New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart shrugged off comments from the Washington Commanders ahead of the teams¡¯ matchup last week, saying they viewed the rookie as a running back.

As seen on the televised docuseries ¡°Hard Knocks,¡± Commanders coach Dan Quinn said of Dart, ¡°The (Giants) QB, he¡¯s a running back first.¡±

Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said: ¡°The quarterback is a very competitive dual-threat guy. He will try to run the ball like a running back. He will try to run you over. He will try to stiff-arm. He doesn¡¯t really run out of bounds. He doesn¡¯t slide a whole bunch. We can get the ball off him. The ball is life. It is air, and we need it.¡±

The game plan was successful as Dart was hit a total of 15 times on Sunday in Washington¡¯s 29-21 win.

Asked Wednesday whether he was bothered by the Commanders¡¯ assessment of him, Dart replied, ¡°No, absolutely not. I mean, (Georgia coach) Kirby Smart said the exact same thing every time that he played against me. So did (former Alabama head coach) Nick Saban, so did every coach that I played in college. So this is nothing new, just try to go out there and play smart and be available for your team.¡±

The former Ole Miss star was asked to elaborate on comments from Smart and Saban.

¡°I mean, I can¡¯t put together exactly what they said, but there were definitely a lot of interviews that we can all go back and look at,¡± Dart said. ¡°This isn¡¯t a new thing that¡¯s been brought up in my career.¡±

Dart lost a fumble and threw an interception in the game against the Commanders, giving him four picks and four fumbles (two lost) in 11 games and nine starts.

The 22-year-old quarterback has a 2-7 record as a starter. He has completed 62.5% of his passes for 1,801 yards and 13 touchdowns. Dart also has rushed for 400 yards and seven TDs on 70 carries.