We have seen Jaxson Dart, the passer. We have seen Jaxson Dart, the runner, the scrambler, the team spokesman and the young leader.
Now get ready for Jaxson Dart, the recruiter.
At Ole Miss, Dart took great delight in convincing players to come play for the Rebels. Those on the scene in Oxford, Miss., insist he was really, really skilled at it. Dart has a new challenge ahead of him, and he wants to embrace it wholeheartedly. When free agents consider coming to the Giants, Dart wants to be there, showing them the way.
Is he a good salesman?
“I’m the best,” Dart said Monday, and broke into a big smile.
Dart had plenty on his plate in his rookie season and he handled his myriad responsibilities with aplomb. He completed 63.7 percent of his passes and accounted for 24 touchdowns — 15 passing, nine rushing — in 12 starts. For a first-year quarterback, those are superior numbers.
“For me, I care more about the win-loss record than any statistic or anything I do individually,’’ Dart said.
That is where Dart and the Giants ran into trouble. They were 4-13 and Dart went 4-8 as the starter.
“The forefront in my mind is how can I be the best to flip our record from what it was this year to make sure we’re in the playoffs and in a better situation to go to the NFC championship next year,’’ Dart said.
Despite all the focus — too much so, really — with Dart’s running and aggressiveness on the field, he held up just fine from a physical standpoint. He missed two games in concussion protocol but absorbed big hits without flinching.
He does need to take a break, though. Dart said he will take a few weeks off “just to decompress’’ and spend time with his family and younger siblings. He has quarterback coaches in California, and when he is ready to get back at it, he will head to the West Coast to work with them.
Go behind the scenes with Big Blue
Sign up for Inside the Giants by Paul Schwartz, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.
Thank you
“Jaxson continued to grow each and every week,’’ interim head coach Mike Kafka said. “Going through the ups and downs of a season, the ups and downs of a young player, those are going to happen. But I think he never really batted an eye in terms of when things went bad, he never really took the wrong direction. He always saw it as an opportunity for growth, an opportunity to continue to get better.
“And I really am proud of him for doing that. It’s not easy to do, particularly when you’re getting criticized from every single different angle. But he never really listened to that. He focused on himself, he focused on the team, he focused on making him a better player for that team, and we needed him to. It gives me all the confidence in the world in the type of player he’s going to be.’’
When the time is right, Dart will use his motivational expertise to try to convince others to come to the Giants.
“Absolutely,’’ he said. “I feel that’s kind of the role of a quarterback, especially if you want to be the best. For myself, I want to be involved in any way that I can and do my part in anything that will be an option. I want to win, so that’s really just my goal.’’
