Sep 25, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; New York Giants tight end Larry Donnell (84) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Yesterday, Larry Donnell graced Monday Morning Quarterback with Sports Illustrated. It was an edition actually written by Peter King and not a guest star like is often the case with MMQB:
"So I reached out to him over the weekend, and I got an education in how exactly someone so un-famous could become so famous in one evening.First: Eli Manning trusts him. He’s thrown 31 passes in Donnell’s direction in four games, connecting on 25 (32 to Victor Cruz, connecting on 18). Manning trusts the 6-6, 269-pound manchild because he knows he can throw the ball up for grabs and Donnell physically will beat whoever is covering him and win the ball.Second: Opportunity. And coaching. The Giants desperately needed a tight end once Bennett left for Chicago (a huge loss), and 2012 third-round pick Adrien Robinson just wasn’t the guy. Then-tight ends coach Mike Pope rode the inexperienced Donnell hard. “I can never, ever repay Coach Pope for making me believe that hard work and determination could turn me into a player, and it did,” Donnell says. Pope made sure, during Donnell’s stint on the practice squad in 2012 and on the bench and on special teams in 2013, that Donnell could really play in the NFL."
Here’s a quote from Donnell:
"“But what happened the other night, no, it’s unbelievable. Me, catching touchdowns from Eli Manning. Eli throwing me six, seven, eight, nine balls a game. What I realize now is how this is really just football. One of my strong suits is just going up for the ball and winning the ball, because I just don’t think there are many DBs who can separate me from the ball. And Eli is so smart. He sees that. So we get to the line of scrimmage sometimes, and Eli just looks at me. Gives me that look. He sees a mismatch. And there’s the look. It’s the eye contact, and the trust. It’s a great feeling, when your quarterback trusts you to go up in the end zone and get the ball. That’s what happened the other night. I just hope we keep it going.”"
This MMQB wasn’t the longest article in Peter King’s history, but it spoke volumes for Eli Manning and Larry Donnell. It sounds like this offense may continue to develop into something special. Or, it could simply be one of those games where everything went right for one play, an anomaly.
With Larry Donnell, it doesn’t seem like a freak occurrence. More, it seems like Larry Donnell is just becoming a freak NFL athlete that is believing in his talent.
You tell us, Giants Nation.