Every fan wants their quarterback to look as if he’s in a video game, whipping the ball all over the field for high passing yardage. Or using dual-threat abilities to manufacture spectacular plays, many of which result in taking huge hits from the defense. The fans love it, but it’s hard enough for NFL quarterbacks to remain healthy when they aren’t testing the football Gods.
Bruce Arians Says Jaxson Dart Needs To Play Like Roy Rogers & Slow Down
Former Super Bowl head coach Bruce Arians agrees that NY Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart needs to change his style of play and expressed this on several platforms. On a recent episode of his podcast, “NO BS with BA” during a discussion about the high-flying rookie signal caller, Arians said:
“Your best ability is availability. “People put all this money into a quarterback for the franchise. For the city. For your teammates. Learn how to fken slide and get the hell out of bounds.”
He continued his rant as a guest on the “Pat McAfee” show.
Which brings us to the case of NY Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart, who has already missed time this season in concussion protocols because of his reckless style of play. The kid has moxie; he’s embracing the moment and the pressure of being the potential savior for Big Blue city. The hit he took the other night — a vicious sideline shot that lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing to the ground — drew widespread criticism.
Dart didn’t care. The brash rook doubled down on his style of play, telling reporters that “We’re not playing soccer.” The rookie insisted that he’s going to play his game, his way.
Arians is beyond qualified to speak on the subject. Known for his offensive genius, Arians was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2013 to 2017 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2019 to 2021. His staple is his aggressive play-calling and he’s a respected quarterback whisperer working with legends such as Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, among others.
“This aint college…These young QB’s, Jayden Daniels, “9”, and Jaxson Dart need to change how they play before they are all out of the league before their rookie contract ends,” Arians warned.
Jaxson Dart Should Follow QB Eli Manning Blueprint: NFL Record 210 Straight Games Played
Which also brings us to future Hall of Fame quarterback and New York Giants legend Eli Manning. Youth has its advantages, but so does age, intelligence and experience. Dart might want to take a page out of the book of the quarterback that Giants fans are hoping Dart can become in his wildest dreams.
Eli Manning should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year after missing first-ballot induction in 2025. While Eli has his detractors who claim he was never elite, his career statistics and two Super Bowl wins over Tom Brady and The Dynasty Patriots say otherwise.
He’s as great a playoff performer and crunch time captain as any QB to do it in NFL history. Eli Manning holds the record for the most passing yards in a playoff season throwing for 1,219 yards in the 2011 NFL playoffs. Despite the proof being in the pudding, there are still some uninformed members of the peanut gallery that say absurd things like Eli was average. Or he got lucky and won two rings.
Eli Manning Is Most Durable QB In NFL History: “Availability Is Invincibility”
These people overlook the fact that Eli Manning holds the record for the longest consecutive starts by a quarterback in NFL history, with a streak of 210 games. This streak began on November 21, 2004, and ended in November 2017 when he was benched by the New York Giants after a 2-9 start to the season.
Manning’s availability and consistency is what made him great. His availability is what put him in a position to defeat the undefeated Patriots and play at a Hall of Fame level every single time he had a real opportunity to advance to the Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson has two regular season MVPs. As dynamic and exciting a player as he’s been, Jackson hasn’t been able to get to a Super Bowl. He’s also missed some valuable time being injured during seasons that the Ravens had a great chance to go all the way if he remained healthy. Jackson played just 12 games in 2021 and 2022. We will never know what could have been because he wasn’t available.
“The maturation process of being an NFL quarterback is not just learning the playbook,” said NFL reporter Kimberly Martin on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Wednesday morning. “It is understanding that you have to grow up and that your livelihood is tied to everybody else. You have to be on the field.”
Young Quarterbacks Want $200M Contracts, Don’t Understand Importance Of Staying On The Field
Same goes for any other franchise that has to deal with injuries and absences to their team leader and highest paid player. From Jayden Daniels to JJ McCarthy to CJ Stroud to Tua Tagovailoa to Michael Penix, injuries have already offered setbacks to their promising careers. Very few quarterbacks are built for the long haul like Eli Manning, who took some vicious hits during his career, but had a survivor mentality that epitomizes greatness.
If there is any quarterback that Jaxson Dart hopes to emulate as he embarks on the task of leading the Giants back to contention and dealing with the wrath of fans. One thing that will always be respected is having a leader who can lead from the field through wins and losses. It creates a chemistry and control and calm that usually leads to some big time winning. But you have to stay on the field. Dart just needs to follow the blueprint.
