When the Giants drafted Daniel Jones back in April, there weren't many experts that liked the pic at all. But former Jets head coach and current ESPN NFL analyst Rex Ryan was a big fan -- one that went on air to say he'll be ready when it came time for him to take over for Eli Manning.
Well, with that day coming and going with a Giants win, Ryan went back on "Get Up" Monday morning feeling confident. Enough so, that after watching Jones in just one game, he said this:
"Greeny, I hate to say it: This is the best quarterback in New York," Ryan said to host Mike Greenberg, a big Jets fan.
So Ryan believes Jones, not Jets QB Sam Darnold, has the upper hand in the city right now. Darnold, of course, has over a full year of NFL experience and has proven his worth as the team's franchise quarterback. Jones must put together a bigger sample size to say the same for the Giants, but Ryan defended his claim.
Ryan admitted that he didn't think -- or want -- to see Jones this early in the season, but he lived up to everything he hoped he would
"The reason I'm saying it is because his fundamentals are much better," Ryan explained. "I love Sam Darnold, don't get me wrong. I still think he's going to be a tremendous player. But I think this guy right here, this guy's got competitive greatness in him and I think he's going to be a superstar."
Jones has a great debut, going 23-for-36 for 336 yards along with two passing and two rushing touchdowns in the 32-31 win. Darnold didn't have a debut like that -- 16-for-21 for 198 yards, two touchdowns and one interception -- but he drastically improved as the season went along.
While Darnold was ushered in immediately as the Jets' new starter, Ryan was hoping Jones actually got more time behind Manning.
"I mean nobody can see this coming. I'll be honest, I never wanted to see him come in this early in the season," he said. "But now I get why they did it. They realize what they have here, and you know what, he was ready to perform at this level sooner than I thought. I thought it was going to be the bye week, then he was going to come in. But I knew this kid had the markings of a superstar."
It was a bold claim that Jones was the right pick for the Giants back in April, but Ryan is taking it a step further saying he's the best quarterback in New York right now. Once Darnold returns from mono (which looks like it will be Week 5), he might have a little extra fuel to prove he's got that spot atop the throne in this city.