The Resurgence of Eli Manning

While the main story surrounding the New York Giants is their 3-4 record as the 2014 NFL season is nearing the halfway mark, another story is the complete turnaround of quarterback Eli Manning thus far. He faced the usual overwhelming scrutiny by the New York media after last season where the two time Super Bowl MVP totaled 3,818 passing yards while throwing a career high as well as a league leading 27 interceptions.

With only 18 touchdown passes giving him a quarterback rating of 69.4, it was his lowest rating since 2005. Those poor numbers led many to question whether or not his best days are already behind him and if it was time to groom the next franchise quarterback for the future.

After the firing at the end of last season of offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride who was with him his whole NFL career, new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo was brought in this season to install a new West Coast offense. He made it quite effective as the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers. Many who were already worried about Manning’s decline were now wondering if he would be able to learn a whole new system after spending his first ten seasons in the league under a completely different offensive scheme.

It was a slow start for the Giants offense in 2014, looking lost in the preseason and sputtering in the first two weeks of the regular season. The calls for him to be benched for backup quarterback Ryan Nassib started to grow and many felt that this was the end of an incredible era in the Big Apple. Everyone knew it would take time for everyone to learn the new system but remained steadfast that it would come together eventually.

Just when fans were getting ready for a poor season, he finally started to look comfortable in this offense and it all came together in Week 3 versus the Houston Texans. It was incredible effective and in the following two weeks, it propelled Big Blue to a three game winning streak.

More from GMEN HQ

• Workout clip of Evan Neal training with former All-Pro OT has Giants fans excited
• NFL Draft Schedule of Events: How to Navigate Draft Weekend
• 4 NY Giants who must step their game up in 2023
• This SEC CB at No. 25 overall for the Giants is gaining steam
• When is the NFL Draft?

The team has cooled off the last two weeks as they come into their Week 8 bye fresh off back-to-back losses versus their hated rivals, the Philadephia Eagles in Week 6 and the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. Despite the two losses, he has looked outstanding despite working behind an inconsistent offensive line. He has regained his poise and confidence in the pocket despite losing his top receiver Victor Cruz to a season-ending knee injury.

The numbers don’t lie as so far this season, he has clearly put last season behind him, passing for 1,573 yards as well as throwing for 14 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions. He has earned a quarterback rating of 96.8 and a completion percentage of 64.9%. It should also be mentioned that he did all of this without throwing a single interception in each of his last three games.

How has he truly rebounded so well from last year? A big factor is how he has done well grasping the team’s new offense fairly quickly. Now that Manning and his receivers have developed a trust with each other in this new system, he can throw with more confidence and precision now that he sees everyone running the correct routes.

It’s very noticeable that he has also done a better job of moving through his progressions quicker and getting the ball out to his receivers more consistently so they are able to make plays after the catch. It’s the yards after catch which is the bread and butter of this new offensive system.

Another great area in his resurgence has been how effective a field general he has been. He’s easily reading defenses and adjusting plays on offense to exploit certain weaknesses as well as keeping opposing defenses from predicting the next play. By being smarter with the football when passing, he has been throwing the ball away or tucking it and running for yardage rather than forcing the ball into traffic. He’s even used his feet to avoid pressure and buy himself more time in the pocket to deliver a strike to his receivers. With an uncanny ability to stretch the field, it helps makes the task of slowing him down for opposing defenses that much more difficult.

Manning has also benefited from having an explosive Odell Beckham Jr., a play maker in Reuben Randle, and huge targets at tight end in Larry Donnell and Daniel Fells who are all capable of getting open and making plays all across the field. It’s safe to say that there are many factors into his resurgence so far in 2014, but the most important one is the factor that has made him a household name for eleven seasons.

That factor is Manning’s unbreakable will and the ability to shut out all outside distractions and keeping his focus on constantly improving his game. It’s a trait that only elite players have, and it’s the reason why you cannot spell elite without Eli.