Phil Simms didn’t see this coming.
Jaxson Dart has won over the legendary Giants quarterback despite his doubts.
“I wasn’t crazy about Jaxson Dart, I will say this,” Simms said on The Post’s “Schein Time” show. “His personality, his talent, everything is much better than I expected. The throwing — he can throw with power. He has great touch if he needs that. He’s a really good decision-maker.”
Dart was 23-for-29 passing for 230 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the rousing Week 1 win over the Cowboys to start his second season in the NFL. The belief that he is in the midst of making a significant second-year leap is one of the biggest reasons there is newfound optimism around the Giants this year.
“The players love him and he knows how to react and act with all the guys,” Simms, who led the Giants to their first two Super Bowls, said. “And that’s just one of the reasons why when he talks, they all listen. So Jaxson Dart, man, he has been a big surprise for me, how well he’s played.”
Simms is just as impressed with Dart’s off-the-field personality as he is with his on-field traits.
“I actually talked to him and interviewed him a couple of times,” Simms said. “We’ve had some good laughs and good talks and everything. And he gets it. That’s the great thing about him. He’s got — nobody ever said I had swagger, Adam, OK? This guy, he just — and I’ll tell you, I kind of worried when [head coach] John Harbaugh took over. I said, ‘Man, they might not like this whole Jaxson Dart thing.’ But no, it’s the opposite. They don’t like it. They love it. Because they see he’s got this personality that you want to see in your quarterback. You know, ‘Trust me. I got it.’
“And I think, too — and I’ve heard John Harbaugh say it, you’ve heard it too — he’s just more talented than you think. And it’s like running, he runs faster in the NFL than he did in college. When he puts it down, he’s slick. He just worms — works his way through there. He is a really sneaky good runner. And the arm, it is big-time NFL. No matter what you want — accuracy, power, touch — he’s got it all.”
Beyond loving Dart, Simms believes Harbaugh and his staff are bringing the best out of him.
“[Offensive coordinator] Matt Nagy, man, I’ll give him a lot of credit,” Simms said. “He held back a lot of just what he wanted to do in the game with Jaxson Dart. And we kind of saw all that. And by that I mean they really go into the intellect of the quarterback. And I don’t know if Jaxson Dart ran one play where he didn’t have to check, tell everybody, ‘Here, oh, this, that, let’s go to this play,’ and ready to go. I mean, it’s work. And I’ve heard John Harbaugh talk about it and Matt Nagy talk about it, that he can handle it all. So they don’t worry about putting too much on his plate.”
