LaTunaNostra
He Made the Difference
- Messages
- 14,985
- Reaction score
- 4
Against Jets, Manning Looks Like a Rookie
By JUDY BATTISTA
Published: August 28, 2004
AST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Aug. 27 - Perhaps it was inevitable that the rookie would eventually look like a rookie, but when it happened to Eli Manning on Friday night after a training camp full of impressive practices, it was jarring.
And so, the latest chapter in the Giants' quarterback competition may have finally shown why the team began training camp expecting Kurt Warner to win the starting job for the season opener.
Warner started against the Jets on Friday night. And although he lost fumbles twice (the first was negated by a roughing the passer penalty; the second was recovered by the Giants) and was sacked twice as the Jets unleashed a wave of blitzes, he completed 9 of 11 passes for 104 yards.
He was also the quarterback for the Giants' only touchdown drive in their 17-10 loss to the Jets. That drive ended with a 9-yard touchdown run by Ron Dayne to give the Giants a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Manning went into the game with four minutes left in the first half and the Giants trailing, 10-7, and he looked as rattled as any rookie not named Manning would be expected to look. His first pass was intercepted by Donnie Abraham.
His second was overthrown. On that drive, while in the shotgun, Manning was sacked by John Abraham and lost the ball, which Omare Lowe recovered and returned 27 yards for a touchdown and a 17-10 Jets' lead.
"The first time he moved out of the pocket, he threw an interception," Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said. "He hasn't started out in that negative fashion before. Obviously, he didn't play well. There are going to be times. He's been so sharp and so with it. The term everyone used is unflappable. He is a young man."
Manning was 0 for 5 before he completed a pass, and a few plays later, he was sacked again. In the third quarter, he was nearly intercepted again.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, he was intercepted for a second time, when safety Reggie Tongue read Manning's eyes and jumped in front of his intended receiver.
Manning held the ball too long and looked unsure as he stood in the pocket. His normally laser-like passes were off line. He finished the night 4 of 14 passing for 20 yards, with two interceptions, two sacks and a fumble. In the second half, he was 2 of 7 passing for 3 yards.
In three games, Manning has completed 20 of 42 passes for 228 yards, with two interceptions and five sacks.
After standing up to the pressure of the Carolina Panthers' defense last week, Manning was undone by the Jets' new blitz-happy scheme. And that raises the question: If the Jets can do this to Manning, what would the Giants' first regular-season opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, be able to do with their aggressive defense?
"I never got into a groove," Manning said. "I made bad decisions, made mental mistakes. I've got to learn from this. I've got a lot to learn. I knew that coming into the game."
Warner started, Coughlin said, because it was his turn in the rotation, but his performance could only have helped him in what has become a tight race for the starting job.
Coughlin said he might wait until after the last preseason game on Thursday against Baltimore to make a decision on the starter for the Sept. 12 opener. But after several shaky practices and performances in the two previous games, this was a game Warner needed.
Warner has said repeatedly that he was still learning the offense, but he looked more comfortable running it and more adept at evading the rush than he had in training camp.
On the first play of the game, Warner hit tight end Visanthe Shiancoe over the middle on a play-action pass for a 33-yard gain, slicing through the Jets' two-deep zone.
Later in the drive, Warner stepped up to avoid the rush on third down and completed a short pass that Tiki Barber turned into a first down.
In his only drive of the second quarter, Warner stepped up in the pocket under pressure from Abraham and managed to find Amani Toomer on the sideline for a 21-yard gain on third-and-7.
"He was in charge, moving the ball," Coughlin said of Warner.
Through three preseason games, two of which he has started, Warner was 21 of 29 passing for 224 yards, with one interception, no touchdown passes and seven sacks.
"I think I progressed in my knowledge of this offense," Warner said. "That's my goal. I'm getting to where I want to be. I think there was progress."
Still, Coughlin was agitated by all the Giants' turnovers - Manning's two interceptions and three fumbles.
