Big Blue hoping OBJ can make difference vs. Lions
As the 2007 Giants gathered this weekend for festivities honoring the 10-year anniversary of the stunning Super Bowl XLII upset of the then-unbeaten Patriots — including what is sure to be a rousing halftime ceremony — Shaun O’Hara was and will be in the middle of the action, just as he was a decade ago, snapping the ball to Eli Manning as the Giants’ starting center. Once a teammate, O’Hara remains a close friend of the franchise quarterback.
That friendship is the reason O’Hara took a look at his buddy laboring in a desultory season-opening loss to the Cowboys and said “It’s tough to see. I feel bad for Eli.’’
What Manning endured was not easy on the eyes. He was sacked on the third play of what devolved into a 19-3 loss, done in by a shaky offensive line, no semblance of a running game and Odell Beckham Jr. on the sideline because of a still-injured high left ankle sprain. The Giants on offense accomplished next-to nothing, which is why they take an 0-1 record into their MetLife Stadium opener with the Lions, a “Monday Night Football” showcase that could be another nationally televised reminder of how poor some of Manning’s offensive linemen are at doing their job.
“All you have to do is just watch his feet,’’ O’Hara told The Post. “When you see a quarterback who can stand in the pocket and can put both feet in the ground he’s gonna be more accurate, he’s gonna be more confident. Eli can’t do that. His feet were all over the place. It just looks like he’s not comfortable stepping up into the pocket and trusting that he’s not going to get hit as he’s throwing the ball.
“Look, in the NFL you’re not gonna have clean pockets. You have to make throws with dirty pockets, that’s just the way it is. I think he realizes that and that’s why he always says, ‘I got to find a way to make a play.’ He never is gonna throw anybody under the bus.’’
Sure enough, Manning was offered numerous openings to slam his offensive line this past week and never swung that door open the slightest crack.
“I have to play better,’’ Manning said. “I can make some better decisions on some things. So I can do my part to help us out, get things going. When the guys get off to a slow start, that’s when the leader has to step up and do their part.’’
Manning and the Giants could certainly use Beckham, even a less-than-100 percent Beckham, against the Lions, who took care of business in their opener, coming back to beat the Cardinals 24-10 in Detroit.
“Odell has been the Febreze for this offense,’’ O’Hara said. “He has covered up so much, just by being able to make one play and it’s ‘Oh, everything’s great.’ Not having him just really uncovered the inefficiency across the board.”