New York Giants: Eli Manning Lighting Up Training Camp
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has been torching the defense since throwing an interception on his first pass of training camp.
The New York Giants had one of the worst defenses in the history of the franchise in 2015. They did their best in the offseason to ensure that doesn’t happen again, as general manager Jerry Reese opened up the checkbook in free agency to add a ton of talent.
The Giants have one of the best defensive fronts now, as they added Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison to Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins while adding Janoris Jenkins and Leon Hall at defensive back.
As a result, the Giants look much improved on paper. They have a number of pass rushers and have shored up their defensive backfield. Add in first-round pick Eli Apple, and the Giants go four deep at cornerback along with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
Teams should find it more difficult to throw on the Giants this season, but their own quarterback, Eli Manning, has had little trouble thus far. After getting off to a rough start, throwing an interception to linebacker Devon Kennard on his first pass of training camp, Manning has been on fire.
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In the 10 days and eight practices since, Manning has ripped right through the defense, lighting them up on a consistent basis without throwing an interception. Manning looks like a new player ever since Ben McAdoo came to the Giants as offensive coordinator prior to the 2014 season.
According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN New York, Manning would routinely turn the ball over at practice, but he has looked totally different this season. Manning has taken full control of McAdoo’s offense, cutting way down on his turnovers while increasing his efficiency and statistics.
“I feel like I’m having a good camp,” Manning said. “I feel like I’m playing fast, seeing things well and throwing the ball accurately. So we have to keep that going.”
Good camp may be an understatement. According to Dan Duggan of New Jersey Advanced Media, Manning completed 16-of-17 passes at Monday’s practice, finding Odell Beckham Jr. for a pair of red zone touchdowns. Raanan also noted that Manning worked the two-minute drill of the practice to perfection, finishing it off with one of his touchdown passes to Beckham Jr.
“Eli’s been sharp. He’s worked at it in the offseason, had some good looks and good work in the offseason training program,” head coach McAdoo said. “He’s been sharp so far. First pass, he got that out of the way quick, the turnover, but he’s been sharp since then.”
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Manning is the key to the Giants success this season, as he is at the controls of what could be one of the best offenses in the NFL. If the Giants defense can perform adequately, the Giants should have an excellent chance of making it back to the postseason as Manning has the offense humming, and there are no signs of that slowing down.