New York Giants: Kyle Lauletta an interesting project

Kyle Lauletta probably won’t be the quarterback to replace New York Giants starter Eli Manning, but the rookie flashed signs of promise this preseason.

The hot takes among members of New York Giants around the internet about rookie quarterback Kyle Lauletta should be chilled until further notice. No, the fourth-round pick probably isn’t the guy who will replace Eli Manning in 2019 or any point down the road. He’s a project, one who shouldn’t play a down of football, now that the preseason is over, until next year.

In the middle of August, Art Stapleton of the North Jersey Record wrote Lauletta was “closing the gap” with Davis Webb in the unannounced competition for the second spot on the depth chart behind Manning. That probably had more to do with how poorly Webb performed versus the Cleveland Browns than with anything Lauletta did during the summer. It also is no longer accurate, if it was, in fact, correct at the time.

When head coach Pat Shurmur elected to sit Webb for Thursday’s preseason contest against the New England Patriots, the team’s final walkthrough before the Week 1 showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he ensured Webb, the backup of his choice, wouldn’t suffer any unwanted injuries that would prevent him from holding the figurative clipboard the first Sunday afternoon of the season.

Shurmur made the right call, as Lauletta isn’t ready to face first-team offenses. Thursday evening wasn’t about learning that to be true, nor was it about seeing if Lauletta would be ready for emergency action if he’s called into duty this fall. Shurmur tested his first-year pro against the Patriots. Lauletta both passed and failed.

Lauletta finished the night going 8-of-19 with 118 yards, a touchdown and a pair of interceptions. As is often the case with such exercises, the box score doesn’t tell even half the story.

His worst moments of the evening involved four throws that he will probably want back when he examines them on film: two sideline passes in which he failed to hit targets in-stride, an overthrow down the right sideline that could have resulted in a touchdown and one underthrow over the middle that, on another day, could have been worth six points.

Along with being the victim of a drop, he also helped produce New York’s top offensive highlight of a (dull) game when he connected with Amba Etta-Tawo on a short throw that Etta-Tawo took to the house for a 41-yard touchdown:

What of attributes that don’t leap off a stat sheet? Once again, Lauletta displayed better footwork, athleticism and agility than advertised before the NFL Draft.

He did well to keep his eyes down-field when the pocket collapsed. Best of all, he didn’t get rattled when he made miscues, even if he did appear to get angry at himself after the second interception that perhaps could have been disrupted had wide receiver Roger Lewis tried to play defensive back at that moment.

There was little for casual fans, sports talk radio hosts and even beat reporters to talk about regarding the Giants before Thursday’s affair. Maybe that’s why some made too much about Lauletta receiving the bulk of the snaps under center for the team’s final rehearsal. He shouldn’t be Manning’s backup. He won’t be.

Remember, though, that this regime didn’t draft Webb. For better or for worse, those in charge selected running back Saquon Barkley with the second pick over every available quarterback. They then waited to take Lauletta. Yes, they’re going to be patient with him. They should. Doing so won’t cost anybody anything over the next several months.

The 2018 Giants are built to win with Manning in the lineup. Rookie quarterbacks don’t win Super Bowl titles, and it would be miraculous if either Webb, Lauletta or somebody signed via free agency later this year played the role of savior if something happened to the two-time Super Bowl MVP. Drafting Lauletta had little, if anything, to do with the upcoming campaign.

Lauletta’s final snap on Thursday will be the last one he takes while a clock is running inside MetLife Stadium for the foreseeable future unless calamity strikes. The 22-year old now gets to sit and learn behind a future Hall of Famer and a second-year pro, and he can work to improve his game and learn the system of an offensive mind who helped turn Nick Foles and Case Keenum into household names.

Yes, Lauletta is raw. Let’s see what Shurmur gets out of him before next training camp.