When to bench DJ?

[kingm56]

In other threads, we talked about benching DJ; initially, I thought that was unfair and argued we should stick with him for at least two or three more games.  However, after reviewing DJ's last 8 games, the Giants are completely justified to bench DJ now, or during the Wash game. 

15   27   135   0   1   53
15   28   105   0   2   32
26   37   321   2   1   103
22   32   137   0   1   64
27   34   203   0   2   67
14   20   119   0   0   85
4   9   25   0   0   51
22   42   186   0   2   50


1. DJ hasn't thrown a TD pass in 7 of 8 games
2. In 6 of 8 games, he failed to eclipse 200 yards passing
3. Removing the Oak Game (he didn't finish the entire game), his averages are:
   20 Comp 31 Att 64% .28 TDs 1.3 INTs 64 RTG
4. This isn't about one game, DJ has been historically bad for half a season.

[coggs]

I think it all depends on the purpose of benching him.  I can't imagine anyone in that building really thinks Lock or DeVito is an answer.  Are they benching Jones just for the sake of benching him?  Are they benching him to give Lock or DeVito an extended look?  If it is just about putting the best QB on the field, well I still think Jones is the best QB.  Granted in this case, he is simply the tallest midget in the circus.  If the goal is to really tank the season and make sure they can draft a top-2, top-3 QB prospect then I agree we may see Jones through the first D*ll*s game and that's it.

[expatriot]

Might as well bench him now.  Not a lot of options on this team but just for the fans sake get him out of there.

[kingm56]

I think it all depends on the purpose of benching him.  I can't imagine anyone in that building really thinks Lock or DeVito is an answer.  Are they benching Jones just for the sake of benching him?  Are they benching him to give Lock or DeVito an extended look?  If it is just about putting the best QB on the field, well I still think Jones is the best QB.  Granted in this case, he is simply the tallest midget in the circus.  If the goal is to really tank the season and make sure they can draft a top-2, top-3 QB prospect then I agree we may see Jones through the first D*ll*s game and that's it.

That's a fair point; I forgot to include the impetus, which is to avoid a significant injury that guarantees his salary next year.  At some point, I don't want him to even dress, as to avoid any protentional of him consuming precious resources from next years team.  I just don't know the tripping point.  Are we already there?

[H-Town G-Fan]

I imagine they've had conversations about what the record has to be for them to avoid running into the injury guarantee. At 0-4, you've got an extremely remote chance of making the playoffs. 1-4 and 1-5 are not significantly better. Once you're at that point (no real chance of postseason), have to imagine you cut bait. The only thing worse than having such a pitiful season is letting DJ get hurt and having to pay him next year.

[Trench]

That's a fair point; I forgot to include the impetus, which is to avoid a significant injury that guarantees his salary next year.  At some point, I don't want him to even dress, as to avoid any protentional of him consuming precious resources from next years team.  I just don't know the tripping point.  Are we already there?

I'd rather bench him and root for the chicken cutlet guy

[coggs]

That's a fair point; I forgot to include the impetus, which is to avoid a significant injury that guarantees his salary next year.  At some point, I don't want him to even dress, as to avoid any protentional of him consuming precious resources from next years team.  I just don't know the tripping point.  Are we already there?

Forgot about that too.  In that case, start Lock this week.  F it.  Why risk having the guarantee Jones's money next season?

[DaveBrown74]

I imagine they've had conversations about what the record has to be for them to avoid running into the injury guarantee. At 0-4, you've got an extremely remote chance of making the playoffs. 1-4 and 1-5 are not significantly better. Once you're at that point (no real chance of postseason), have to imagine you cut bait. The only thing worse than having such a pitiful season is letting DJ get hurt and having to pay him next year.

Good points.

I would add that if you're 0-4, 1-4, or 1-5, not only are your chances of making the playoffs very remote, but your chances of actually doing something interesting in the playoffs in the extremely unlikely event you made it are even more remote still.

Not that just making the playoffs and getting eliminated in the first or second round isn't still a nice feat for a team in the state ours has been in for the last decade, but it's not anything anyone will care about or even remember in detail more than a year or two later or certainly not 5-10 years later. I'm not sure I'd risk having any more obligation to Jones spill into future years than necessary just for an iota of a chance of making the playoffs as a crappy 6 or 7 seed.

To answer the OP, it has clearly gotten pretty dire with this player. He was never good in the first place, but he has gone from subpar/mediocre to downright bad, basically ever since he got his contract. I'm not suggesting he has stopped trying hard once he got paid, and to be clear I do not think that, but that was, even if completely by accident, the turning point from being mediocre to being lousy.

I get the point about not benching him just to bench him, but Devito looked better than Jones last year and he also looked better than Jones in this preseason (or not as bad). I also think there are QBs on the street who may be better. I don't really think Lock would be an improvement, but might be better than what we saw today.

[kingm56]

I think H nailed it; the Giants will wait until they have little chance to making the playoffs.   

[AYM]

I imagine they've had conversations about what the record has to be for them to avoid running into the injury guarantee. At 0-4, you've got an extremely remote chance of making the playoffs. 1-4 and 1-5 are not significantly better. Once you're at that point (no real chance of postseason), have to imagine you cut bait. The only thing worse than having such a pitiful season is letting DJ get hurt and having to pay him next year.

I think Daboll would lose the locker room sooner than that.

[coggs]

I think H nailed it; the Giants will wait until they have little chance to making the playoffs. 

So they will bench him on Labor day.  Oh damn it.

[kingm56]

So they will bench him on Labor day.  Oh damn it.

LOL...I keep thinking he can't get much worse, than I look at his last 8 games, and realize he can. 

[H-Town G-Fan]

I think Daboll would lose the locker room sooner than that.

That's the latest I could see it happening. 0-3? Certainly possible. Think it hinges on how bad he is in the future. I'm kind of banking on the fact he doesn't look THAT horrible next week and maybe they scrape out a win against Washington.

[MrGap92]

Get DeVito snaps, let him grow a bit, avoid the injury guarantee, get your guy in 2025 draft whether its Beck, Sanders, Milroe, whoever it is then you have your starter and backup, get another vet if you want.


Tyrod and DeVito both looked infinitely better last year. OL is better, there's a #1 WR and a fine #2/3 in Wandale and Slayton, some young TEs and a serviceable RB, he has everything he needs to be at least halfway functional.

[Ed Vette]

They have to give him at least another start. If it becomes clear that a change would make an obvious difference, then do it by the third start. Bringing in a halftime replacement who is unprepared will just be counterproductive. If not by two games, definitely after the third game.

That said, I wonder how much of this bad showing is poor preparation for a QB who missed half the season and had about a quarter of game time since his injury via a preseason game. This was clearly the absolute worst game ever for Daniel Jones. You might have a clue watching Aaron Rodgers Monday Night. I would expect him to come out rusty too. Of course, the level of talent and confidence starts off in another stratosphere with Rodgers, so rusty might be tarnish and getting into rhythm in the second half.

His replacement is likely Drew Lock. He's getting paid five million to be the backup. In all fairness, he had two minutes of play time, as lousy as he looked in that preseason game.