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Guess the reason he hasn't been successful in previous years, is that he has a new offensive philosophy.
Eli Manning's accuracy propels Giants "Can singlehandedly beat a team"
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Guess the reason he hasn't been successful in previous years, is that he has a new offensive philosophy.
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Manning getting hot at the right time
by Howie Long
Howie is an NFL Hall of Famer and Emmy-Award winning analyst on the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show. He earned eight Pro Bowl berths in his 13-year career with the Oakland Raiders before joining Fox Sports in 1994.
Updated: January 6, 2008, 10:37 PM EST 905 comments RSS digg blog email print Well, Eli Manning shocked the New York football world on Sunday. He won his first playoff game and he's now thrown six touchdowns and only one interception over his last two games.
I want to put this into perspective for everyone. We keep thinking because of his father, Archie, and older brother Peyton have both been around for so long that we've forgotten that Eli is just in his fourth season. The assumption has always been Eli's not a fiery guy because of his demeanor and that he's not the most competitive guy. I said this before about him. Eli is a lot like a duck. There's not a lot going on above the water, but below the surface those feet are just churning constantly.
I know he's a competitive guy; he's just not a demonstrative guy. And that's okay to a certain extent. But you need your quarterback to show some fire.
Manning is also hurt because Giant fans are used to Phil Simms, the blood and guts of their championship teams. He has been the face of that franchise at quarterback for more than two decades. Simms won one Super Bowl and was part of another winner before getting hurt. He was 22-of-25 with two drops when he beat John Elway and Denver in Super Bowl XXI. It was a truly remarkable performance in the biggest of big games.
Being judged by that standard has been difficult both from a demeanor standpoint and a performance standpoint for Manning. I tell you, there are times when Manning almost looks like he's just been sent to the timeout room after an incompletion or a bad play. For him to start the year by responding to Tiki Barber's criticism in the media verbally was a big step for him. I mean with his teammates, with the fans and also within that organization.
Manning has been up and down. His touchdown to interception ratio (23 to 20) is not where you would like it to be. But the fans must understand that he's been unable to practice most of the year with Plaxico Burress, his best receiver. Last week Plaxico did practice and it was obvious that it improved their timing and rhythm. There is also such a trust factor between Manning and Burress. Manning knows he can throw the ball up to him and he's either going to go get it or it's going to be an incompletion. I don't think he's had that with a lot of other receivers.
My buddy Terry Bradshaw likes to talk about a quarterback wearing glasses. When I take my glasses off, I can't see anything on the TV screen. It is blurry to me. With my glasses on, it's like 'wow, I can see so clearly.' Bradshaw says it takes a while for a quarterback to see everything clearly while playing.
Well, last week's game against New England was one of the first times that it looked like the clarity was there. Against the Patriots, Manning looked like a franchise quarterback in a big game against undoubtedly the best team in football. He played great on an enormous stage.
It wasn't until the regular season finale that Manning was stepped up on such a big stage. I find that interesting because Giants Stadium can be such a bad place to play for a quarterback. Simms always talked about that with me. The winds gust there and they swirl. It is tough to throw anything. I don't think it's any shock that the Giants are now 8-1 on the road this season.
Tampa Bay made a conscious effort in the playoff game to say, 'If you are going to go beyond this area with the ball, it is at your own peril. We're going to force you to be patient throughout the game.'
Well, Manning did exactly that. He worked the middle of the field. He worked the intermediate to the short routes. He went to the check-downs. I can remember one play where he pumped the ball and brought it back and then delivered a pass for a first down.
Manning has to throw in rhythm. He's not a spontaneous quarterback. Against the Bucs and last week vs. the Pats, I saw some things where he kind of allowed himself to shift on the fly and I think that helped him. New York's offensive line also played a great game.
The difference for the Bucs was that quarterback Jeff Garcia could never set his feet. It was almost like the clock struck midnight and Garcia turned into the Garcia of old. When you are defending Garcia, with the exception of the Joey Galloway big plays this season, you're defending almost a red-zone offense. It is an abbreviated offense because he's not a big-arm guy, which allows defenses to defend a shorter field.
