Giants Manning Takes Pressure

Yes, the Giants lost the game and they're sitting it out until September 07. No, Eli Manning didn't throw for 350 yards and 3 scores. Yes, Eli manning was one of the worst offenders in the league with respect to tossing interceptions in 2006, having thrown 18 during the regular season and 1 yesterday. Eli, to date, isn't the great savior that Giants fans and GM Ernie Accorsi envisioned when he was acquired from the Chargers. He also isn't the reason the Giants lost yesterday.

Eli Manning often stood in the pocket yesterday and absorbed the abuse that he apparently has tried so hard to avoid during his career. So hard, in fact, that he often has sacrificed his mechanics and pocket awareness to avoid contact, leading to his sky-high interception rate. Of the 18 interceptions, likely half could be attributed directly to a breakdown in his technique, stemming from his apparent fear of contact. That fear is so widely known throughout the league that some Eagles players have nicknamed the younger Manning "Sheli". Well, Sheli was a Heli yesterday, as he often was tattooed, or side-stepped the pressure and looked for his down-field target, or Tiki Barber in the flat. Heck, he didn't do what we've grown accustomed to. That is, shy away from pressure and toss the ball with little or no authority, usually to the other team. It's no wonder where the nickname came from.

In the end, his numbers weren't eye-popping. He completed 16 of 27 passes (59%) for only 161 yards, while tossing 2 touchdowns, with one interception. He did, however, bring the Giants back from a 10 point 3rd quarter deficit. Even more impressive was that he engineered the game-tying scoring drive, even after his teammates put the offense in a 1st and 30 deficit, thanks to some ill-timed penalties. At the Eagles 43, after a 1st down incompletion, Eli found Plaxico Burress on 3 consecutive passes, including an 11 yards touchdown. The Giants didn't win, but Eli put them in a position to. What more can you ask for?

Like it or not, Eli manning is the leader of this offense. Unpopular or not, he'll be the quarterback for the Giants for years to come. He may never be Peyton, but he may never need to be. If we're lucky, he'll resemble the Eli Manning from yesterday's game. That Eli Manning was good enough to win and that's what it's all about.