Giants' QB Jaxson Dart tries to emulate Eagles' Jalen Hurts
Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, left, and Philadelphis Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Credit: AP
At the NFL Combine, Jaxson Dart was asked which quarterback he tries to emulate most. He picked Eagles star Jalen Hurts.
“He’s been somebody that I’ve tried to resemble my game after just because of his versatility,” Dart said at the time. “Being able to run and throw the ball, and just how strong he is in the pocket.”
Dart will get a closer look at Hurts this week when the Giants host the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. The rookie elaborated Tuesday on how much he admires the reigning Super Bowl MVP, not just for his play, but also his leadership and competitive nature.
“I love his mentality, his everyday accountability of himself and, at the same time, raising the bar for his teammates,” Dart said after the Giants’ walkthrough. “That was something, as an early college player, being able to look up to guys like that. It's going to be really cool to be on the same field with him and be able to compete against him.”
At 6-2, Dart’s an inch taller than Hurts and both weigh 223 pounds. Hurts uses his mobility when needed and Dart is learning to do that too, as he’s not shy about running the ball.
They also have another thing in common: being tutored by Brian Daboll. The Giants coach was Alabama’s offensive coordinator in 2017 when the Crimson Tide won the national championship during Hurts' sophomore season.
Daboll gave his former quarterback brief but glowing praise while breaking down the Eagles.
“He's a winner. Been a winner his entire life,” Daboll said.
Hurts is no stranger to struggles. From being benched in the national championship game at Alabama to losing his first Super Bowl appearance, he’s had to develop poise on a national stage. It helped fuel him to lead the Eagles to their second Super Bowl championship last season.
For Dart, he’s dealing with adversity after his first loss as an NFL starter, where he was quick to blame himself and take ownership of his mistakes. It’s made him eager to face Hurts and study him more in person.
It also reminded Dart of how he respects Hurts’ ability to raise his teammates’ confidence after a loss.
“I think that the culture that they've built, regardless of them being in really tight games, I think that in those situations, it comes down to the leaders of the team [and] him being able to go through adversity during games, during a season, and just being able to rally the guys,” Dart said.
Banks’ struggles
Deonte Banks played a season-low eight snaps in Sunday’s loss, thanks in part to the cornerback being flagged for a pass interference penalty that negated an interception by Jevon Holland.
Banks already lost his starting job to Cor’Dale Flott but is continuing to rotate with Flott by coming in on third-down plays. It’s had mixed results, with Banks getting burned on a 38-yard touchdown in Week 4 against the Chargers.
The former first-round pick’s been flagged for four penalties , with two declined. Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said the rotation between the two will continue on a week-to-week basis.
“It's going to be an ongoing evaluation for us,” Bowen said Monday. “Again, I think they both have done some good things. It's just continuing with the consistency play-in and play-out, and really that goes for everybody.”
Banks, however, has found success on kickoff returns the last two games. He had a 46-yard return Sunday after a 33-yard return in Week 4.
It might be his saving grace. Flott has performed better on defense this season, yet both Bowen and Daboll remained committed to playing the two for the foreseeable future.
“Hopefully we can work out the kinks and become a little bit more consistent and not have those plays that put us in harm's way,” Bowen said.
Blue notes
WR Darius Slayton (hamstring), T Jermaine Eluemunor (back), LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (hamstring) and LB Swayze Bozeman (ankle) didn’t participate in the Giants’ walkthrough. Daboll said he thought Eluemunor would be okay for Thursday but Slayton, Bozeman, and Flannigan-Fowles would be closer to game-time decisions.
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
