There will be a new coach for Jaxson Dart, so have the New York Giants failed him? Plus, the Jets may have regrets about trading away so much talent.
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Despite Jaxson Dart’s success, the New York Giants were failing and fired their head coach. Despite being ‘great’ players, the Jets traded away star talent. Will the Giants keep Dart the same? Will the Jets have regrets? This is our New York football hour for NFL week 11 and both teams are looking to the future, no matter how grey or gloomy it may be.
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We are faced with the truth that none of us want to accept. The only way through is through, so let’s feel everything and bite the proverbial bullets. Literally everyone is asking, outsiders are laughing or averting their eyes, but someone must step up to the podium and fire back. Tough questions require hard answers.
New York Giants and Jets: NFL Week 11
1. Will Jaxson Dart continue to play this way with a new head coach?
Todd Salem: Another week, another double-digit blown lead with less than six minutes to go in the game. We know the team failed to close yet again; the defense collapsed yet again. Brian Daboll lost his job because of it. The firing itself felt kind of inevitable. The timing surprises me, but not if you take it in tandem with the other outcome that happened yet again. Jaxson Dart suffered another concussion.
His play style thus far as a young rookie has been to run and run often. He gets given designed runs; he decides to run on option plays; he tucks and runs on pass plays that don’t develop. Dart has been a rookie revelation thanks in large part to his production on the ground.
And yet, this is now three games he’s been knocked out of due to injury for at least some length of time. In Week 10, the symptoms were bad enough to not allow him to return, and his future availability remains in doubt.
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The common refrain is that the coaching staff, as well as Dart’s decision-making, was failing him. The staff called too many designed runs first and foremost. Secondly, coaches are not indicating the vital importance of avoiding unnecessary hits. In combination with Dart’s desire to be/act tough, the results are not good: one injury after another, including multiple concussions in two months.
So, the opinion must be obvious here. The “new” regime under interim coach Mike Kafka has to change the way Dart plays, right? I think I may be in the minority, but I actually think having Dart run a lot is the best use of him, and his best chance at becoming an NFL star.
There was a play in the first quarter where the Giants were going for it on fourth down. The play call was a QB rollout. The play ended with Dart getting swallowed by multiple defenders. But I actually use this example as a great use of his athleticism. Let him roll out to extend the passing window (though closing off the far side of the field) and look to make a play. He decided to tuck it after not finding a throwing option he liked. It was fourth down, so he couldn’t throw the ball away. He got crunched.
To me, that’s a good idea for play-calling with Dart behind center. The goalline play on the Giants’ first touchdown was a designed QB counter. The second touchdown was an option run that Dart decided to keep. He is successful because of this very threat.
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The only thing to change is taking unnecessary hits. Last week, Dart was running toward the sideline and lowered his shoulder into the defender to make a statement. A better statement to make would’ve been one of common sense and sliding out of bounds unharmed.
Going back to that fourth-down play in the first quarter against Chicago. If that had been a second-down play, would Dart have reacted the same way? I think yes, which is the problem. A throwaway isn’t a failure if it keeps future options open and sustains health.
Other than those types of decisions, is it crazy to say this style is just the best use of Dart’s talents? He may keep getting hurt, a la Jayden Daniels. But look no further than the opponent in this game. Caleb Williams won the game with his legs in the fourth quarter. Dart is not a franchise quarterback without that aspect of his game, and a new head coach has a big decision to make (among all the other big decisions): do you change the way Dart plays and risk having him flame out of the league entirely or let the kid cook…and risk having him forced out of the league by injury?
Dan Salem: Jaxson Dart is injured and if the Giants are smart, they will protect him like a prized sheep among wolves until this lost season is over. I’m dubious of how things will work out for Dart, because New York is setting him up for disaster. Changing coaches on a rookie or sophomore QB almost always ends in that QB failing, especially when that QB was succeeding with the now fired coach. The QB may succeed elsewhere, but they usually fail with their current team.
