Daniel Jones named starter vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The New York Giants have officially announced that Daniel Jones will replace Eli Manning as the starting quarterback on Sunday when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here is Pat Shurmur discussing the decision:

“Eli and I spoke this morning,” Shurmur said. “I told him that we are making a change and going with Daniel as the starter. I also talked to Daniel. Eli was obviously disappointed, as you would expect, but he said he would be what he has always been, a good teammate, and continue to prepare to help this team win games. Daniel understands the challenge at hand, and he will be ready to play on Sunday.”

Manning, except for one 2017 game when Geno Smith replace him, has started every game at quarterback for the Giants since the 10th game of the 2004 season. This season, he has completed 56 of 89 passes for 556 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for a passer rating of 78.7.

The Giants, though, have gone 0-2 and were not truly competitive, losing 35-17 to the Dallas Cowboys and 28-14 to the Buffalo Bills.

Shurmur promised on Monday that the organization would be “looking at everything” in an effort to get better.

“Ultimately, this is a move that I felt was best for this team at this time,” Shurmur said. “I have said it since I got here, I am very fond of Eli. His work ethic, his preparation, his football intelligence. All those attributes are as good as I have ever seen in a player. And Eli worked as hard as you could ask of anybody to get ready for this season. This move is more about Daniel moving forward than about Eli.”

The Giants won two Super Bowls with Manning at the helm, but the last several years have not been kind. The Giants have made the playoffs only one time since winning the 2011 Super Bowl and Manning’s career record as a starter is an even .500, 116-116.

Manning holds all of the Giants’ career passing records, including attempts (8,061, which places him sixth in NFL history), completions (4,860, sixth), passing yards (56,537, seventh) and touchdown passes (362, eighth).

Jones, selected sixth overall, had a tremendous preseason. In four games, he completed 29 of 34 passes (85.3 percent) for 416 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a glittering 137.2 rating.

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