Eli Manning: Is the New York Giants quarterback finally done?
The New York Giants made some changes this offseason, but after watching their debacle of an opener Monday night, it’s clear the team’s biggest problem remains the same: Eli Manning is still the quarterback.
Despite the Giants installing a new offensive system this year under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo, Eli was still Eli. In New York’s 35-14 loss to Detroit, Manning completed 18 of 33 passes (54.5 percent), for 163 yards (a woeful 4.49 yards per attempt), with one touchdown and two interceptions.
He, and the rest of his teammates looked completely lost in McAdoo’s new up-tempo, West Coast system. It should be on Manning to lead the offense, get it on the same page and get it moving down the field, but he didn’t do that. He just slumped his shoulders, walked to the sideline and gave that Eli Manning look we’re all so familiar with.
Manning is a three-time Pro Bowler, but on Monday night he looked like a spaghetti-armed version of Rex Grossman. He made the same terrible reads, the same awful throws and had the same blank expression on his face we’ve all seen countless times. It’s not so much a “deer in the headlights” look as it is “dear God get me out of here.”
Manning is coming off of the worst season of his career. In 2013 he completed just 57.5 percent of his passes for 3,818 yards, with 18 touchdowns and a NFL-worst 27 interceptions. His quarterback rating of 69.4 ranked 35th of the 37 signal-callers who qualified league-wide.
On top of that, Manning is just 33 years old but has more obvious wear on him than a ’73 Ford Pinto…and is just as likely to explode.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Manning has somehow dramatically dropped off. No, I posit that he was never much better than this, but got by leaning on his raw talent and supporting cast. He is a two-time Super Bowl MVP, but let’s be real, the Giants’ defense was the real MVP for both of those championship runs.
Manning has had his moments. Without his deft footwork escaping from pressure in Super Bowl XLII, David Tyree would have never had the chance to make his miracle catch that set up the winning score. And the throw he made to Mario Manningham from the shadow of his own goal line on the game-winning drive in Super Bowl XLVI is one of the best passes I’ve ever seen in a key situation.
Unfortunately, throughout Manning’s 11-year career those moments of brilliance have been few and far between. Some of his career numbers look nice, until you compare them with others. He has amassed 35,508 passing yards, but has only completed 58.5 percent of his passes. He has thrown 230 touchdown passes, but has been intercepted 173 times. His career quarterback rating of 81.1 ranks him between Jake Delhomme (81.3) and Matt Cassel (81.1) on the all-time list. That’s not exactly Hall of Fame company. A sampling of some of the names ahead of Eli on that list: Dave Krieg (81.5), Ken Anderson (81.9), Brad Johnson (82.5), Brian Griese (82.7), Mark Brunell (84.0) and Carson Palmer (85.9). Yikes.
Manning has played important roles in great moments, but has never been a leading man. He’s a goofy-looking guy who lives in the shadow of his brother’s success and has never been able to carry things on his own or step into the light as a superstar. Basically he’s football’s version of Clint Howard.
Eli’s best season came in 2011 when he completed 61 percent of his passes for 4,933 yards, with 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also led the NFL with seven fourth-quarter comebacks and eight game-winning drives en route to a Super Bowl title. During that late-season run he looked like an elite quarterback. But that glimpse of greatness was fleeting, and he rapidly regressed to the turnover-prone, mediocre passer he has always truly been.
I don’t see much changing any time soon. Manning is who he is at this point. He’s a guy who has thrown interceptions on 3.4 percent of his passes during his career. In case you weren’t aware, that’s awful. Since 2010, Manning has thrown 85 interceptions in 65 regular season games. In medieval times if you were that bad at your job you’d be hanged from the city walls as an example to others.
Manning’s contract runs through the 2015 season, and it’s hard to picture him ever wearing another uniform. But if he doesn’t improve dramatically no one could blame the Giants if they moved on after next year.