Russell Wilson wasn’t shy in admitting that his debut with the New York Giants didn’t go well, which only confirms what the numbers already showed. Going 17 of 37 for 168 yards with multiple stall-outs in the red zone was about as inauspicious as it could get in the 21-6 loss to the Washington Commanders.
He’s getting another chance on Sunday for Big Blue’s Week 2 matchup in Dallas against the Cowboys, but Jaxson Dart is nipping at his heels, and a desperate head coach, Brian Daboll, who is trying to save his job this season, will turn to the rookie sooner rather than later if necessary.
“I think that you embrace challenge,” Wilson said when asked about Dart looming behind him on the depth chart. “I don’t think I run from challenges. I don’t think I run from anything. I know how confident I am in myself… I never blink, guys. That’s the thing about me. I just know who I am and know what I bring to the table.”
It wasn’t until Monday that Daboll named Wilson the starter, dodging the initial questions directly after Sunday’s season-opening loss in Landover.
“He just said it’s people trying to make noise and this and that,” Wilson added.
But the noise is only being amplified by Daboll, who is not shy to talk about Dart and his impending NFL debut.
“Each day we’re trying to groom him, and when he has to play, he’ll be ready to play,” Daboll said. “As a young quarterback, there’s so many different things that you’re going to have to go through. There’ll be ups and downs, but in terms of the process that we’re doing with him, each day, he does a little bit better. Meetings, protections, show team. We’ll continue to do that.”
Dart is running the scout team, which gives the defense a look at how, in this case, the Cowboys might attack them on Sunday afternoon. He then gets a couple of snaps with the first team, followed by a run-through of the Giants offense’s “script” for gameday. He then stays after practice and works through that script by throwing to receivers.
This, obviously, would not be the course of action if Daboll didn’t think that Dart was ready to break through. The only way to keep him No. 2 on the depth chart is for Wilson to step up his and the Giants offense’s game.
“I didn’t play good enough,” Wilson admitted. “I think you always want to play better. Obviously, whenever you don’t win, you always feel like there’s more to do. I think that’s the biggest thing, and just focus on playing it great this week.