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Dart should not change his play style, but he does need to get smarter because the reckless abandon of a rookie will doom his career. It leads to injury from unnecessary hits. The issue will be whether the new coach sees Dart as the right fit for his new offense. We all assume Daboll coached Dart to his current success, but hopefully we’re wrong. Hopefully Dart is just very good and New York can maintain some level of continuity within the coaching staff, even if the head coach changes. Hopefully.
My experience with the Jets tells me that Dart won’t be good until his next team, because I witnessed the Jets ruin multiple QBs, like Geno Smith and Sam Darnold, simply by changing coaches. Now I’m sure there are plenty of examples where a new coach only strengthens the current QB. New England this year comes to mind. But it’s an up-hill climb nonetheless, so allowing Dart to keep playing how he has been, which has been successful, is crucial. That or draft a new rookie, which truly sounds insane, but is not without precedent.
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2. Should the New York Jets regret worsening the team?
Todd Salem: Last week, the Jets pulled a hard reset, traded away their best players for draft picks, and indicated they are not concerned about winning games the remainder of the 2025 season. Then, on Sunday, they won their second game in a row!
Special teams were obviously the deciding factor for New York, but this game actually saw all their best laid plans materialize. The team ran for 127 yards on the ground, with Breece Hall breaking big plays out of the backfield. Meanwhile, the defense swam in the Cleveland backfield all day, finishing with six sacks and 10 tackles for loss. THIS was the team everyone imagined the Jets being to start the year.
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So, was it simply a case of facing the Browns, or does this team suddenly have something? This is now two wins in a row, bookending the bye week.
I await your insider opinion, but from the outside, the answer seems obvious. The Jets were fortunate to score twice on special teams. That isn’t a game plan. Otherwise, the offense was pretty much completely stonewalled outside of two big Hall plays. Justin Fields was horrendous again.
The defense was superb even after jettisoning arguably its two best players, but this comes against one of the weakest offenses in the sport. Will McDonald had himself a career day; he hasn’t had any type of lasting impact throughout the other 10 weeks. If you could rely on this unit being one of the best in the league against all opponents, I’d say it’d be a shame to tear it down. However, that was not the case. The evidence was to the contrary, that this group did not mesh under Aaron Glenn, even if they could bust out great play every once in a while.
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I’d be intrigued by a team that was elite on defense and elite on the ground offensively. Dismantling that would be sad. That wasn’t the ’25 Jets, hence the teardown.
Dan Salem: I’m not sure it was legitimately possible to “worsen” these New York Jets. They were so dysfunctional, especially on defense, that nothing they did could truly make things worse. If anything, by trading two star defenders the Jets have actually created two positive situations for the team.
New York has provided an opportunity for the rest of the unknown defensive players to step up and potentially shine in the current Jets defense. Remember, the unit they had was inherited. It was not playing well, nor was it stopping anyone from scoring. Just because you are a Pro Bowl talent, does not mean you are the best fit for this team’s defense. Giving new guys a chance will only help this team for the present and future. Like I said, it could not really get worse than how the Jets defense had been playing.
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The second positive is hope for those guys still calling themselves Jets. New York has a load of draft capital, meaning it can literally do whatever it wants in free agency and the draft. We talked before about how the Jets felt directionless and without a plan for the future. These deals have provided the team with a plan, giving it flexibility to actually shape a winning roster. Hope goes a long way and now the Jets have it.
Bottom line, this team hit rock bottom and needed to clean out the rot, even if that meant cleaning out your “best” guys. You’ll notice the Jets did not trade anyone on offense, because they are having a very good offensive year, despite not having a QB who can throw the ball well. What wasn’t working was the defense, so they looked to the future and made smart moves. New coaches and new GMs have this luxury, future planning. With another win following the deals, it would seem that perhaps nothing was lost and everything was in fact gained.
Meet our Sports Writers:
Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.
Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.
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Photo Credits: espn.com via Getty Images
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