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Top 3 Stories – GMEN HQ Blogroll: Eli Manning Edition

By William Watts

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Oct 21, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) reacts to the winning touchdown against the Washington Redskins at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Perlman/THE STAR-LEDGER via USA TODAY Sports

Eli Manning Edition

Top 3 Stories

  1. Sky’s the Limit for Eli Manning in New Giants’ Offense
  2. Langsdorf sets bar high for Eli
  3. New York Giants QB Eli Manning Has Lofty Goal of 70 For Completion Percentage

"Sky is the limit –If Manning reaches lofty completion percentage expectation, it would not only be a vast improvement over last year, but a career high as well. In his 10 NFL seasons, Manning has never completed better than 62.9 percent of his throws. From 2008 through 2011, he completed over 60 percent. That number has dropped over the last two years, with Manning completed 59.9 in 2012, and 57.5 last year.While Giants’ offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo didn’t call the plays in Green Bay, he worked on an offensive staff that continually had quarterback Aaron Rodgers near the tops of the league in accuracy. Rodgers has completed over 65 percent of his passes every year since 2010.But 70 percent? That number has only been reached five times before. Drew Brees (71.2), Brees again (70.6), Ken Anderson (70.6), Steve Young (70.3) and Joe Montana (70.2) are the only signal callers in NFL history to reach that high.At 33 years old, Can Manning do it?Manning says, “Yeah, absolutely –The best single-season completion percentage of Manning’s career was 62.9 in 2010, and that number has dropped for him every season since, which is one of the reasons the Giants have brought Langsdorf, new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo and a brand-new West Coast offensive system into the franchise for 2014.Asked if he truly believes that, with the meshing of his skills and the passer-friendly schemes, Manning can reach that goal, Langsdorf told reporters: “Yeah, absolutely.”Can lofty goals help struggling quarterbacks regain success –This is a good motivational tool by the coaching staff to try and get Manning back on track. Changing Manning’s playing style from what helped him and the Giants win two Super Bowls into the dink-and-dunk offense someone like Smith played wouldn’t make much sense. Manning’s ability to take and make the gutsy throws many other players in the NFL wouldn’t attempt is what separates him from other quarterbacks in the league.At the end of the day, Langsdorf and new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo’s goal is turn the Giants offense into a more efficient, lower turnover unit. If Manning falls short of the 70 percent by say five, that would still be a huge improvement over last season and set a new career high. 70 percent gives Manning a number to aim for, but if he comes up a little bit short it should still be considered a success as a new career high will be set and the Giants’ offense will surely be more successful."

Eli Manning Conclusion –

Despite loft goals, football is a game that deals in the harsh reality of crushed individual accomplishment dreams (just ask Chris Johnson’s last four years worth of annual 2000 yard season rushing predictions). The reality of the situation is that Eli Manning will be on the field in six Sundays attempting things that are heavy in hearsay at the moment. Giant fanatics, before a football season starts, it’s very easy to declare: Our QB will complete 70% of his passes in this new system, that’s just exactly what he’ll do.

Then NFL Sunday arrives and men like Eli Manning have to actually attempt those lofty goals as 250 lb men with 4.6 forty speed and snarling athleticism try to de-cleat his face. Explaining to these men that faces don’t possess “cleats” is futile for, Eli. These rabid defenders don’t care about logic, they don’t care about goals of seventy percent completion percentages. In fact, if Eli said, “Woah, calm down, how am I supposed to get a 70% with you guys all foaming from the mouth so noisy, this will take the perfect in game scenarios to accomplish — Men — Fellow Opponents — an entire Giants Nation of fans won’t accept excuses for me not getting this done, so if you could maybe lay down and play dead, that’d be great.”

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If Eli tried some good tidings like that, these NFL monsters would probably snap his neck. The point is, the NFL isn’t an easy game. Achieving 70% completion is near impossible over 16 games. This season, Eli Manning is installing a new offense featuring the route designs and play creativity of Ben McAdoo. And it’s to the teams benefit to have GIANT goals for the 2014 season. Yet please understand, no matter how many stories in a day reference notions like this, the Giants still have to go out there and execute the idea in real time and against world class competition.

This season, the Giant play five preseason games. To me, the focus shouldn’t be on Eli’s completion percentage moving forward, it should be making damn sure that every young Giants player can recite the offense forwards and backwards. With Eli Manning, the Giants have a great player, a 2X Super Bowl winning caliber QB. Perhaps, he shouldn’t be the focus, the Giants don’t have to reinvent his winning attributes, the other Giants just need to improve. If the focus goes to the rest of the team knowing the offense “AS” good as Eli probably already does, then maybe, just maybe a lofty goal like this can actually see some action in football reality.

If the rest of the team struggles to keep Eli’s playbook learning pace and struggles to memorize the ever important timing of the new West Coast Offense, this team could struggle no matter how high Eli’s percentage goals are in July.

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