Daniel Jones: Young New York Giants Quarterback's Maturity Impressing Teammates

Daniel Jones is still just a rookie at the NFL level but has already shown maturity well beyond his years. The 22-year-old supplanted Eli Manning to lead the New York Giants offense earlier this season and has impressed coaches, teammates and pundits alike.

In his most recent outing, Jones threw for 322 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He is just the second rookie in NFL history to record such numbers in a single game during their debut campaign, ESPN reported.

However, it isn't just his statistics that impress teammates but how he goes about his business even when the going gets tough. In the first quarter of that game against the Detroit Lions, Jones committed a fumble in the first quarter which the defense returned for a touchdown.

The rookie didn't let that mistake get inside his head and went on to post those incredible numbers in the three quarters which followed. That cool head will serve him well at the NFL level.

Another great example came in his first outing this season against the Dallas Cowboys. He attempted a late-game run out of the pocket and chose not to step out of bounds. The result was a huge Leighton Vander Esch hit which forced a fumble.

Since then, Jones has taken care to avoid such tackles by either sliding or stepping over the sidelines. This maturity is just as impressive as his production.

"There [are] areas in each game where he has shown improvement just playing quarterback," New York Giants head coach Pat Shurmur told ESPN. "Just focused on [Sunday], I think we had the play where he gets hit, the ball goes backwards and it becomes a fumble, but he stays in the moment and he just keeps playing. I keep saying this each week, but he's tough and he's resilient and he competes, and he fights and he tries to do everything right."

So far this season, Jones has ten touchdown passes and seven interceptions to his name. That puts the 22-year-old on pace for 23 TDs and 16 picks. There is certainly room for improvement there, but the quarterback is drawing near-universal praise for how he's going about his job.

"He's being more vocal. He's communicating with receivers. He's pushing the offensive line. His energy driving down the field and trying to finish drives is going up," said tight end Evan Engram. "He's just coming out of his shell. ... It's noticeable and contagious. It's something that he's going to grow into."

Veteran receiver Golden Tate is equally impressed with his greenhorn quarterback. He told the media after Sunday's loss that Jones is frequently communicating with his receiver corps not only during games but at night as well.

"I think that is important," Tate said. "I think we're doing a better job. I don't think we have it figured out. We have to keep working to get this thing right."

Even pundits are singing the young man's praises. Former Giants quarterback Phil Simms, for example, has nothing but plaudits for the rookie saying, "I don't hear any dissension from all the people that I'm around in business, work with, behind the scenes. In fact, I hear the opposite. 'Wow, OK, he looks like the really stable, productive quarterback that is going to stand the test of time too.' I surely don't look at him and go, 'He's having a good streak here.' I see him as very capable."

The 2-6 Giants have no real playoff chances this season. However, should Jones and his offense continue their progress, they will have high hopes for next season and beyond.