The Giants are telling Jaxson Dart the same thing after the bye week that they were telling him before the bye week:
Slide and get out of bounds.
Interim offensive coordinator Tim Kelly reiterated ahead of Sunday’s home game against Washington that the most important thing for Dart is “his ability to still be aggressive without being reckless.”
Kelly said he thinks Dart has done that well for the most part, but he hammered home the importance of understanding that Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss’ huge hit on the Giants quarterback in their last game was clean and legal.
And it was Dart’s responsibility, Kelly said, to avoid it.
“I talked to him about it,” Kelly said Thursday. “He’s got to get out of bounds.
“He’s got to get everything he can and make sure he’s clearly out of bounds so he’s not exposing himself,” he added. “That was a clean hit.”
Dart understandably has grown tired of the constant discussion about his reckless running.
It’s the same talent he was praised for earlier this season. The Giants leaned into it by calling plenty of designed quarterback runs. And he was only scrambling in New England on that play because his pass protection had collapsed.
No one is talking about that.
Regardless, Dart’s four rushing attempts against the Patriots were his fewest in a game in his young NFL career. That appeared to be design, with Dart standing in the pocket longer and interim head coach Mike Kafka clearly leaning legs on his quarterback’s legs.
And with four games remaining, Dart is still out to prove that he can be productive in this new construct with Kafka at head coach since Brian Daboll’s firing.
His first game back from a concussion in New England saw Dart complete 17 of 24 passes for only 139 yards and a touchdown, along with 20 rushing yards in a 33-15 blowout loss.
So Dart reviewed his film from this season during the bye week to see where he can improve down the stretch.
He liked what he saw for the most part. Now, according to his coaches, it’s about staying on the field to maximize his talents.
“I felt like my decision making has been pretty good, not putting the ball in harm’s way,” Dart said this week. “Situationally, I felt like I didn’t really try to force things too much. I kind of just tried to let the game come to me, and so I was happy with that.
“I was happy with our offense,” he added. “I don’t feel like we take a ton of negative plays, so those were good things. Obviously, the Patriots game was a tough one, but I feel like as an offense, we’ve been able to be pretty explosive and do some good stuff.”
GILLAN INJURED ON KOO NON-KICK
Giants punter Jamie Gillan injured his left knee while getting tackled after Younghoe Koo’s aborted field goal attempt in Week 13 at New England.
“I think it just flared up in the Patriots game, happened and flared up there,” Kafka said Thursday. “I think it was that one where he kind of banged his knee a little bit, played through it. And then [he was] just kind of working through the inflammation and soreness.”
Koo said he didn’t swing his leg on the field goal attempt because he saw the ball move slightly on Gillan’s hold. Gillan, who has had a tough season already, pulled the ball and tried to make something out of the play but was injured while being wrestled to the ground.
Special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said what happened with Koo “doesn’t happen very often.”
“It’s certainly something that we don’t want to happen, and we’ve certainly got to be cleaner in that regard,” Ghobrial said. “Very unfortunate, but our guys are true pros and have responded the right way.”
The team signed veteran Cameron Johnston, a former Eagle, Texan, Steeler and Bill, to their practice squad. And Johnston appears to be in line to punt for the team on Sunday against Washington in his Giants debut as Gillan continues to sit out practice.
GIANTS CLAIM MILLER FROM BUCS
The Giants claimed wide receiver Ryan Miller, a key Tampa special teamer, off waivers from the Buccaneers on Thursday.
Miller, 25, has played 60% of the Bucs’ special teams snaps this season, and the Giants just gave up a 94-yard punt return touchdown to the Patriots’ Marcus Jones.
Ghobrial’s special teams units were a disaster in that loss, so it’s been a clear emphasis to clean that up entering this game against Washington.
GIANTS BANGED UP AFTER BYE
Despite the off week, several Giants players continue to sit out practice or remain limited.
Edges Kayvon Thibodeaux (shoulder) and Victor Dimukeje (knee), defensive linemen Rakeem Nuñez-Roches (ankle) and D.J. Davidson (illness), corner Nic Jones (shoulder) and Gillan did not practice Thursday.
Tight end Theo Johnson (toe), safety Tyler Nubin (quad), guard Greg Van Roten (shoulder) and wideouts Gunner Olszewski (concussion) and Beaux Collins (neck) were limited.
Several players were listed as full participants with injuries: corner Korie Black (biceps), offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu (calf), linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (neck/knee), corner Art Green (hamstring), linebacker Darius Muasau (ankle) and running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (hip).
