John Harbaugh took the New York Giants job, in part, because he views Jaxson Dart as a quality franchise quarterback. In Harbaugh's mind, Dart's multi-threat ability reminds him of the quarterback he led in Baltimore the past eight seasons, Lamar Jackson.
"Jaxson's capable of doing a lot of things," Harbaugh said on "The Domonique Foxworth Show." "Like he can live in a lot of different worlds, football-wise. He can live in a power-running game, obviously, and a power-running game protects the quarterback because you can hand the ball off and make people defend that and keep them honest. Then, it opens up your play-action passing game. … That stuff, we're gonna be in those worlds.
"But now we can also get in the gun or we can get in the pistol, and we can run RPOs, we can run quarterback-driven runs with Jaxson Dart, a lot of the stuff that we had in Baltimore with Lamar, as well. That's passes that are almost run reads. So now if they want to defend the pass, the quick-game pass, you can just hand the ball off to a softer front and give your guards and centers and tackles a chance to double-team defensive linemen off the ball because there's less people in there to get off the double team quicker and you can block people longer.
"So, that all kind of goes together on first and second down to create problems for the defense, and I just feel like it all starts with the quarterback. Jaxson is a guy that does give you a chance to live in all those different worlds. So, if he can do it, then we're gonna do it, and that's what we're planning on doing."
Dart's dual-threat ability made the Giants offense exciting to watch for his 12 starts last season. However, it also put him at risk for big hits. Dart played through several massive wallops, including a tweaked left ankle in October. The concussion concerns were the biggest issues, as he was checked multiple times and missed two games due to a head injury.
The belief is that Dart needs to do a better job of protecting himself on QB runs, knowing when to give up on a play and avoid a crushing hit that could send him to the sideline. Harbaugh dealt with a similar situation early in Jackson's career. He doesn't sound worried about Dart's ability to adjust.
"I mean, he's aware of it," Harbaugh said of the importance of Dart staying healthy. "You got a fine line. I remember hearing the same thing about Lamar, and the same things were said about Lamar really every year but especially after the first season. 'It's unsustainable the way he plays. It's never gonna last. You've got to protect him. He can't run as much.' You say something like that to Lamar, and he kinda just looks at you like you've got three heads. It's like, 'No, I'm gonna play ball, I'm gonna play ball.' I just knew, I trusted that he was gonna protect himself because he wants to be out there and he wants to play and it's not the type of a sport where you [can] put yourself in bubble wrap. You're gonna play ball and you're gonna get tackled and things can happen out there.
"But I do think playing the game in a way that respects that there are other guys out there that are capable of doing damage to you when you have the ball in your hands, especially for the quarterback, is important. I trust that Jaxson Dart understands that."
An improved offensive line and a grinding ground game should take some pressure off Dart, but there will be times when he needs to use his legs to make a play. The key will be knowing when the play is over and getting down before he gets blasted, as he was at times as a rookie. Understanding the speed and ferocity with which NFL defenders patrol is part of the evolution from Year 1 to Year 2. That goes for the passing game and, for some QBs, the scramble drills as well.
