Eli Manning

New York Giants: Shurmur and Manning Believe Season Isn’t Over

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New York Giants quarterback, Eli Manning.

The New York Giants season is already lost… Or at least, that’s what many people believe. Of course, it’s one hundred percent understandable if you think that the Giants can’t bounce back. Their first two losses weren’t ones to inspire confidence in a fanbase, and whatever progress was made in the draft seemed to be wiped out by more problems. Losing to the Cowboys this season was hardly different from losing to the Cowboys last season.

But for the people who matter the most in all of this, the staff and the players, there’s still some faith there. Faith that this year can end up less like 2017 and more like 2007. Granted, comparing this team to the 2007 one just because of their opening records would be a shallow and surface level comparison at best, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything that can be learned from that year.

“Obviously there are young guys that are going to be looking at the vets to see how they respond and how they act. Guys are coming from college, where all of a sudden you lose a game, you lose two games, the season’s over, where the NFL we’re one game back in the division,” said Eli Manning yesterday.

Whether or not the Giants can improve their play and capitalize on it, Manning is right here. Every other team in the NFC East is 1-1 right now, meaning the Giants aren’t as bad off as they seem. At least not based on their record. If they continue to play the way that they have, there’s no hope of turning things around and making a Wild Card run, or even being semi-competitive in general this year.

But if adjustments on the coaching side work out, and the players step up their performances, particularly on the offensive line? It’s only two games into the season and the Giants aren’t exactly in a hole that can’t be overcome. It is easier said than done, however, to just improve the play when the team has the roster of one that should be in a rebuilding phase.

“At one point for the Houston Texans last year it wasn’t going so well for them and then at one point there was a stretch where they were lighting up the scoreboard and then [Deshaun Watson] got hurt,” said head coach Pat Shurmur, making a point about how it’s possible for a team’s fate to change from bad to good and then change back all over the course of a single season.

Do things look bleak right now? Yes.  But looks aren’t always everything and it’s impossible to know how well the team is actually adapting following their bad start. We’ll see that against Houston, but if there legitimately is an improvement and the Giants manage a 1-2 start instead of an 0-3 one? Well, it wouldn’t be time to call off the season just yet.

New York Giants: Manning and Shepard Highlight Positives After Loss

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New York Giants, Sterling Shepard

Now that we’re a little bit removed from the first New York Giants game of the season, it’s somewhat easier to look at it objectively and figure out what went right and what went terribly wrong in the loss. The negatives after the first game are easy to point out. Offensive line problems were likely the reason behind the loss, and much of the discussion following the game has centered around that.

But not everything went wrong. Both Eli Manning and Sterling Shepard pointed out different positives that could be found in the losing effort.

What did they have to say?

“We went against a good team, a good defense. We had some big plays, we had some opportunities. We got to hit a few more of them. We had a chance to win the game at the end, and we just didn’t quite make enough plays,” said Eli Manning. His point about the Jaguars having a good defense is accurate, and makes the point output a bit more tolerable.

The Giants had one of the worst offenses in the league last year, and the Jaguars were a top three defense.  The offensive production in this game represents an improvement from the offense that took to the field last year, especially after the injury to Odell Beckham Jr. early in the season. Additionally, the big plays that Manning mentioned were absent most of the time last year, and it never seemed like fans should expect them to happen.

Manning did say, however, that everyone knows they need to improve. “I thought, obviously, guys were disappointed. I think everybody knows that each one of us individually has to play a little bit better… You’re going to follow the direction of the head coach. I think he expressed it’s not good enough, but I’m proud of the way you guys fought, competed, and hung in there until the very end, and found a way to kind of stay in the game.”

Sterling Shepard had similar comments. “If you look at the game, we were a few plays away from coming out with a different outcome. But guys do a good job around here just bouncing back and kind of brushing it off, and fixing the things we need to fix and I feel like that’s what we’ll do this week. Be ready for Dallas,” the receiver stated. Shepard was targeted seven times in week one, coming away with five receptions and 48 yards.

The Giants take on the Cowboys in the second game of the season, and it will be a game surrounded by huge pressure. Not only is it a major rivalry game, but it will be broadcast nationwide on Sunday Night Football. After a disappointing result in week one, Giants fans can only hope that the team bounces back on this major stage to pull off a 1-1 start to the season.

New York Giants: Eli Manning Unconcerned By Jalen Ramsey Remark

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New York Giants, Eli Manning

While it’s easy to overanalyze the first preseason game of the season, and things such as Saquon Barkley’s health, it’s sometimes nice to have a more entertaining story during the buildup to the regular season for the New York Giants. And entertaining is how one could describe the trash talk from Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who decided to throw shade at the much more experienced Eli Manning recently.

