Jaxson Dart constantly being in physical distress can’t be a Giants formula
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He spent time this past week expressing his excitement about playing in a relic venue, Soldier Field, against a “traditional organization” such as the Bears.
He recounted how when he was younger — he is just 22, keep in mind — he was impressed with the “elite defenses” one of the oldest franchises in the NFL regularly put on the field.
Dart also mentioned that the Bears were on his radar because he is a product of the same program in Utah — Roy High School — as Jim McMahon, the wild and carefree former Bears quarterback and Super Bowl winner.
Hmm.
Dart has a connection with McMahon.
Jaxson Dart walks off the field after the Giants’ Nov. 2 loss to the 49ers. Bill Kostroun for the NY Post
Is that why he always wears a headband under his helmet, to copy McMahon’s famous — and sometimes infamous — headwear accessory?
“No,” Dart said.
Then he smiled and shrugged. “It keeps the hair out of my face.”
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What we are learning is that Dart is his own guy.
Jaxson Dart gets tackled during the Giants’ loss to the 49ers on Nov. 2. Charles Wenzelberg
He has enlivened a fan base tired and weary of losing, but he has been unable to lift a team tired and weary of losing out of the doldrums.
Dart is 2-4 as a starter, and the Giants take a three-game losing streak into what is expected to be a cold and wet afternoon for all concerned.
Dart at least makes the Giants worth watching, as he is assured of being on the scene in 2026, unlike his head coach, Brian Daboll, and Joe Schoen, the general manager who engineered the bold trade to get him with the 25th-overall pick in the 2025 draft.
What is not assured is Dart’s health and well-being.
He plays as if every game could be his final game and throws his body around as if on every snap a trip to the championship is at stake.
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At the conclusion of last week’s 34-24 loss to the 49ers, Dart sat on the bench, slumped over, looking as if he was in physical distress.
Shea Tierney, the quarterbacks coach, put his arm around Dart.
“It’s a football game,” Dart said three days later, when asked to explain that scene. “I feel good and excited for this week.”
The Giants are 2-7.
No help arrived at the trade deadline, and their team is their team.
They need to keep Dart upright and healthy, as every pass or read or run is a learning experience.
He cannot receive this education from the sideline.
Dart and Daboll are asked about this every week, and both tend to react as if the question is a bit off-putting.
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As in: Don’t you see we’re competing out here?
Dart does slide to protect himself, but only when absolutely necessary.
“That’s definitely something that when you watch the tape back on, you try to think of those moments where you can save your body, a hit or not,” he said. “At the same time, it’s really hard for me in those moments because I just want to compete. Ultimately, I just want to score.”
Ultimately, that is what Dart did down the stretch last week, with the Giants trailing 34-17 and clearly not going to win the game.
With 1:56 remaining, Dart on third-and-10 took off on a scramble and raced to the left sideline.
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He seemingly had the 10 yards he needed for the first down on the 49ers 24-yard line — the Giants would have gone for it on fourth down anyway — and instead of running out of bounds, he cut inside and took a hit, actually delivered a blow on linebacker Tatum Bethune.
This contact could have been avoided.
“Close, yeah, I mean, I don’t know,” Daboll said. “He’s running, you’re going to ask a player to look and see — I mean, he’s a competitive guy. I have confidence in the decision-making that he makes. If there are some that we think we can pull back on and learn from, that’s what we try to do. But I’m not going to second-guess a guy out there that’s competing and playing and has good vision and awareness and instincts. I wouldn’t take that away from him.”
It sounds and looks as if Dart will not allow anyone to take that away from him.
“No,” he said, “I’m going to play the game the way I want to play the game.”
For as long as he is physically able to do it, that is.
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