Giants rookie QB Jaxson Dart ready to prove himself

NEW YORK — Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart is eager to make his NFL preseason debut today at the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. "There's no light that's too bright to play in," Dart, 22, said after Thursday's final practice before his first game. "I'm not scared. When I go out there, I'm gonna play the game I know how to play. … I think if you're gonna play scared as a quarterback, you shouldn't be out there." Dart's play in training camp has been up and down. He looks like a young, developing quarterback with upside, which is exactly what he was labeled before the Giants traded up to draft him in April's first round. The Ole Miss standout also has a reputation for being a gamer, though, for being a competitor who elevates with his instincts and abilities once the ball gets kicked off. That's what is so exciting about Saturday for the Giants: Dart welcomes the spotlight and the pressure and appears geared up to do whatever it takes. "Absolutely," Dart said of relishing the bright lights. "I don't think you can be an elite competitor if that's not your mindset, if that's not how you approach everything. As a kid, you watch the stars on the biggest stages, and that's what people remember forever. That's always been something I've looked up to, and I want to make my own lane." Dart will have his work cut out for him, however, to make a strong first impression. He will be facing the Bills, one of the NFL's Super Bowl favorites, on the road in a hostile environment. And he will be doing it behind an offensive line with the likes of Josh Ezeudu, Stone Forsythe and rookie Marcus Mbow at tackle. Bills coach Sean McDermott revealed that most of Buffalo's starters will play "give or take" one quarter on Saturday, with the exception of star QB Josh Allen. Jameis Winston presumably will start the game for the Giants at quarterback and eventually give way to the rookie, since Brian Daboll seems likely to sit a lot of his projected starters. But Dart is excited to try to help the team win whenever he goes in, and he said he is not paying attention to being listed third on the Giants' initial unofficial depth chart behind Russell Wilson and Winston. "I don't look at it that way," Dart said. "I'm just coming to work every single day trying to compete. You never know when your number's gonna be called on. We have a great quarterback room, and any guy can go out there and win games. … At the end of the day, we just want to come in and win as a team." As Dart applies his practice habits to game action, he admitted he is still "learning when I can do something, when I can't do something" in Daboll's offense, since he has so much freedom and so many options as the QB. During his more challenging practices or plays, Dart has tended to hold on to the ball too long. So releasing the ball quickly should be an emphasis against a real pass rush for the first time. Still, Daboll challenged the characterization of Dart holding the ball too long and said it's by design to take advantage of Dart's mobility and improvisational skills. "Some of it's pretty good what he's doing. Some of it is pretty good," Daboll said. "Again, is he sacked? Is he not sacked? There's plenty of plays where he's holding it and making a good amount of loose plays, which are hard to defend in this league. You always talk about defending the first play, and then when you have mobile quarterbacks or guys that can do stuff with their legs and their arm, that's the second play, which is really God-given talent for a lot of these guys in this league. A lot of the good ones are able to do that. "I don't discourage that one bit," Daboll added. "Are there times where you drop back and you're in the pocket and you're holding and here comes the rush and you got to make a quick decision on whether to throw it away, use an outlet, scramble? I think there's been a lot, a number of times throughout camp. It'll be important in the preseason to see how it unfolds, where he's buying time because he's able to buy time or he's able to scramble out of the pocket and keep the play alive and hold onto it a little bit longer." Daboll explained that holding the ball and scrambling to keep a play alive often helps "generate some big plays" but at the same time, "you also risk having some negative plays." "There are definitely some learning experiences with that that'll be important in the preseason," he continued, "but there's also a lot of good things that come from that relative to scramble rules, loose plays, big plays down the field that he's pretty good at." There is no need to look any further than Allen, Daboll's former pupil, for a blueprint of how holding the ball and improvising can go right. Dart actually was able to connect with Allen in April after the Giants drafted him for advice on how to assimilate into the NFL and Daboll's offense. "I think the biggest thing is he talked a lot about leadership," Dart said of Allen. "That was kind of his main thing. And trying to be the best teammate for the guys around you. Because as the quarterback, you've got to raise the standard of everybody." Football-wise, Dart also said it's important to "trust" Daboll's offense and the answers it provides, rather than going rogue. Create within the structure, not outside of it. That's what he'll be focused on Saturday with his family in the stands for his landmark first game. "I want to be in my game, in my own space," he said. "I want to be able to encourage others and raise the play of the guys around me. And I just want to win. So whatever that takes when I'm out there on the field, that's my mindset."