“It’s not really Eli. I think it’s Odell. I won’t say Eli’s good, I’ll say Odell’s good, and their connection is good,” Ramsey told GQ magazine.

For context, Manning wasn’t the only player that Ramsey mentioned in the interview. Others, including Bills rookie Josh Allen and Falcons veteran Matt Ryan, didn’t exactly impress the Jaguars corner. “I think Allen is trash. I don’t care what nobody say. He’s trash. And it’s gonna show too. That’s a stupid draft pick to me.”

Eli Manning, however, didn’t have a response. Which isn’t that surprising. It’s not often that a player with as much experience as Manning bothers to trade barbs with a player that only entered the league a couple of years ago, and who only has one career trip to the playoffs.

“Who?” Manning said when asked by reporters about Ramsey, after initially defaulting to “no comment.” The exchange of words, or lack thereof, between the two will likely be forgotten soon. Until the Giants play the Jaguars in the opening game of their regular season, that is.

Some bragging rights are now on the line, and if the Giants get a win in week one behind a good performance from Manning, both the local media and the fans on social media will surely remind Ramsey of what he said about Eli not being good.

New York Giants: Eli Manning Gets John Elway Comparison From Amani Toomer

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The 2018 New York Giants team has captured the attention of a number of former players, both from the Giants and other franchises. 2007 Super Bowl champion receiver Amani Toomer is no exception. Toomer talked to the New York Post, about the Giants struggles in 2017 and what the team looks like going forward into 2018.

Specifically, he talked about Eli Manning and the big difference between last year and this year. “The fact that he hasn’t really had the offensive line, it seems like sometimes he tries to make things happen and I just see him pressing,” Toomer said.

The statement that Manning didn’t have an offensive line is mostly correct. The Giants front office certainly agrees with it, as fans can expect four or five of the starters on the line to be different from they were last year. The team brought in Nate Solder and Patrick Omaneh, and drafted Will Hernandez, to fix that problem.

They also spent the second pick on Saquon Barkley, which leads into Toomer’s next statement. “With a solid running game, it’s not all going to be on him. I pointed to what John Elway did the last couple of years with the Broncos when they brought in Terrell Davis and it really helped him be a better quarterback because he wasn’t forced to do everything. You’ll see [Eli] having more time, looking down the field, not being rushed and throwing the ball all over the place.”

Toomer’s predictions about how Manning will perform better with more support from the running game and offensive line are close to many fan predictions going into the season, and it’s only a few weeks before we’ll get to see how accurate they are. The Giants will play their first preseason game on Thursday, when they take on the Cleveland Browns at home.

 

New York Giants: Eli Manning Makes Throws, Training Camp Has First Scuffle

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After the most recent day of training camp, it’s safe to say that the offense is looking good so far. The passing game was tested by the defense yesterday, with blitz situations being included in the scrimmages.

Eli Manning looked good in the red zone despite being a big question mark for the team going into this season, throwing touchdowns to Odell Beckham Jr, Sterling Shepard, and others. In two of the videos that can be found on Twitter, it also looks like Manning is doing a good job at getting the ball out quickly.

Manning only held the ball for a few seconds in the play that’s linked below, getting a throw off to Shepard, who dove into the end zone for the score.

Everything wasn’t fun and smooth sailing, though. There was a scuffle when Wayne Gallman received a pass before being taken down a bit too hard by Olivier Vernon, causing a bit of a disruption. It was the first of these kinds of incidents to happen at camp this year, and Eli Apple was apparently in the middle of it.

Things went back to normal, however, and Odell Beckham Jr. was back with his usual moves, shaking defenders to pick up yards after the catch as well as the score. Not only that, but he beat Eli Apple to make the catch in the first place before taking it to the house. If the star receiver has any lingering injury, he hasn’t shown it at this point in training camp.

Everything might not have gone perfect, with some tempers noticeably flaring during this day of camp, but the passing game should be trending upwards. After all, both of the team’s top receivers managed to come up big when the ball went their way.

Eli Manning Breaks Down Saquon Barkley’s Influence For Giants

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New York Giants, Saquon Barkley

Having a running back like Saquon Barkley that can carry the load when the offense goes cold is something that’s underrated in the NFL, and something the New York Giants have ignored for years. The Giants’ offense has been a hit or miss depending on the ever rotating wheel of fortune with the offensive line and ever-lasting injury bug, but this season they will have balance.

Drafting Saquon Barkley in the first-round was arguably the best decision the Giants could have made, in my opinion, of course. Acquiring a back that has the ability to block, catch, and run at an extremely high level is difficult to come by; putting him alongside Eli Manning will intimidate even the strongest defenses.

What did defenses do to stop the Giants’ offense?