Garcia never had the opportunity to set his feet. Fans always ask what comes first, the coverage or the pressure. Well, with the Giants it has always been the pressure. Don't forget that their new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo came over from Philadelphia where they do a lot more safety and linebacker blitzes. Well, this unit started the season poorly but you can tell that Spagnuolo has figured out the strengths of his players and they have discovered what he wants them to do.
I am impressed with the Giants right now. This is a tough-minded team that plays in the biggest media market in the country. They are under scrutiny 24-hours a day, seven-days-a-week. That's why they have played so much better on the road.
I give them a shot next Sunday in Dallas because the Cowboys' offense concerns me a little. I knew Terrell Owens was a big part of what they did. But the ripple effect of when he is on the field and off the field is equally as profound. In their season finale his absence threw Tony Romo's timing off. Their inability to run the football in that last game also surprised me.
The dynamic of the Giants from where they were last year at this time and where they are now is rather startling. Maybe dysfunctional is too strong of a word, but the Giants had too many players heading in too many different directions. The focus was not on the group. Instead, the focus was on the individual.
Bradshaw made the point Sunday that it's not all on Manning. I agree. Well, he's had good people around him and performed well the last two weeks. Unlike the NBA, unlike Major League Baseball, unlike the NHL, our playoffs are not a five-game series, this is not a seven-game series, it's not the ALCS. It's one game. Anything can happen in one football game.
I said this before. Fifty-three times since the merger teams have played each other three times during a season. Only 11 times has one team swept the other team. The Giants are a different team than they were in the earlier matchups. The same can be said for Dallas. The Cowboys looked like they were steamrolling one team swept the other team.
That's what makes New England's accomplishment all the more impressive. The Patriots said something very interesting to me. They have been in countless big games. They have won three Super Bowls, but this 16-0 streak was something totally different for them. It was like nothing that they have ever done before, so they weren't used to it.
I was told that they are relieved to be in the playoffs, which is something they are really used to. They got punched in the mouth in the first half by the Giants. And you know what? They got up off the deck and came back to win. They are a mentally tough team. The Giants look to be pretty tough to me, too, right now. And so does Eli Manning.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7640308
by Howie Long
Howie is an NFL Hall of Famer and Emmy-Award winning analyst on the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show. He earned eight Pro Bowl berths in his 13-year career with the Oakland Raiders before joining Fox Sports in 1994.
Updated: January 6, 2008, 10:37 PM EST 905 comments RSS digg blog email print Well, Eli Manning shocked the New York football world on Sunday. He won his first playoff game and he's now thrown six touchdowns and only one interception over his last two games.
I want to put this into perspective for everyone. We keep thinking because of his father, Archie, and older brother Peyton have both been around for so long that we've forgotten that Eli is just in his fourth season. The assumption has always been Eli's not a fiery guy because of his demeanor and that he's not the most competitive guy. I said this before about him. Eli is a lot like a duck. There's not a lot going on above the water, but below the surface those feet are just churning constantly.
I know he's a competitive guy; he's just not a demonstrative guy. And that's okay to a certain extent. But you need your quarterback to show some fire.
Manning is also hurt because Giant fans are used to Phil Simms, the blood and guts of their championship teams. He has been the face of that franchise at quarterback for more than two decades. Simms won one Super Bowl and was part of another winner before getting hurt. He was 22-of-25 with two drops when he beat John Elway and Denver in Super Bowl XXI. It was a truly remarkable performance in the biggest of big games.
Being judged by that standard has been difficult both from a demeanor standpoint and a performance standpoint for Manning. I tell you, there are times when Manning almost looks like he's just been sent to the timeout room after an incompletion or a bad play. For him to start the year by responding to Tiki Barber's criticism in the media verbally was a big step for him. I mean with his teammates, with the fans and also within that organization.
Manning has been up and down. His touchdown to interception ratio (23 to 20) is not where you would like it to be. But the fans must understand that he's been unable to practice most of the year with Plaxico Burress, his best receiver. Last week Plaxico did practice and it was obvious that it improved their timing and rhythm. There is also such a trust factor between Manning and Burress. Manning knows he can throw the ball up to him and he's either going to go get it or it's going to be an incompletion. I don't think he's had that with a lot of other receivers.
