DEADLINE IS APPROACHING!
Time for Blue QB to Mann up
In many ways, Eli Manning’s back is up against the end zone again, with a long drive ahead and the fate of the Giants resting on his shoulders. They’re playing from behind, they’re running out of time, the situation is looking bleak. And though Manning would never admit it, how it turns out is almost completely up to him.
That’s just the life and reality for a franchise quarterback, especially one with a fresh, new, $84 million contract in his pocket. But it’s also a little more than that, too. As up and down as he sometimes seems to be, the 34-year-old Manning is still the greatest advantage the Giants have going forward.
He’s better than the Jets’ Ryan Fitzpatrick. He’s better than Miami’s Ryan Tannehill, Minnesota’s Teddy Bridgewater and whoever’s playing quarterback for the Eagles these days, too. Those are the four quarterbacks he’ll face in the Giants’ final five games of the season (Cam Newton is the other), and there’s no excuse, no reason for him not to beat them all.
And that means, no matter what. No excuses. If the Giants are going to win enough December games to finally return to the playoffs, Manning is the one who has to lead the way.
“No doubt,” Tom Coughlin said. “He can do it. He’s done it before.”
Of course, Coughlin added, “He’s got to have some help. He’s not out there by himself.” That’s a fair point, especially after the Giants and Manning lost to Kirk Cousins in Washington last Sunday in a game in which Manning could’ve sued his teammates for a startling lack of support. He wasn’t great, but two of his three interceptions came right out of the hands of his receivers and though he took responsibility for the third, his receiver (Rueben Randle) could’ve fought a little harder to at least knock the ball away.
Manning was also under siege right from the beginning behind an offensive line that was missing two starters (Weston Richburg and Justin Pugh) and quickly lost a third (Geoff Schwartz). Even when he wasn’t hit he was forced to throw too many of his 51 passes before the ball even settled in his hands.
All that may happen again on Sunday against the Jets, too. But it doesn’t matter. Manning can’t let Fitzpatrick – a very average quarterback having an excellent season – win this duel, no matter what their teammates do. The Giants need Manning to rise to the occasion, to rise above his circumstances, no matter how dire they are.
“He has to. He’s our guy,” Coughlin said. “And he’s done it so many times before.”
Manning declined to go that far. “I try not to put more pressure on myself than there needs to be,” he said. “I just try to go out there and do my job.” But he has risen above his team and saved the day before — most notably in 2011 when the Giants had a low-ranked defense and the worst rushing attack in the league and Manning, in his finest “elite” season, dragged them to the playoffs with a 9-7 record, giving them the chance to put it all together for their Super Bowl XLVI run.
Manning has been just as good this season as he was in 2011 despite the Giants’ 5-6 record (they were 6-5 in 2011, by the way). His passer rating (92.5) is near his career high and with 3,021 yards, 23 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 63, he’s on pace for near career highs in those categories, too. And he’s still thrown only nine interceptions, despite the three on his record from the last game.
Now, overall, December hasn’t been
Manning’s finest month. His record is only 24-25 and both his completion percentage (56.5) and passer rating (77.8) are lower than they are in any other month. He’s also been a part of far too many lateseason swoons, which is a big part of why he’s only been to the playoffs five times in 11 years.
That’s not all on Manning, which is why Coughlin so strongly implored the rest of his players, on Monday, “to extend themselves this time of year,” and why he reminded them, “We’re in December now. There’s not many games left to play. There’s no reason not to commit yourself totally and completely to something you’ve spent your life wishing and hoping for.”
That’s even more essential this season with the Giants’ playoff drought at three years, and with the possibility that one more miss and there could be a lot of people – players, coaches, executives – out of their jobs.
The best reason to hope that doesn’t happen is Manning, who at his best is more than capable of dragging this team to the playoffs again. He needs to be “elite” again this month. He needs to be a biggame player. He needs to play like an $84 million quarterback, even if the rest of the Tteam starts crumbling around him. he Giants believe he can do it because they’ve seen it before, and it needs to start this weekend. Manning will be the best quarterback on the field, by far, for most of the rest of this season.
Like it or not, and whether he admits it or not, the result is up to him.