New York Giants: 10 things we learned last season

Dec 21, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) throws against the St. Louis Rams during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

5. It Takes More Than A Quarterback

You hear all the time that you cannot win in the NFL without a good quarterback. While this is true, a good quarterback guarantees you nothing. Football is the ultimate team sport and therefore it takes all 53 men to get the job done over the course of an NFL season. The quarterback position is certainly the key ingredient to success but it doesn’t make you a winner just because you have a top ten quarterback. It’s like an apple pie, apples are the key ingredient but you can’t just slice up apples and call it a pie.

The Giants learned this truth the hard way in the 2014 season. Manning put on a show for the Big Blue faithful all season long. He had without a doubt one of the best years of his career. The Giants were competitive in games they probably had no business being in because Manning was red-hot most of the season. Without Manning the Giants may not have won a single game.

The Giants need to not crumble around their franchise quarterback. The Giants have the apples for the winning pie. Do they have the sugar, cinnamon and flour?

The positive thing is that the Giants have their quarterback. There isn’t a fraction of a doubt about that. Even in Manning’s 27 interception season of 2013 he almost threw for 4,000 yards. In his worst day Manning is more prolific than half the quarterbacks in the league. On his best day Manning can shred any defense.

The Giants need to hope that the team around Manning can do its part. The offensive line needs to hold their weight. The running game needs to actually exist in a dependable fashion. The defense needs to stop the run and not give up handfuls of big plays a game.

Next: 6. Larry Donnell Has Unlimited Potential