Giants co-owner John Mara got straight to the point Tuesday after practice when asked about the quarterback situation between veteran Eli Manning and rookie Daniel Jones, saying he hopes "Eli has a great year and Daniel never sees the field."

His sentiments trickled into Wednesday's post-practice availability, where Jones faced the inevitable question.

What did he think about Mara's comments?

"I think my job right now is to prepare, to improve as much as I can, and control what I can control," Jones said. "How that plays out, I certainly hope we're winning a whole lot of games, too."

Did the answer from Mara surprise Jones?

"Not really," Jones said. "Like I said, I think my job is to do what I can to improve, to make sure I'm taking the right steps to make sure the offense is moving forward to the extent I can help it."

Groomed to become Manning's successor, Jones is the quarterback of the future for the Giants, who selected him with the sixth overall pick in April's draft.

Jones has since showcased his ability and potential, from practices to last Thursday's preseason-opening 31-22 win over the Jets in which he completed 5 of 5 passes for 67 yards -- including a 12-yard touchdown -- with the first-team offense.

"I think, for the most part, trying not to make mistakes over and over again (has gone well)," Jones said. "I think that's how you learn, is not repeating mistakes. I think that's a big thing, and trying to focus on that. When you're told something once, to correct it and move on so you can take the next steps. I think I've done a decent job with that."

Jones gets his next chance to gain in-game experience Thursday when the Giants host the Bears at 7:30 p.m.

"I think for everyone, (the mindset is) just to build off what we've done, what we did in that first game, and what we've done since then, and kind of taking the next step as a team," he said. "I think with each group, it's just building off what we've done."

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