"Our quarterbacks have to put the ball away when they get hit," Coughlin said. "We're turning the ball over at that position."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/28/sports/football/28giants.html
By JUDY BATTISTA
Published: August 28, 2004
AST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Aug. 27 - Perhaps it was inevitable that the rookie would eventually look like a rookie, but when it happened to Eli Manning on Friday night after a training camp full of impressive practices, it was jarring.
And so, the latest chapter in the Giants' quarterback competition may have finally shown why the team began training camp expecting Kurt Warner to win the starting job for the season opener.
Warner started against the Jets on Friday night. And although he lost fumbles twice (the first was negated by a roughing the passer penalty; the second was recovered by the Giants) and was sacked twice as the Jets unleashed a wave of blitzes, he completed 9 of 11 passes for 104 yards.
He was also the quarterback for the Giants' only touchdown drive in their 17-10 loss to the Jets. That drive ended with a 9-yard touchdown run by Ron Dayne to give the Giants a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Manning went into the game with four minutes left in the first half and the Giants trailing, 10-7, and he looked as rattled as any rookie not named Manning would be expected to look. His first pass was intercepted by Donnie Abraham.
His second was overthrown. On that drive, while in the shotgun, Manning was sacked by John Abraham and lost the ball, which Omare Lowe recovered and returned 27 yards for a touchdown and a 17-10 Jets' lead.
"The first time he moved out of the pocket, he threw an interception," Giants Coach Tom Coughlin said. "He hasn't started out in that negative fashion before. Obviously, he didn't play well. There are going to be times. He's been so sharp and so with it. The term everyone used is unflappable. He is a young man."
Manning was 0 for 5 before he completed a pass, and a few plays later, he was sacked again. In the third quarter, he was nearly intercepted again.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, he was intercepted for a second time, when safety Reggie Tongue read Manning's eyes and jumped in front of his intended receiver.
Manning held the ball too long and looked unsure as he stood in the pocket. His normally laser-like passes were off line. He finished the night 4 of 14 passing for 20 yards, with two interceptions, two sacks and a fumble. In the second half, he was 2 of 7 passing for 3 yards.
In three games, Manning has completed 20 of 42 passes for 228 yards, with two interceptions and five sacks.
After standing up to the pressure of the Carolina Panthers' defense last week, Manning was undone by the Jets' new blitz-happy scheme. And that raises the question: If the Jets can do this to Manning, what would the Giants' first regular-season opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, be able to do with their aggressive defense?
"I never got into a groove," Manning said. "I made bad decisions, made mental mistakes. I've got to learn from this. I've got a lot to learn. I knew that coming into the game."
Warner started, Coughlin said, because it was his turn in the rotation, but his performance could only have helped him in what has become a tight race for the starting job.
Coughlin said he might wait until after the last preseason game on Thursday against Baltimore to make a decision on the starter for the Sept. 12 opener. But after several shaky practices and performances in the two previous games, this was a game Warner needed.
Warner has said repeatedly that he was still learning the offense, but he looked more comfortable running it and more adept at evading the rush than he had in training camp.
On the first play of the game, Warner hit tight end Visanthe Shiancoe over the middle on a play-action pass for a 33-yard gain, slicing through the Jets' two-deep zone.
Later in the drive, Warner stepped up to avoid the rush on third down and completed a short pass that Tiki Barber turned into a first down.
In his only drive of the second quarter, Warner stepped up in the pocket under pressure from Abraham and managed to find Amani Toomer on the sideline for a 21-yard gain on third-and-7.
"He was in charge, moving the ball," Coughlin said of Warner.
Through three preseason games, two of which he has started, Warner was 21 of 29 passing for 224 yards, with one interception, no touchdown passes and seven sacks.
"I think I progressed in my knowledge of this offense," Warner said. "That's my goal. I'm getting to where I want to be. I think there was progress."
Still, Coughlin was agitated by all the Giants' turnovers - Manning's two interceptions and three fumbles.
"Our quarterbacks have to put the ball away when they get hit," Coughlin said. "We're turning the ball over at that position."
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/28/sports/football/28giants.html