It was simple…Opposing defenses would drop their safeties back and keep the ball infront of them at all times. Ensuring that Odell Beckham Jr. didn’t run free behind the secondary was the key to stopping the offense, since their only other weapons were forced to run short crossing routes…Thanks Ben McAdoo.

With the hiring of coach Pat Shurmur, we should expect to see a diversified play-calling portfolio. One that adheres to the usage of Barkley, Beckham, Sterling Shepard, and Evan Engram appropriately. Playing to their strengths and using one of the league’s most experienced quarterbacks to a carve a path for the youngsters on the team.

How Barkley will help:

“I think teams that have that running back who can catch the ball out of the backfield, it’s such an advantage,” Manning told NJ Advance Media. “When teams are playing zone, and they’re dropping back or double-teaming your wide receivers, that guy can not only just get four or five yards, he can turn that into a 10 or 12-yard gain and first downs.

“Also, when you get man-to-man, and get him matched up on linebackers or get him catching routes out of the backfield, those are throws where the ball gets out of your hand quickly. It kind of turns a short-pass into big plays. I’ve been really impressed with his route-running, his catching, and it’s just kind of that option and that check-down that won’t just get you four yards but he’ll get you first downs.”

What The 2018 Season Really Means For Giants’ Eli Manning

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New York Giants, Eli Manning

When considering the timeline of New York Giants‘ Eli Manning’s career, one must realize that his prime years could very well be behind him. Despite his rising age, reports have stated Manning still maintains a strong arm. Head coach Pat Shurmur believes Eli is the most in-shape 37 year old he’s ever seen. While Manning would disagree, most would take the side of Shurmur.

The Giants’ long-time franchise quarterback will have a deciding year in 2018; if he fails to perform, he might hit the free agency market in favor of sophomore signal caller Davis Webb. On the other hand, general manager Dave Gettleman has done everything in his power to prolong the shelf life of Manning. He has supplied him with various tools to take on the season ahead.

What did Gettleman provide to the Giants’ offense?

In the 2018 NFL draft, the Giants selected running back Saquon Barkley and offensive lineman Will Hernandez. Both provide immediate support to Manning, who was left to fend for himself with a battered offensive line and a slew of formerly unknown receivers. In the months ahead, he will work with a rejuvenated offensive line consisting of left tackle Nate Solder, left guard Hernandez, either Jon Halapio or Brett Jones at center, right guard Patrick Omameh, and right tackle Ereck Flowers (most likely).

If the Giants’ QB cannot manage to utilize his weapons, there will be consequences, and it might come down to cutting him to save even a bit of cap space.

Let’s check out the numbers:

If the Giants were to cut Manning after the 2018 season, they would save approximately $17 million in cap space. In fact, it’s even possible they let him walk after this coming year. They would ultimately deliver the offense to Webb on a golden platter. It’s unlikely if Eli performs, but I wouldn’t entirely rule out the idea. It would allow Gettleman to go out and invest in a a top-tier safety, offensive lineman, and/or resign Odell Beckham Jr. and Landon Collins.

Locking up the two star players must be a priority and the $17 million would do just the trick. Something to consider after this season, after we get a glimpse of Webb in the pre-season.

 

What Giants’ Eli Manning Will Have To Rely On To Succeed In 2018

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The negative attributes that New York Giants’ Eli Manning possesses incrementally grows every time his birthday on January 3rd rolls around. The quarterback is currently 37 years-old, but despite the stellar state of his body, playing football eventually takes its toll.

Manning was gifted at least one more season as the Giants’ starting quarterback by general manager Dave Gettleman, who  has begun to build a team around the veteran signal caller. While it may be too late to formulate the success of the team around an aging quarterback, the hopes are that Davis Webb can transition into the franchise QB role smoothly once Manning either retires or move on.

Manning’s strengths must be on full display for the Giants this season:

Adding running back Saquon Barkley provides Manning with something he’s never had before – a truly gifted side-kick that can do it all. The tools are there for Eli and it’s up to him to extract the value from each one. But, what factor must Manning truly grasp and utilize to his advantage? Evidently, it’s his biggest strength.

When you look at Manning, you see a player that cant’ run, can’t hide, and occasionally sends a ball sailing into the opposing defenses waiting hands. While his weaknesses are mainly physical, his dominant strength is his mental prowess. He’s one of the best signal callers on the line of scrimmage and is trained in reading coverage’s before the ball even touches his hands.

For example, in 2016, when Odell Beckham Jr. ran a 71 yard touchdown to the house to seal the game and tack a win onto their playoff bound season. That throw and catch was all because of Manning, who recognized the coverage and audibled to that play specifically.

Linebacker Jonathan Casillas yelled from the sidelines to give it to No. 13, who had that look in his eyes like he was about to make a game-saving play.

