Manning not ready to stop slinging it
Giants veteran quarterback has no plan to retire with 16th NFL season looming
If you believed Eli Manning’s many loud critics, you’d conclude that Father Time not only has caught up to the quarterback, but lapped him a few times.
Well, it sure didn’t look like it Sunday afternoon at the New York Giants’ fourth training camp practice.
Manning threw as crisply and as confidently as I’ve seen him in four or five camps dating back to 2012, for whatever that’s worth.
Peyton’s younger brother is now 38 years old and entering his 16th year with the New York Giants. If he plays two more NFL seasons, he’ll have outlasted his more famous sibling.
In an interview with Postmedia before practice, Manning also did not sound like someone set to retire any time soon. Even if he won’t put a number on when he hopes to play until.
“No, I’ve never thought about it as getting to a certain age,” Manning said. “You just don’t know.”
Manning this season faces the task of holding off the Giants’ first-round draft pick, Daniel Jones, whom GM Dave Gettleman selected sixth overall in April. Good luck finding many who believe Manning will still be the starter by year’s end.
Critics say Manning just doesn’t have the pop in his arm anymore. They also say he’s now afraid of the pass rush and checks down far too soon and, well, too much. Manning has become old, in other words. Time will tell this season. Those two Super Bowl championship seasons (2007 and 2011) seem a long time ago now.
The Giants have had one winning record and one playoff berth since 2013 and no division titles since 2011. Does Manning himself ever compare his predicament in recent years to the better situations of his contemporaries?
“No,” Manning said flatly. “You’ve just got to worry about doing your job well, trying to win games and put your team in position to play well. You can’t worry about what guys your age or younger are doing.”
Some veteran starting quarterbacks are generous in assisting the latest hotshot rookie out for his job. Others help the kid to a point. One old QB not long ago said he wasn’t ever going to lift an extra finger to help a threat to his livelihood.
What’s Manning’s approach? “You always have a young quarterback or even a new (veteran) quarterback,” he said. “I’ve always felt you always want a good relationship in that quarterback room. There are a lot of conversations there, a lot of talking.”
Because, after all, that’s where a team’s quarterbacks maybe spend their most time away from the field.
“We’re just talking football and if you can see an opportunity where you can teach, then do it. I’ve always liked teaching a little bit. I’ve always thought that if I can teach somebody something, then I know it really well. And so that kind of helps me to confirm that I know it, when you’re talking and explaining things to someone else. I enjoy that part of it.
“But you can’t hold his hand through everything. He doesn’t want that.”
Sure sounds as though Manning might be leaning toward a post-playing career in coaching.
“I don’t know if I want to go into that, but I enjoy football and teaching young guys, so maybe there’s something to that.”
Just not any time soon.