Another Sunday, another tough loss for the New York Giants.
A day after the 30-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Interim Coach stood in front of the media and spoke positive about his team’s play and especially about Quarterback Eli Manning. “Felt like we played 52 minutes of pretty good team football and there’s enough mistakes in there, but certainly well enough to win. We’re in a 10-10 game with a division opponent and it’s a dog fight and then all of the sudden, it turned real quickly on us and it was tough to rebound. I thought Eli (Manning) played really good football, real solid. Watched the film. Got us in and out of some things that probably only he can do because he’s pretty special that way. I’m sure he’ll tell you there’s a couple of throws he would like back and that’s probably true of any game. And, you know, every quarterback when you’re down one score probably feels like I want to bring the team back and get there and that didn’t happen, so I’m sure he’s disappointed in that.”
Some will ask why should Eli feel disappointed at all? He is playing with a depleted wide receiving group, an inconsistent offensive line and a very banged up defense. Eli is doing the best he can in a tough situation and did not deserve to have his play questioned earlier in the season from former coach Ben McAdoo, who would take shots at Eli’play through the media.
No offense to the current Wide Receivers on the roster but Roger Lewis is not Odell Beckham, Tavaras King is not Brandon Marshall, and Travis Rudolph is not Dwayne Harris so what exactly is Eli suppose to do. He is playing the short game, trying to focus on the running game, and find Even Engram and Rhett Ellison while fighting off defenders from sacking him. Eli is not worrying about who is there not and who is missing, he is focused on winning . “Well, I think you just have to make the plays that are there to be made. Sometimes we’re doing some good things, I thought yesterday we had a good game plan, getting the ball out fast, finding completions. We’re not getting many explosive plays, but we’ve got to find ways to make the plays that are there. If we get to third and manageable, we’ve got to make some throws, make some catches, just do some of those things right. So, we don’t maybe have the guys that can catch a short one and take it 80 yards, but we have guys that can make plays and do things and we’ve got to stay in good down and distance and just execute the opportunities that we do have.”
Eli is the heart of the team. There is no question about that and the crowd at Metlife on Sunday reminded him on how beloved he is to this organization and to the city of New York. “I appreciate it. I appreciate all of the support the fans have given me for 14 years and these last weeks, especially. I appreciate them coming out today and cheering me on and cheering on the Giants.”
When asked if Manning would be starting this week Spagnuolo quickly responded “Absolutely. Yeah. That’s a pretty safe assessment.”
Eli Manning has been a leader and a mentor to rookie QB Davis Webb. Webb has not played one down through this terrible season. We as media members and fans could ask why with the struggles of the Giants have had why Davis has not seen action. The truth is Davis comes in and continues to do his job.
Webb has found working with Manning to be an amazing experience and and considers Eli a mentor. “Yeah, Eli and I eat breakfast and lunch [together] just about every day and we’re pretty much hip-to-hip most of the day when it comes to watching film in the QB room, or I have a lot of things for him, to get him ready for each and every Sunday. So, we talk a lot of football stuff and off the field I’ve learned a lot about him and as a teammate, I have nothing respect for him. I told him that numerous times last week. But again, I’m excited to see him play this Sunday. Everybody kind of freaked out last week and now he’s get a chance to come back and help us win.”
Even the situation with his former coach Ben McAdoo, Eli took the high road and showed respect to his former coach. “I feel for Coach McAdoo, he’s been a great coach for me, a great friend. We had a great relationship, I hope we continue to have one. I was able to have a good talk with him Sunday before the game and then got to see him Monday before he left as well. So, I have great respect for Coach McAdoo and I don’t think this is his fault, but obviously, just where the team is, the Giants had to make a decision and that’s what happens when you’re 2-10.”
As for Spags, Eli has a great working relationship with him. “I just wanted him to know that I do want to play. I want to be the starting quarterback, I want to be out there and I just want to make sure that he knew that. He said that he was going to think about and talk with the coaches, but his gut said that I would be the starting quarterback. So, I’m happy that he went with that decision and he has the faith in me, we can go win this football game with me as the quarterback.”
New York hosts the Eagles this Sunday at 1pm at Met life stadium. Eli discussed the success they had earlier in the season. “Yeah, I thought we played well against them the first time, made some nice plays, hit some big plays. So, I thought we had a good plan to try to slow down their pass rush. They’re very talented, their front seven is as good as it gets, their D-line and their front four especially, and they’ve got good players in the secondary. So, we’ve got to find ways to slow them down a little bit, get the ball out on time, get completions. So, hopefully we’ll have another good game plan, I think the coaches will put something good together.”
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