My buddy Terry Bradshaw likes to talk about a quarterback wearing glasses. When I take my glasses off, I can't see anything on the TV screen. It is blurry to me. With my glasses on, it's like 'wow, I can see so clearly.' Bradshaw says it takes a while for a quarterback to see everything clearly while playing.
Well, last week's game against New England was one of the first times that it looked like the clarity was there. Against the Patriots, Manning looked like a franchise quarterback in a big game against undoubtedly the best team in football. He played great on an enormous stage.
It wasn't until the regular season finale that Manning was stepped up on such a big stage. I find that interesting because Giants Stadium can be such a bad place to play for a quarterback. Simms always talked about that with me. The winds gust there and they swirl. It is tough to throw anything. I don't think it's any shock that the Giants are now 8-1 on the road this season.
Tampa Bay made a conscious effort in the playoff game to say, 'If you are going to go beyond this area with the ball, it is at your own peril. We're going to force you to be patient throughout the game.'
Well, Manning did exactly that. He worked the middle of the field. He worked the intermediate to the short routes. He went to the check-downs. I can remember one play where he pumped the ball and brought it back and then delivered a pass for a first down.
Manning has to throw in rhythm. He's not a spontaneous quarterback. Against the Bucs and last week vs. the Pats, I saw some things where he kind of allowed himself to shift on the fly and I think that helped him. New York's offensive line also played a great game.
The difference for the Bucs was that quarterback Jeff Garcia could never set his feet. It was almost like the clock struck midnight and Garcia turned into the Garcia of old. When you are defending Garcia, with the exception of the Joey Galloway big plays this season, you're defending almost a red-zone offense. It is an abbreviated offense because he's not a big-arm guy, which allows defenses to defend a shorter field.
Garcia never had the opportunity to set his feet. Fans always ask what comes first, the coverage or the pressure. Well, with the Giants it has always been the pressure. Don't forget that their new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo came over from Philadelphia where they do a lot more safety and linebacker blitzes. Well, this unit started the season poorly but you can tell that Spagnuolo has figured out the strengths of his players and they have discovered what he wants them to do.
I am impressed with the Giants right now. This is a tough-minded team that plays in the biggest media market in the country. They are under scrutiny 24-hours a day, seven-days-a-week. That's why they have played so much better on the road.
I give them a shot next Sunday in Dallas because the Cowboys' offense concerns me a little. I knew Terrell Owens was a big part of what they did. But the ripple effect of when he is on the field and off the field is equally as profound. In their season finale his absence threw Tony Romo's timing off. Their inability to run the football in that last game also surprised me.
The dynamic of the Giants from where they were last year at this time and where they are now is rather startling. Maybe dysfunctional is too strong of a word, but the Giants had too many players heading in too many different directions. The focus was not on the group. Instead, the focus was on the individual.
Bradshaw made the point Sunday that it's not all on Manning. I agree. Well, he's had good people around him and performed well the last two weeks. Unlike the NBA, unlike Major League Baseball, unlike the NHL, our playoffs are not a five-game series, this is not a seven-game series, it's not the ALCS. It's one game. Anything can happen in one football game.
I said this before. Fifty-three times since the merger teams have played each other three times during a season. Only 11 times has one team swept the other team. The Giants are a different team than they were in the earlier matchups. The same can be said for Dallas. The Cowboys looked like they were steamrolling one team swept the other team.
That's what makes New England's accomplishment all the more impressive. The Patriots said something very interesting to me. They have been in countless big games. They have won three Super Bowls, but this 16-0 streak was something totally different for them. It was like nothing that they have ever done before, so they weren't used to it.
I was told that they are relieved to be in the playoffs, which is something they are really used to. They got punched in the mouth in the first half by the Giants. And you know what? They got up off the deck and came back to win. They are a mentally tough team. The Giants look to be pretty tough to me, too, right now. And so does Eli Manning.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7640308
BARRYRAY
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I thought the g-men were the second best team in the best division in the NFL.They played NE as good as anybody except when they went man with Moss, I don't get that play, but at any rate except for the times they beat us they manned up and played good.They played good last week, that Brandon Jacobs--wish we had em, he's a tackle to tackle beast..
