We have not even reached October, but the New York Giants have officially turned the page. After a 0-3 start under veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, head coach Brian Daboll announced yesterday that rookie Jaxson Dart will be the team’s starter for the remainder of the season.
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Wilson, who threw two interceptions in Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, now serves as the backup, marking yet another humbling moment in the twilight of his career.
But not everyone is convinced Daboll made the right call. On the latest edition of Nightcap, Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe questioned the timing and logic behind starting a rookie so early in the season, particularly on the road.
“If it’s me, I’mma start him against the Chargers at home,” Sharpe argued. “I’m not going to start him on the road in a hostile environment.”
For Sharpe, the discourse around the Giants’ struggles was barely about Wilson and Dart. He seemed more concerned about whether Brian Daboll himself was being given too much credit as a so-called “quarterback whisperer.”
The podcast host made his point by pointing out that Josh Allen has only gotten better and even won an MVP award after Daboll left Buffalo. Meanwhile, Daniel Jones has looked far better in Indianapolis than he ever did under Brian Daboll in New York.
“So how much are we to deduce that Daboll might not be the quarterback whisperer we really thought he was?” Sharpe asked.
Sharpe believes that the QB change actually shows what’s really at stake: Daboll’s own job security. With the Giants coming off a 3-14 season and already winless this year, the head coach is firmly on the hot seat.
“Ideally, the rookie shouldn’t be starting,” he admitted. “But since this could be Daboll’s last season, he’s going to start the QB he drafted with the hopes that he does well enough to save his job.”
Sharpe also cited poor offensive line play and costly mistakes by the Giants this season, even noting Wilson’s ill-fated throw out of the end zone on fourth down. Still, in his words, “the quarterback… they get way too much credit and they take way too much blame.”
And whether Dart provides the spark Daboll desperately needs remains to be seen. Although, as Sharpe framed it, this wasn’t just about replacing Russell Wilson; it was equally about a head coach fighting to keep his job, even if it meant putting a rookie into the fire.
