The Indianapolis Colts have seemingly turned a stone into a diamond with quarterback Daniel Jones. Or maybe they did. Head coach Shane Steichen has had good success with quarterbacks in the past, but Jones' success might not be because of Steichen's leadership.
Jones began his career with the New York Giants and spent most of his six seasons with the team. He didn't turn the ball over a lot, but he also didn't lead his team to many points. Midway through last season, the Giants had had enough and released the quarterback.
He signed with the Minnesota Vikings but spent only a couple of months with the team. He didn't play a down for Minnesota, but for Indy's sake, this was fine. Jones was busy re-learning how to be a good quarterback in the NFL.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones gives the Vikings a lot of credit for his newfound success
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has long been viewed as one of the brightest offensive minds in the NFL. He has turned struggling quarterbacks into good ones, just as he did with Sam Darnold last season. And, maybe, just as he did with Jones in only two months. Jones thinks so anyway.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Fritz and Whit show with former NFL players Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth, Jones said, "I always thought I worked really hard, I tried to work really hard...but then, going to Minnesota, I saw how Sam Darnold prepared. How Kevin O’Connell prepared those guys...Every little bit of the plan, and how they’re going to study. What they’re looking for, walking through it, quizzing each other in the quarterback room. That made a big impression on me."
That is great to hear if you are a Vikings fan. Of course, those fans likely already knew what a difference O'Connell could make on quarterbacks. What Colts fans might want to read and hear is that some of the reasons Jones is so good this season are because of Steichen, too.
What Daniel Jones is far more damning of the New York Giants, obviously. After spending so much time with that team, it wasn't until going to Minnesota that the proverbial light appeared to turn on for him. His success so far with Indianapolis has shown that the Giants were a big part of his issue, too.
But the combination of Jones' new insight, as well as the Indianapolis Colts' offensive scheme, is clearly a big reason for Jones having his best season so far. Shane Steichen deserves a lot of credit for that.