New York Giants countdown to camp: QB’s best and worse case scenarios
By Ed Stein
It’s less than a week until players begin reporting to the New York Giants 2019 training camp. Our countdown series continues with the quarterbacks.
Before getting too deep into this, the New York Giants plan is for 39-year-old Eli Manning to be the team’s quarterback all season. It would take something serious to happen for him to come out of the lineup. However, for the first time in a long time, he has someone looking over his shoulder.
Five quarterbacks will be on the depth chart when camp starts this summer. No more than three will make the final roster when all is said and done. One of the remaining two might wind up on the practice squad.
The Incumbent
Eli Manning – It seems like just yesterday when Manning was the upstart rookie quarterback looking to unseat veteran, Kurt Warner. Now he is the master and a new apprentice has arrived. At first glance, his 2018 numbers look pretty good, but digging deeper they weren’t what they should have been.
For example, Manning completed 66 percent of his passes for 4299 yards, but New York Giants receivers were fourth in the league with 2231 yards after the catch (YAC). A third of that total came from running back Saquon Barkley who had 768 YAC, most of which were gained after short passes out of the backfield.
Manning finished 25th in ESPN’s Total Quarterback Ratings. He was behind Joe Flacco (who lost his starting job), and first-year starters Nick Mullens, Baker Mayfield, and Josh Allen. In addition, Pro Football Focus referred to him as the weakest part of the Giants roster due to his declining skill set.
His inability to complete the deep ball hampered the offense last season and his biggest deep threat Odell Beckham was shipped to Cleveland in the offseason. What Manning lacks in physical ability is somewhat offset by his intangibles. With the exception of Tom Brady, there isn’t another QB in the NFL with his smarts and guile. Most importantly Manning’s work ethic is virtually unparalleled.