If I was a Giants fan, I’m not sure how I feel today. Either way, Daniel Jones is no longer a New York Football Giant. The casual men’s college basketball fan was treated to two top-25 matchups last night, we’ll break that down. A new leader in the clubhouse for NBA Rookie of the Year. Oh, an MLB trade went down too. Another day, another Stump, let’s get into it!

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Today’s Trivia🧠

(answer at the bottom of the Stump!)

On This Day…

🏈 On this day in 1984, Boston College QB Doug Flutie lofted one of the most memorable Hail Mary touchdown passes in college football history.

Flutie connected on a 48-yard Hail Mary heave against the mighty Miami (FL) Hurricanes on the last play of the game to give Boston College the victory 47-45. The throw is widely considered one of the greatest end-of-game moments in the history of the sport. Flutie went on to win the Heisman Trophy that season.

Today’s Stump Story…

🏈 How the Daniel Jones Experiment Failed

The Giants drafted Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft, they even made the playoffs with him, but where did it all fall apart?

I’m going to preface this with the following statement: I am in no way whatsoever a QB guru, whisperer, or anything of the like. I am, however, a fan of the game, a studier of humans, and a supporter of underdog stories.

The Giants benched Jones on Monday in favor of Tommy DeVito, and early yesterday decided that it was in the interest of both sides to move on and part ways. Jones ends his tenure with the Giants with a 22-44-1 record, 70 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions. Jones will go through waivers, but it is unlikely any team will claim him and pick up the remainder of the four-year, $160m contract he signed in March of 2023. Once he clears waivers, he will surely find a new home.

To me, it’s never really easy to tell why an NFL team and their young QB failed to match, but usually, there’s signs. Here’s a few ideas on the top of noggin as to why this marriage failed:

• Lack of confidence from both sides: Yeah I get it, a 4-year, $160m contract is anything but showing a lack of confidence, but something always felt off about this contract. It was almost like the Giants DIDN’T want Jones to sign it. Ever since, it seemed like the organization over-invested, and it was almost like they knew. From Jones’s end, it seemed like he didn’t think the team was going to develop him, find the pieces around him, or trust him long-term. Maybe I’m wrong, but something always felt off.

• The Giants expected too much: I’d expect a lot of my No. 6 overall pick too, but it seems like the Giants were trying to make Jones into something he wasn’t, and it blew up in their face. When Jones was most successful, he was a game manager on steroids. He protected the football, got the ball out quick, used his legs when needed to, and didn’t try to do too much. I don’t watch a lot of Giants games, but maybe if they tapered back their expectations and simplified his game, he may have not been so awful.

• Injuries, Injuries, Injuries: Nothing can derail a career or relationship in the NFL quicker than injury. Jones has had two serious neck injuries and a knee injury. It seemed like Jones has never been fully confident since those injuries, especially the knee problems.

I think the obvious comment is that all of these probably played a factor, among other things, in his release. This all put a lot of stress on the relationship between Jones and Giants head coach Brian Daboll. Things boiled over, quickly, and now Jones is looking for work. Who knows, it’s very possible that this could be great for Jones, similar to what happened for former Giant Saquon Barkley.

Quick Hitters

🏀 Two different matchups between top 25 men’s college basketball programs last night, so lets recap. (11) Tennessee faced off against (13) Baylor, who seem to be playing a top 25 team every other day. Tennessee, led by Chaz Lanier, managed to pull away in the second half for a 15-point victory from Baha Mar, Bahamas. (12) Duke went all the way out to Arizona to face the (17) ranked Arizona Wildcats. Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg was not scared of the bright lights at all, putting up 24 points. Duke took advantage of what seemed to be a very tired (or lazy) Arizona team, winning by double digits.

⚾️ Sure, why not talk a little baseball? The Kansas City Royals traded right-handed pitcher Brady Singer to the Cincinnati Reds for infielder Johnathan India and outfielder Joey Wiemer. The deal fits the needs of both teams, as the Royals are looking to surround their star Bobby Witt Jr with some additional offense, and the Reds needing to add some depth to their starting pitching rotation. This is just the calm before the storm in the MLB offseason…

🏀 Make sure you don’t forget the name Jared McCain. The #16 pick in this year’s draft has been an absolute stud for the 76ers this year. It’s been abundantly obvious this year that the 76ers have a lot of on and off the court problems, but Jared McCain is not one of those problems. McCain dropped 30 points last night to lead the team in scoring, and he’s averaging 15.6 points per game. McCain is only 20 years old and he’s scored 20 or more points in each of the last 7 games, including setting a career high in points with 34 in a loss to the Cavaliers. If the 76ers are somehow going to fix this season, they’ll need McCain.

💯Top Performers:

• 🏀 Cam Johnson (BKN): 37 points in loss to 76ers…

• 🏈 Robert Henry (UTSA): 178 yards rushing, 2 tuddys!

• 🏀 Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL): 37 pts, 10 boards, 11 assists

• 🏒 Jiri Kulich (BUFF): OT winner!

Stump Top Plays❗️❗️ 

🏈 75-yard QB scramble!

🏀 Even in a loss, Joker is such an animal

🏀 Is throwing a shoe considered good defense?

🏀 How did Jamal Murray end up with a fly?

💯 Full Scoreboards: MLB, Soccer, PGA, NFL, WNBA, NCAAF, NHL

Today’s Slate

*All times are ET*

🏈 NCAAF: (2) Ohio State vs (5) Indiana (12:00 PM), Wake Forest @ (8) Miami (12:00 PM), (9) Ole Miss @ Florida (12:00 PM), (14) BYU @ (21) Arizona State (3:30 PM), (19) Army @ (6) Notre Dame (7:00 PM), (7) Alabama @ Oklahoma (7:30 PM), full schedule 

🏀 NBA: Knicks @ Jazz (5:00 PM), Memphis @ Chicago (8:00 PM), Warriors @ Spurs (8:30 PM), Denver @ Lakers (10:30 PM), full schedule

🏀 CBB (M): Marquette vs Georgia (11:00 AM), Marshall @ (6) Purdue (12:00 PM), (18) Cincinnati @ Georgia Tech (2:00 PM), (Maryland E. Shore @ (25) Illinois (4:00 PM), full schedule

🏀 CBB (W): Southern Miss @ (18) Baylor (1:30 PM), (6) Notre Dame @ (3) USC (4:00 PM), Ball State vs (16) North Carolina (6:30 PM), full schedule

🏒 NHL: Wild @ Flames (4:00 PM), Avs @ Panthers (6:00 PM), Bruins @ Red Wings (7:00 PM), Stars @ Lightning (7:00 PM), Devils @ Caps (7:00 PM), Rangers @ Oilers (10:00 PM), full schedule

⚽️ Soccer: Premier League: Leicester City vs Chelsea (7:30 AM), Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest (10:00 PM), Man City vs Tottenham (12:30 PM) ; LALIGA: Atletico Madrid vs Alaves (10:15 AM), Girona vs Espanyol (12:30 PM), Celtia Vigo vs Barcelona (3:00 PM) ; MLS Playoffs: New York City FC vs New York Red Bulls (5:30 PM), LAFC vs Seattle Sounders (10:30 PM) ; Serie A: AC Milan vs Juventus (12:00 PM)

Trivia Answer:

Here at the Daily Stump, we hope both teams have fun! (One of us definitely is not an Ohio State fan)

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