'Worth every penny': How the Danny Dimes roller coaster doesn't faze Giants' Daniel Jones

TEMPE, Ariz. - Darren Waller recalls seeing the video highlight of Daniel Jones throwing a long touchdown pass to Darius Slayton last season, and their celebration was what he remembers most.

On that day, Jones used his head - literally - when he butted helmets with Slayton after their scoring connection went for 54 yards. The New York Giants quarterback broke out that again in Sunday's thrilling 31-28 comeback victory over the Arizona Cardinals, this time taking on the dome of Waller, now teammates with Jones and Slayton, among others in rallying Big Blue to overcome the largest deficit for the franchise since 1949.

"Yeah, he’s got that fire that’ll show up in big plays, big moments," Waller said of Jones' reaction after his 14-yard touchdown run represented the Giants' first points after 91 minutes, 17 seconds of scoreless ball. "But it’s also a fire that’s like, OK, it’s not going to take me out of just this play-by-play process."

The Giants were down 20-0 at halftime against the Cardinals on Sunday, one week after losing 40-0 to the rival Cowboys in the worst possible way to open a season with postseason aspirations.

The scene at the team's hotel here in Arizona a day later would have been much different had Jones not willed the Giants back into the game first, then to the win ultimately, as Waller said, play by play.

Jones eventually completed 26-of-37 passes for 321 yards in the second half as the offense came to life. He ran for a touchdown three plays into the third quarter, then fired two scoring strikes in the fourth quarter, including an 11-yard dart through traffic to Isaiah Hodgins in the end zone as Big Blue pulled even at 28 with 4:25 to go.

The Giants' defense got possession back and handed the game over to Graham Gano, who split the uprights from 34 yards out to punctuate the rousing albeit unexpected triumph.

And it was the way Jones not only carried the Giants, but also himself, in a way that brought about such the historic reality.

"I feel like there are so many opportunities in the NFL to ride the roller coaster if you want to, and I feel like he just refuses to get on it," Waller added. "If you look at, we’re like, what, 60-0 in our first six quarters? There are turnovers, there’s drives that aren't getting there [to the end zone], and it’s just like, you don't see him wearing it, you don’t see him pointing at other guys or getting mad on the sidelines. It's just eventually, as long as we keep plugging into this process and trying to do things the right way, it's going to turn for us. And that energy paid off and it’s something that you can follow."

When criticism from national pundits rained down on Jones as the conversation turned to the Giants, especially when the topic of the lack of a long-term, big money extension for Saquon Barkley came up, it's laughable to wonder why Jones gets dragged the way he does.

It's like people did not watch the Giants last season, when Jones emerged as the quarterback they believed he could be on the road to the playoffs and the first postseason victory for the franchise since Super Bowl XLVI 11 years prior.

None of that mattered, or so it seemed, in Week 1 when the Giants were ambushed by the Cowboys. Or again in the first half Sunday when Jones and the offense looked dazed and confused, struggling to find a rhythm.

That's when the reserved confidence for one of the NFL's most undeserving punching bags came out again, manifesting itself in his play on the field Sunday, and it's real, not imagined.

Now 26, Jones appears very comfortable (and capable) in ignoring what others say about him. He's not invested in social media the way many athletes are, leaving the trolls to fend for themselves in most cases.

And when the Giants needed him most, their season hanging in the balance in Week 2, Jones delivered. Even his one-time critics took notice and gave him his flowers.

“Daniel Jones showed everybody that he’s a big-time quarterback. You gotta give him all the respect in the world,” former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason said Monday during his show on WFAN. “Without him, they’re not winning that game. A guy came out and busted his ass to win a football game. Daniel Jones played that game in the second half like his life depended on it. ... Daniel Jones showed yesterday that he’s worth every penny."

Danny Dimes, facing head-on the impossible challenge of proving deserving of the $160 million contract the Giants gave him this offseason. That's not a conscious quest for Jones, of course, but there is no escaping that reality.

When the Giants take the national stage again Thursday night, without Saquon Barkley whose ankle sprain will keep him on the sideline in the immediate future, an anticipated week-to-week recovery pending, Jones will be under siege against the 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif.

San Francisco is one of the NFL's heavyweights and has looked the part over the first two weeks.

For Jones, belief in his game in his own locker room is palpable.

“It’s his calmness and his poise, his confidence in himself," said Giants wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins, who caught an 11-yard TD from Jones to tie the game at 28-28 with 4:25 remaining against the Cardinals. “You only act like that when you’re confident. You can’t be poised and lead a team if you’re not confident in yourself. He’s confident because he prepares his ass off the whole week. He’s one of the hardest workers, makes sure the wide receivers are on the same page as him. On the touchdown, he gave me that look and said, ‘Be ready.’"

Jones began his NFL career saddled with the reputation as a problem creator, and mostly of his own doing behind a suspect offensive line, with a receiving group bereft of game-breaking skill and a severe lack of coaching continuity. He was branded a turnover machine, and some still view him as such, even if - in his best season as a pro last year - Jones finished with the lowest interception rate of any starting quarterback in the league.

“When people say they played with a special quarterback or a really great quarterback, that’s how it feels to me,” Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton said of Jones. “He was just born that way. Some people just got it, and some people don’t. And he’s got it."

Jones has been around long enough to know exactly how much falls on him. It's a responsibility he accepts, and when things go poorly for the Giants, he's the player that wears the ugliness. That was the case inside State Farm Stadium when Brian Daboll threw the gauntlet down at the feet of his collective team at halftime.

Rookie wide receiver Jalin Hyatt provided the spark on the first play of the second half when he blazed up the field and hauled in a perfect strike from Jones on a post. Hyatt told Jones as they broke the huddle prior to that just "throw it" to the precocious 21-year-old and he'd make a game-changing play for him.

"You want guys like that. You want receivers that want the ball," Jones said of Hyatt, who caught two passes for 89 yards. "He’s had that same kind of confidence and desire to make the play. We’ve seen that since he got here really, so got a lot of trust and confidence in him, and he played well for us."

The 49ers are good enough to make things rough for Jones and the Giants Thursday. And if that happens, the Jones bandwagon outside the organization will start emptying again.

But as Waller suggested, Jones will do his best to not let the emotional roller coaster in this league define him.

“I think we always remain confident," Jones said. "Just getting back to simple execution: trusting it, seeing it and ripping it."

That was Daniel Jones at his best here Sunday, and now the Giants need him to do it again. And again.

"Daniel doesn't attract a lot of attention to himself in any type of way," Waller said. "He's just like, ‘Hey, let's play ball at a high level and enjoy doing it,’ and I love being around guys like that."

It's a mindset, a mentality, and the biggest comeback in 73 years for the Giants came with its spoils, not to mention a much-needed victory and a well-earned celebration that Jones helped deliver.

"I’m all for it. That’s a headbutt that I’ll willingly receive," Waller said with a laugh. "But yeah, that’s just being in the moment and enjoying big plays."

Life as the quarterback of the New York Giants demands he does it again Thursday night, of course; yet no more than Daniel Jones demands that of himself, which is what those who know him best respect the most.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Daniel Jones: NY Giants comeback was worthy showcase for Danny Dimes