TOO SAFE FOR WORK
THERE is a sarcastic side Eli Manning does not let out, but you could sense it bubbling near the surface the other day. The Giants do not score enough, and they need to send out a search party to locate the whereabouts of the big plays their offense is supposed to be predicated upon. These failings burden many shoulders, none more heavily than those of Manning.
So, the quarterback is in the center of the storm, again.
Is it worth taking a shot down the field, even if the defense is sitting back and waiting for the deep ball?
“That usually leads to bad plays,’’ Manning said.
But … given the losing, isn’t it worth the risk?
“Risks are not what you want to take,’’ he said. “You throw the ball down the field when it’s not risky, and then there’s forcing things and that leads to turnovers that leads to mistakes.’’
You get the sense Manning drives responsibly, invests conservatively and receives praise from his dental hygienist after every one of his six-month checkups. He used to be much more of a let-it-rip passer, flirting with high risk for high rewards, before a 27-interception season in 2013 convinced the Giants’ brass a change was needed.
Ben McAdoo was brought in to run the offense and help get Manning back on track. He averaged 18 interceptions in his first nine full seasons as a starter. He is down to 14 per season the past four years. He is not the first 37-year old who sees things differently now than when he was 22.
How it gets done is far less important than if it gets done, and through four games, it is not getting done. Manning has four touchdown passes and one interception, triggering an “attack’’ that has failed to get above 18 points in any of the three losses. Somehow, a team featuring Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley is blah with the ball. This was supposed to be an express train. Instead, the Giants make all the stops.
Manning did try two deeper throws to Beckham in Sunday’s 33-18 loss to the Saints, misfiring on both.
“Obviously, I can play better, need to play better,’’ Manning said. “I feel like I have a good feel of the offense. We’re getting completions. Not turning the ball over and making mistakes. I think I can do a better job of just feeling the rush or feeling when you have time to maybe push the ball down the field.’’
The time to push the ball down the field arrived in the third quarter. Facing third-and-14, Manning dumped the ball to Sterling Shepard on the right sideline for 6 yards and heard boos as the punt team came onto the field. Perhaps Manning was influenced by Alex Okafor making a wide rush on Chad Wheeler, but there appeared to be time to locate Beckham, cutting in and open at midfield. When the ball went to Shepard, Beckham thrust his arms up into the air.
So, Manning saying, “I’m not having shots down the field that I’m not taking’’ does not sound in sync with what is happening in the game.
Years of shabby protection has Manning at times feeling pressure that might not be there. His pocket was fairly well-secured against the Saints, and his passer rating of 99.1 was like cubic zirconia — it looked good but was not worth much. The most telling comment from Manning a day after his offense went 49 minutes of game clock between touchdowns was this: “It didn’t feel like a struggle, for whatever reason.’’
No, it did not feel like a struggle. The Saints happily sat back in their soft zone, allowing Manning to complete 31-of-41 passes. Easy pickings. There is no reason to play much, or any, man coverage on the Giants — because Beckham, Barkley, Shepard and Evan Engram, when he returns from a knee injury, can make defenders look bad. Keep everything in front, and roll the dice the Giants cannot duplicate what they did on their opening drive — 10 plays, 75 yards, Shepard touchdown — in subsequent series.
Making plays off-schedule is not Manning’s way (yes, we are fully aware of his miracle escape job in Super Bowl XLII). He used to be a lethal long-ball thrower and, despite his calm demeanor, was something of a gunslinger. No one is asking him to get creative and careless and crazy. McAdoo was able to find ways to get the ball to Beckham on the move — vertically, not the horizontal nonsense we’re seen from the Giants this season — to turn modest gains into magnificent gains.
Manning is certainly not defiant, but you do get a sense the losing has made him a bit conflicted.
“Do I want to buy time and scramble around and try to get someone that based on this play and their coverage is not designed to get open?’’ he asked. “You can maybe move around and create something.’’
That is not his way, not his strength. Something has to change, though, because the Giants are 1-3 and their offense is to blame.