The Daniel Jones nuances that have NFL alumni buzzing

Daniel Jones took the field Sunday for his first start and impressed just about everybody watching.

Including former NFL quarterbacks.

It wasn’t Jones’ arm or athleticism that stood out most to those who have been in his shoes, but what he had working underneath his helmet as he led the Giants to a 32-31, comeback win over the Buccaneers.

“I mean, what didn’t [stand out]?” longtime backup quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said Monday in a phone interview. “The understanding of where to go with the football was probably the most impressive thing. Yes, he was confident, but … he understood where to go with the football. He was never confused by anything. He never did not see pressure or a coverage. He was very much so prepared with what to do with the football.”

Not only did Jones do it well but he did it better than most.

“That is what impressed me the most, is that watching all the [quarterbacks] every week, I haven’t seen very many games that clean in regards to the reads and decision-making as he made,” Hall of Fame quarterback and NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner said Monday in a phone interview. “So for a first-start guy, a rookie guy, to have that said about him, to me, is way impressive.”

By the time Matt Gay’s kick sailed wide right as the clock expired, Jones had completed 23-of-36 passes for 336 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding four carries for 28 yards and two more touchdowns. Those kind of numbers — at least 300 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns — had not been reached by a rookie since 1970.

But the mental aspect of Jones’ game suggests it wasn’t just a lucky day at the office.

“He’s not perfect, but you never play the perfect game,” Warner said. “But my goodness, for a first start, I haven’t seen many more impressive from the standpoint [of making the right reads and throws].”

There are areas for Jones to clean up moving forward, like ball security, though neither Warner nor Orlovsky were overly concerned about that.

One of the throws that stood out to both former quarterbacks was Jones’ 7-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard. It was into double coverage in the end zone, but Jones’ throw led Shepard to where only he could catch it. Jones could have justified taking a shorter throw on the play, Orlovsky said, but instead was confident enough to go for the touchdown.

“For him to pull the trigger on third-and-five there when there was another option and to make the throw that he did, to pull Shep down away from the safety, when I watched it, I was like, ‘Wow,’ ” Orlovsky said.

Warner said Jones’ decision making was “probably his greatest strength” coming out of Duke. But Orlovsky thought he saw a different Jones on Sunday than he had when watching him in college.

“The fascinating thing is he never looked like this at Duke. He never did,” Orlovsky said. “In his 36 starts at Duke, he never looked like he was the most dominant player on the field. Except for a couple games against like a North Carolina Central or a Temple or something like that. But never did he look like, ‘Oh my gosh, this kid is the best player on the field and it’s not even close.’ At least not to me.”