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I like Howey Long, but he can be way too serious sometimes. He is a good commentator as far as making well educated and meaningful comments. He and Terry make a good team since Terry can break the ice with his humor.
I would agree that Manning will most likely be successful in the future. But the jury is still out on that one. Four years is when he had best start showing consistency, or people are going to be asking for his head soon.
He will lose this game for the Giants, and that is how they will look at it when he throws an interception or two. The clock is ticking on his tenure in NY. And the Cowboys are going to be the ones driving the bandwagon.
All aboard!!!! :suxjints:
I would agree that Manning will most likely be successful in the future. But the jury is still out on that one. Four years is when he had best start showing consistency, or people are going to be asking for his head soon.
He will lose this game for the Giants, and that is how they will look at it when he throws an interception or two. The clock is ticking on his tenure in NY. And the Cowboys are going to be the ones driving the bandwagon.
All aboard!!!! :suxjints:
VietCowboy
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WoodysGirl;1886729 said:
good job howie for neglecting to mention that in those 53 times, that not all teams were in a position to sweep 3 times, but that when they were, it was 2/3!!
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Howie Long: Life is like a box of chocolates!
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Brandon Jacobs. "Eli can beat a team singlehandedly."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eli Manning's first career playoff win was more than a career-changing moment. It also may have served as a warning to the Dallas Cowboys.
If you're going to dare Manning to beat you, you do so at your own risk.
"Eli can beat you," said Giants running back Brandon Jacobs. "Eli can beat a team singlehandedly."
That's not exactly what happened in the Giants' 24-14 wild-card win over the Buccaneers, but it was clear the Bucs' NFC-best defense was far more worried about stopping the 6-4, 264-pound Jacobs than they were about the Giants' quarterback. They stacked the line of scrimmage and as a result, Jacobs struggled.
But Manning made them pay.
He played a smart, efficient and mistake-free game against the No.1 passing defense in the league, completing 20 of 27 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His completion percentage of 74.1 was the highest of his four-year career.
"I thought he did an excellent job," Tom Coughlin said Monday. "One of the best I've seen with regard to his utilization of his eyes and his pump-faking and pulling defenders out of position. Overall I thought it was a very, very impressive game."
That it came in a playoff game, when many were wondering if Manning was the type of quarterback who could lead his team to a big postseason win, made the outing even more impressive.
"If we block (for) him and give him an opportunity," Jacobs said, "then he is that type of quarterback."
He'll have to be on Sunday when the Giants (11-6) travel to Dallas to face the NFC East champion Cowboys (13-3). So much of this battle figures to be Manning vs. Tony Romo, especially since in the first two matchups - both Cowboys victories - the teams combined for 131 points and 1,085 passing yards.
And Manning was terrific in both games, completing 68% of his passes (51-of-75) for 548 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. But the way he had slumped from Thanksgiving until late December, he didn't look capable of doing so again. He seemed to shake off the slump with his 22-of-32, 251-yard, four-touchdown game against the Patriots, even though he threw a key late interception against New England.
But that wasn't enough to frighten the Bucs.
"They kind of played the way we thought they would, coming out eight in the box, singling outside and seeing if we could beat them throwing the football," said receiver Plaxico Burress. "We came out in the second quarter and said, 'Hey, we've got to start throwing some quick slants and hitches and kind of loosen them up a little bit.' That kind of got our passing game going."
The Giants picked apart the Bucs defense with things like what Tampa linebacker Barrett Ruud called "those little, annoying third-down conversions when he needed eight and got 8-1/2." The Giants only took one shot downfield, and Manning overthrew the ball. His longest pass of the day went for 21 yards.
But that's part of the new offensive philosophy of taking only what the defense is giving. In the last two games, Manning is 42-for-59 (71%) with six touchdowns and one interception - and the Giants have scored 59 points.
It's been the best two-game stretch of his career.
"He certainly has played very well," Tom Coughlin said yesterday. "I don't know that there is anything (different) other than his constant focus and his constant desire to be the best. That doesn't change. His numbers have been very good and his quarterback rating has been outstanding, but he applies himself the exact same way.
