Missing two games with a concussion won’t change Jaxson Dart’s game.
The rookie returned to the lineup Monday night against the New England Patriots and had an almost immediate explosion. On a first-quarter run up the sideline, Dart refused to step out of bounds, was tackled by Christian Elliss and sent flying into the bench. It was a legal hit, but Dart’s teammates took exception, as tight end Theo Johnson was flagged for the foul.
“Look, I understand the question, but this is football,” he said following the 33-15 loss via the team’s official release. “Like I get hit if I’m in the pocket or outside the pocket. I feel like I’ve played like that my whole life. It shouldn’t be a shock if you watched my career. We’re not playing football out here. You’re going to get hit. Things happen. It’s just part of the game.”
Dart added that the hit “didn’t hurt, so it didn’t cross my mind.”
The Giants’ dynamic young quarterback was hit often Monday night, picking up two sacks and the Pats had seven QB hits on 24 pass attempts. Dart also rushed four times for 20 yards. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 139 yards with one touchdown.
The quarterback has been a breath of fresh air for a franchise that has been living in the basement for the past decade. However, there are concerns that his style of play will not give him a long career. He has been checked for concussions in multiple games this season before missing the last two tilts with symptoms.
Dart was adamant he doesn’t need to change style, nor is he willing to consider that approach for fear it would hamper his game.
“My body feels good. I was knocked out of the game against Chicago by accident,” he said. “You look at the hit, I lose control of the ball and I don’t take it because I’m trying to get the ball back. It’s not because of the hit. It’s because I lost the ball. So like in other leagues, you take new steps, there are bigger and faster players. My body feels good. I’m going to play an attacking game if I just want to be aggressive, not just an attacking game. The game. I feel like we have an advantage to use the legs.”
Interim coach Mike Kafka didn’t check the game from his quarterback, even the big hits.
“Obviously you don’t want him to take any unnecessary hits, but he was working his way out of bounds,” Kafka said.
Dart insisted he doesn’t need to change the way he plays, noting that he slipped in a few runs.
“Like I said, I played like this my whole life,” he said. “Turn on my high school tape, turn on my college tape, it’s not a shock to anybody. That’s how I’ve played. I felt like if you just watch the game, like I slid. I dodged a lot of hits, so you’re going to get hit. That’s football.”
Still, NFL players are bigger, faster, stronger than anything Dart has faced, even in his SEC days.
It’s natural for a player to want to hold on to the aspects of the game that make them powerful. But it will take growth and maturity to avoid big hits to ensure he isn’t flashed on the head, like so many other quarterbacks before him.
“I told him earlier [Monday]be smart, protect us. Obviously, he’s not going to listen because he’s just so competitive, loves the contact,” Giants offensive lineman Jon Runyan said. “That’s just the way he is. We just have to keep talking to him. Maybe he’ll listen to us one day.”