00:00The Jackson Dart era got off to a good start as Big Blue.
00:03They got their first win of the season, 21-18 over the Chargers at MetLife Stadium in Week 4.
00:08So let's talk about the big win for the G-Men.
00:10We're going to do it with a veteran NFL reporter, the one and only Jocena Anderson joins me now.
00:15Jo, how you doing?
00:16I'm doing great. Just got here to AT&T Stadium for Sunday Night Football.
00:20Obviously Packers in town for the Cowboys.
00:22Michael Parsons returned to the place where he played most of his career.
00:26It's going to be a lot of drama there tonight.
00:28That's why I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me, Joe.
00:31And we saw Jackson Dart on Sunday throw for a touchdown.
00:35He also ran for a score in this game.
00:37What did you make of, one, the decision to start the rookie QB this week?
00:40And also, what did you make of his performance in his first career start?
00:44Well, it's kind of a dual thing for me because on one hand, you know, I do believe in true competition.
00:51And I think a three-game sample for Russell Wilson is not truly fair.
00:56It wouldn't be fair for Dart, and it's not fair for Russell Wilson.
00:59Now, whether I think he should have been brought here is a whole other story if the Giants were going to end up with Jackson Dart and you also acquired Jameis Winston.
01:08When you think about his performance right here at AT&T Stadium, week two, obviously throwing for 450 passing yards.
01:13I know the first start and the third start weren't as great, but he did face, I think, 55.3% of pressure on his dropbacks last week, which was third most in the NFL.
01:24And obviously, in the first week, he didn't have his left tackle in Andrew Thomas.
01:27So there's certainly explainable things there.
01:29Relative to the leash that Brian Dable is on and general manager Joe Shane, obviously, I thought the move made sense from that standpoint.
01:39And clearly, Jackson Dart did show some great flashes in the preseason, although preseason.
01:44But kudos to the Giants for getting a win, beating the Chargers 21-18, and gutting it out because it was for sure a necessary win.
01:53No, it was a necessary win.
01:54And Jackson Dart looked solid in this one.
01:56And while the vibes are good, Joe, from Giants fans about the victory, the team, they may have suffered a major loss because Malik Neighbors, he suffered a knee injury as he was trying to catch a ball down the sideline in the first half.
02:07He's feared, reports have come out to have torn his ACL.
02:11Neighbors is going to undergo an MRI on Monday.
02:13Now, this obviously would be a huge blow for the Giants if Neighbors misses any significant time.
02:17But how much would this hurt the development of Jackson Dart if Neighbors misses significant time?
02:23It's definitely a huge concern, potential huge blow.
02:29Obviously, they want to, you know, get it confirmed and get them under MRI to see exactly for sure what it is.
02:36You know, in this game, although it's a great win and everyone has to show up and you play to win the game and obviously you have to do that.
02:43But on the other hand, this was a big opportunity for the Giants to take advantage as, you know, the Chargers did not have Khalil Mack.
02:50They lost their second left tackle.
02:53And Joel, during the game, they were down to their third left tackle.
02:56And obviously, the team is coming from the West Coast.
02:59So just a confluence of circumstances that you do want to take advantage of.
03:02But my point is, is that moving forward, they're not necessarily always going to have that.
03:07You know, just like, you know, versus the Cowboys, even though they didn't win that game, you're not having that much of a pass rush.
03:12This game, there's some things to take advantage of, although obviously the Giants lost Neighbors as well.
03:16And clearly, he's just a deep threat.
03:18He's an alpha dog.
03:20You want that type of potent downfield weapon, you know, for the team.
03:24But who knows?
03:25Maybe this is an opportunity for them to, if Neighbors is injured, and obviously that's not something that you want.
03:30But if you do, that's the reality of the NFL.
03:32And maybe that's a call for someone like Odell Beckham Jr.
03:34Yeah, maybe it is for that.
03:36And also for Jackson Dart to get acclimated with his other receivers there in the receiving core.
03:42So we'll see how that plays out.
03:43Now, the Giants' defense, they were solid today, Joe, against the Chargers.
03:46Two takeaways that turned into 11 points for them.
03:49What impressed you about the Giants' defense here in Week 4?
03:52Well, I feel like this is the first time that I've seen them really just play with that whole group potency.
03:58And they were feeding off one another.
03:59You can tell that everyone on the team really felt like this win was necessary.
04:04And when you look at the roster and you look at the defensive line and the talent that they have there with Sexy Dexy and obviously with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeau and Abdul Carter, you were kind of waiting for the promise that we were seeing in the offseason.
04:18When is that going to show up in the game?
04:19And I really felt like they came together today.
04:21You know, but obviously there are some things that they're having to deal with as far as just having to be on the field or the offense getting off the field because it's a rookie leading the offense and then you lose a potent weapon in Malik Nabors.
04:35But certainly this is exactly what the Giants were hoping to see.
04:39And hopefully they can also see it throughout the duration of the regular season and trying to stack more wins because they do have the New Orleans Saints coming up.
04:47It's a perfect segue to where I wanted to go next, Joe.
04:50Last thing here, because the Giants, they want to keep these good vibes going.
04:53They're on the road next week.
04:54They'll be down in the big easy, as you just mentioned, against the Saints.
04:57What will you be keeping your eye on with the G-Man as they look to make it two wins in a row?
05:02Is it the continued good play from the defense?
05:03Is it another step for Jackson Dart?
05:06What are you keeping your eye on with the G-Man?
05:07Basically, just looking at the win column.
05:11They have to go down.
05:12There's just absolutely no way that they cannot get the win.
05:15As you know, in New York, all the wins and all the losses sometimes are short-lived.
05:20It's up and down.
05:21The sky is always falling in the New York with the New York media.
05:24And after getting this win, you certainly don't want to go to New Orleans and fall there with a team that is clearly in the middle of rebounding.
05:31And then having a short week right after that, you know, to play the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday at home as well with the team that just had a tough-fought win in Tampa earlier today, speaking of the Eagles, and having to go up against the defending Super Bowl champion.
05:46So you're either going to go down or you're going to be riding a nice wave coming into a very tough matchup in the NFC East against the Philadelphia Eagles right after that as well.
05:56All right.
05:56So what I hear there, Joe, is don't play with your food next Sunday if you're the Giants down in the Big Easy, although there's a lot of good food in the Big Easy, as you and I know.
06:05That is Josina Anderson, a veteran NFL reporter.
06:09Check her out everywhere.
06:10Also host of the exhibit.
06:11Please check that out as well.
06:13Joe, good to see you.
06:14Always a pleasure to talk some football with you.
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