"If anything, it's just the focus (that) the time of the year to be at your best is right now."
That sounds like Coughlin was saying Manning is a clutch player, which is a phrase that never has been used to describe him since he arrived in New York back in 2004. However you describe it, there's no doubt that the often erratic Manning is peaking at the right time.
And that has made his teammates' belief in him even stronger than it was.
"I think they do believe in me," Manning said. "They have faith that I can make plays and we can win."
link:http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f..._mannings_accuracy_propels_giants.html?page=0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eli Manning's first career playoff win was more than a career-changing moment. It also may have served as a warning to the Dallas Cowboys.
If you're going to dare Manning to beat you, you do so at your own risk.
"Eli can beat you," said Giants running back Brandon Jacobs. "Eli can beat a team singlehandedly."
That's not exactly what happened in the Giants' 24-14 wild-card win over the Buccaneers, but it was clear the Bucs' NFC-best defense was far more worried about stopping the 6-4, 264-pound Jacobs than they were about the Giants' quarterback. They stacked the line of scrimmage and as a result, Jacobs struggled.
But Manning made them pay.
He played a smart, efficient and mistake-free game against the No.1 passing defense in the league, completing 20 of 27 passes for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His completion percentage of 74.1 was the highest of his four-year career.
"I thought he did an excellent job," Tom Coughlin said Monday. "One of the best I've seen with regard to his utilization of his eyes and his pump-faking and pulling defenders out of position. Overall I thought it was a very, very impressive game."
That it came in a playoff game, when many were wondering if Manning was the type of quarterback who could lead his team to a big postseason win, made the outing even more impressive.
"If we block (for) him and give him an opportunity," Jacobs said, "then he is that type of quarterback."
He'll have to be on Sunday when the Giants (11-6) travel to Dallas to face the NFC East champion Cowboys (13-3). So much of this battle figures to be Manning vs. Tony Romo, especially since in the first two matchups - both Cowboys victories - the teams combined for 131 points and 1,085 passing yards.
And Manning was terrific in both games, completing 68% of his passes (51-of-75) for 548 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. But the way he had slumped from Thanksgiving until late December, he didn't look capable of doing so again. He seemed to shake off the slump with his 22-of-32, 251-yard, four-touchdown game against the Patriots, even though he threw a key late interception against New England.
But that wasn't enough to frighten the Bucs.
"They kind of played the way we thought they would, coming out eight in the box, singling outside and seeing if we could beat them throwing the football," said receiver Plaxico Burress. "We came out in the second quarter and said, 'Hey, we've got to start throwing some quick slants and hitches and kind of loosen them up a little bit.' That kind of got our passing game going."
The Giants picked apart the Bucs defense with things like what Tampa linebacker Barrett Ruud called "those little, annoying third-down conversions when he needed eight and got 8-1/2." The Giants only took one shot downfield, and Manning overthrew the ball. His longest pass of the day went for 21 yards.
But that's part of the new offensive philosophy of taking only what the defense is giving. In the last two games, Manning is 42-for-59 (71%) with six touchdowns and one interception - and the Giants have scored 59 points.
It's been the best two-game stretch of his career.
"He certainly has played very well," Tom Coughlin said yesterday. "I don't know that there is anything (different) other than his constant focus and his constant desire to be the best. That doesn't change. His numbers have been very good and his quarterback rating has been outstanding, but he applies himself the exact same way.
"If anything, it's just the focus (that) the time of the year to be at your best is right now."
That sounds like Coughlin was saying Manning is a clutch player, which is a phrase that never has been used to describe him since he arrived in New York back in 2004. However you describe it, there's no doubt that the often erratic Manning is peaking at the right time.
And that has made his teammates' belief in him even stronger than it was.
"I think they do believe in me," Manning said. "They have faith that I can make plays and we can win."
link:http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f..._mannings_accuracy_propels_giants.html?page=0
GhettoxCowboy
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theebs;1886564 said:
Exactly.. Like i said before the guy folds under pressure trust..
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so basically the keep Eli passing under 15 yards and pray their WR can break a tackle I see. Dink and Dunk won't beat us.
