scheme.
If there’s a danger, it lies in questions about what’s going on between the young man’s ears.
Has he been irretrievably traumatized by his experience with the Giants? Does he hear footsteps where none exist?
Have 5 years of incessant carping from his coaches about interceptions and ball security made him too gun shy and risk averse? Have they weaned him of the gunslinger mentality that was a strength early in his career?
Is he the perfect plan B? I don’t know. What I do know is that you couldn’t put all your eggs in Anthony Richardson’s basket. Even if he irons out his mechanics and becomes the next Josh Allen, legitimate questions linger about his durability. Jones is a Quarterback who is capable of Carrying his team into the playoffs. He did it with the Giants, and if you give him enough support, he can do it in Indy.
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