Eli Manning is having a good season so far, even if NY Giants are not - There were doubts. Of course there were. How could there not be, after the way Eli Manning played last season? The 27 interceptions weren’t just a downturn, they looked like a plunge off a cliff. Worse, that came at a time when the Giants expected to be talking with their franchise quarterback about one more lucrative, long-term contract extension.
That wasn’t the sole reason the extension didn’t happen last offseason. There are economic and salary cap-related realities involved in every decision that big. But following that performance, there were doubts in some corners of the Giants organization about exactly how much Manning would be worth in the final years of his NFL career.
Now, after what he’s done this season, there shouldn’t be any doubt at all.
Because buried beneath yet another disappointing Giants season has been an impressive bounce-back for the 33-year-old centerpiece of their franchise. With a struggling offensive line in front of him, a lack of playmakers around him and a brand new offense he was forced to learn, Eli Manning is proving that 2013 wasn’t the beginning of the end.
“What he’s doing with nothing around him is a miracle,” said one NFC personnel executive. “(Injuries) took away the only guy they had that scared you (Victor Cruz) and his best running back. The only reason they move the ball at all, it seems, is because of him.”
There are some around the league and even inside the Giants organization who agree with that sentiment. Really, it’s hard not to for anyone who has witnessed the comedy of errors that has sometimes swirled around Manning on the field. The Giants have no sustainable running game with injured running back Rashad Jennings out. The remaining receivers and tight ends have a problem with drops. And the offensive line has been maddeningly inconsistent, forcing a very immobile quarterback to far-too-frequently go on the run.
Yet look at the numbers: Halfway through the season, Manning has completed 62.5% of his passes, which would be close to his career-high. And with 1,932 passing yards he’s on pace to come very close to topping 4,000 for the fourth time in his 11 seasons. He’s on pace for a career-high in touchdown passes (16 so far) and a career-low in interceptions (five so far). His current passer rating of 94.9 would be a career-high, too.
In the Giants’ first two games, their new offense just didn’t look ready. But in the six games since, Manning has thrown 13 touchdown passes and just one interception − a questionable one in Washington that should have been a touchdown before the ball was ripped right out of Rueben Randle’s hands.
