Jake Fromm: “Trust me, I want to win more than anybody does”

Rookie quarterback isn’t downplaying his opportunity after rough showing against Eagles

Former Georgia Bulldog Jake Fromm, now the New York Giants starting quarterback heading into Week 18, is saying all the right things.

The Giants will hand the starting job to Fromm, the 23-year-old former Buffalo Bills fifth-round draft pick, on Sunday against the Washington Football Team with starter Daniel Jones and backup Mike Glennon both done for the year.

“For me, it’s an opportunity,” Fromm told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m going to be me regardless. Whenever I step in the huddle, hey, it’s go-time. From then on, it’s playing football and having fun.”

Much of the interest Wednesday revolved around how Fromm felt heading into a game where the pressure is on him to perform. He’s thrown for 107 yards this season, completing 12 of 29 passes and one interception. But his first career start against Philadelphia was regrettable when he completed just 6 of 17 passes for 25 yards before being pulled.

But Fromm did show promise the week before when he made the best of a fourth-quarter series, completing six passes for 82 yards.

Fromm will get his chance to avenge his poor showing against the Eagles this Sunday when the Giants conclude their season against Washington’s third-worst pass defense. That unit allows 265 yards per game, worse than every team except Seattle and Baltimore.

“The only pressure I feel is going to be pressure on I put on myself to go out and perform. Obviously, I want to go out and play the best I can,” said Fromm. “I’m going to go out and I’m going to give it all I can. Trust me, I want to win more than anybody does.”

Ideally it won’t be like Fromm’s National Championship performance against Alabama following the 2017 season. In that game the true freshman completed 16 of 32 passes for 232 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. His team lost 26-23 to Alabama, a ridiculously loaded team that featured a freshman safety and current Giant, Xavier McKinney. That squad also featured former Giants first-round pick and current Kansas City Chief, Deandre Baker.

Fromm’s team wasn’t so bad themselves, featuring a duo of 1,000-yard rushers in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who combined for 31 rushing TDs that season. Detroit’s D’Andre Swift also chipped in with over 600 yards.

“It was tough. Especially being there as a freshman, you kind of take for granted how hard it is to get back and how big of a moment that was, so it was a tough pill to swallow. You wish you could have it back and have a do-over,” said Fromm.

It may not be a stretch to say that Sunday’s game presents a big do-over chance for Fromm after his game against the Eagles. If he puts in a good performance he can change a lot of minds heading into this offseason.

“You can’t change the past, so you just learn from it. You move on and try to do better next time,” said Fromm. “For me, it’s how important putting together a good week of practice is, coming out to the game and executing early, getting a rhythm, and scoring a few points.”

Let’s hope Fromm can change the script Sunday and light a spark under the Giants as they finish off their season.