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New York Giants: Is Eli Manning’s 70 percent goal realistic?

By Pete Schauer

Aug 3, 2014; Canton, OH, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) warms up prior to the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Buffalo Bills at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 3, 2014; Canton, OH, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) warms up prior to the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Buffalo Bills at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /
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September 8 will mark the start of a near impossible journey for New York Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning.

The 8th, of course, is the Giants’ 2014 season opener at the Detroit Lions, and that journey is Manning attempting to finish this season with a 70% completion percentage.

That’s right; 70%.

New York’s new quarterback coach, Danny Langsdorf is setting the bar high for Manning and the G-Men offense this year, challenging his two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback to complete at least 70% of his passes this season, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.

That’s a tall order for Manning, who has never even come close to that mark in a single season, as Graziano points out on Twitter.

Since that 62.9% mark in 2010, Manning has gotten progressively worse from 2011 to 2014. See for yourself: 61.0% (2011), 59.9% (2012) and 57.5% (2013).

I’m one of the biggest Manning fans out there, but the 70% mark just isn’t realistic for Manning, nor is it realistic for almost every NFL quarterback that’s played the game. I say that because only four guys in the history of football have done that: Joe Montana (1989), Steve Young (1994), Ken Anderson (1982) and Drew Brees (2011 and 2009).

Jan 4, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) throws a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of the 2013 NFC wild card playoff football game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) throws a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of the 2013 NFC wild card playoff football game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Another factor going against Manning is his offense. Sure, we’re all psyched to see what the Giants’ offense can do this season, but after Victor Cruz, the G-Men have a slew of unproven wide receivers, including rookie Odell Beckham Jr.

Dump passes to running backs in the flat are a great way to increase your completion percentage, but New York’s starting running back, Rashad Jennings, has never caught more than 36 passes in a single season and is somewhat unproven himself, having not been a weekly starter in his career.

I like the idea by Langsdorf–he’s coming in for his first year and setting goals for his players–but this is an unreachable goal for Manning and practically every other QB in the NFL, especially when you think about the fact that guys like Tom Brady and Eli’s brother Peyton Manning have never accomplished a 70% completion percentage in a single season.

Don’t get me wrong; Eli Manning is a great quarterback.

I don’t care what anyone says. What Manning did to bring home two Super Bowls for Big Blue certainly makes him great in my book. And while I’m expecting a big bounce back season from No. 10 this season, he’s not coming close to 70%.

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