Manning proceeded to break down their coverage scheme, noticing Beckham would be in man coverage, changed the play to target him and that’s all she wrote. The point here is that Manning must use his age to his advantage, he’s more knowledgeable and wise than most quarterbacks in the league, and that must be a strength this season for him to succeed. With Barkley headlining the backfield, Manning must be sharp to recognize opportunities to dish the ball to Barkley when covered by a linebacker.

If the Giants’ QB can maintain his mental stature, we should see a much improved offense in the months ahead.

Eli Manning On The Return Of Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. – 2018 Expectations

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Eli Manning is surely going to enjoy having his good friend Odell Beckham Jr. back on the playing field this season. The New York Giants lost Beckham Jr. to a broken ankle in week five of the 2017 regular season after a Los Angeles Charger fell on his leg, causing the significant injury.

The super athlete began his rehab immedietly after surgery, posting videos of his recovery and workouts throughout the rehabilitation process. One video even saw Beckham pull an SUV up a small hill. Here it is!

Well, by the looks of it, Beckham is well on his way to a 100% recovery. Manning must be happy, we know the fans are happy, but Dave Gettleman probably isn’t so happy… Now he has to pay him $18 million per-season! We all know he deserves it, and for those who think peeing like a dog negates his talent and justifies letting him walk, just remember that he was the reason the Giants made the playoffs in 2016.

Eli’s take on Beckham returning to the Giants as per Kimberly Jones of NFL Network:

“He wants to get back to scoring touchdowns & celebrating & having fun again. I think he misses that part of his life. … If Odell catches an 80-yarder, we will go into an electric slide or something.”

Let me tell you, I’m excited as well.

As for Manning’s future in the NFL and realistic goals:

“Obviously it has been an unbelievable run but I want to continue doing it. It’s not over. I know that. ..I’m excited for this upcoming yr & really prove that I can still play at a high level. We can win games. We can win championships.”

At 37 years-old, Manning is on the back end of his career, but according to head coach Pat Shurmur, he’s the most in-shape 37 year-old he’s ever seen. Of course age takes its toll, but Shurmur will play to Manning’s strengths, which undoubtedly are at the line of scrimmage and in the play-action. Being that Ben McAdoo never utilized the play-action with Manning, it will be interesting to see if he still has the arm strength to throw off his back foot or on the run to receivers moving away. Luckily, one of Beckham’s best routes is the deep button-hook, meaning he will be running back towards Manning to make the throws more manageable.

Eli also spoke about Shurmur and his methods:

“He tries to keep the game simple, which I enjoy. He’s not trying to make it over-complicated & it’s been great in practices & watching film with him after. We have a great relationship & are on the same page.”

New York Giants: Who’s At Fault For Wasting Eli Manning’s Prime Years?

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New York Giants, Eli Manning

Some might say New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has fallen ill to age and degradation, but might overlook the aspect of his surrounding talent. While it’s easy to blame the lackluster campaigns on Manning, the talent around him played an overwhelming part in the demise of the team.

Nonetheless, we must look at Manning objectively and know that his performance lacked gusto as well. After all, it comes down to management, and more specifically, the general manager – who’s priority is to build a team around their franchise signal caller.

Who’s to blame?

Playing the blame game is one of the oldest in the book, but for our sake as suffering Giants fans, let’s get this out in the open. Former GM Jerry Reese was the reason Manning failed to succeed in the prime of his career, as he consistently missed on offensive lineman and addressed skill positions before protecting his greatest asset.

Currently, GM Dave Gettleman sits atop the throne that Reese once inhabited. The seasoned front-staffer has put the wheels in motion for a return of their veteran quarterback, and just might extract any remaining juice left in his aging arm. Providing Manning with a solid left tackle in Nate Solder and a hostile guard in Will Hernandez, is the first step in making a leap towards success only one year after a 3-13 season.

We mustn’t forget about the coaching staff – Ben McAdoo and co. The Giants’ former coach led the team straight into the ground, as the locker room collapsed and players began to fight. So, we have addressed the GM and HC, but here’s a question that we haven’t thought about much: Maybe it’s the ownership?

John Mara and Steve Tisch are two vastly different owners, as Mara plays too much of a part, and Tisch sits back and watches. It’s safe to say Wellington Mara was likely turning over in his grave as anonymous players took shots at the coaching staff and players were clearly leaving effort on the field every game. Mara did nothing to stop it, and in turn helped bench Eli Manning to start a frenzy among the fan-base. Boycotts, riots, you name it. All of it was on the horizon, and Mara was at the forefront of it. Luckily, he managed to hide behind his new hires and shiny new Saquon Barkley draft pick before things got ugly.

In the end, maybe it’s Mara’s fault more than anybody else.