New York Giants: Eli Manning Versus Father Time

Is the NFL’s current ironman losing the war with father time? Eli Manning’s remarkable toughness may actually be hurting the New York Giants.

Eli Manning has long been the most under-appreciated quarterback in the NFL. Perennially, Manning is left out of the offseason conversations regarding the best at the position, despite having more Super Bowl wins in his first eight seasons, than 20 of the 32 NFL franchises have in their history.

As a lifelong Eli apologist, this media driven ignorance drove me crazy. However, as my football IQ and ability to analyze the game increased, my defense of Manning did the opposite. After a lifetime dedicated to trying to rid the world from Manning slander, it’s become impossible to continue to deny the reality at hand.

Life without Manning is approaching faster than most of us would like to admit, and the front office needs to find an heir to the throne before Father Time lands his knockout punch.

This is one of the stranger cases of physical decline in recent memory, mainly due to the fact that Manning is never hurt. He’s currently on a streak of 211 consecutive starts, the longest of any active player and third-longest of all-time.

Could this actually be the reason for the drop in performance?

Manning’s noticeable issue in 2016 was arm fatigue, also known as “dead-arm.” With more than 6,700 passing attempts since his streak began, it’s fair to wonder whether his elite toughness has come at a greater cost.

Don’t just take it from me. Manning works diligently each year trying to maintain arm strength, as well as research the latest and greatest in recovery. This training regimen seemed to be fueled by speculation that he was suffering from “dead-arm” during the 2012 season.

After comparing the tape, his 2016 season contained much more damning evidence of an arm that has simply run out of gas. His torso rotation still looks to generate substantial torque and his throwing motion is the same, but the ball just doesn’t leave his hand with the same zip.

This development is the main culprit for the increase in interceptions from 2015 to 2016, as well as the decrease in passing plays of 20 yards or more. Also, Manning’s yards per attempt dropped from 7.22 in 2015 to 6.73 in 2016.

Learning to deal with declining arm-strength as a QB would be like a professor trying to teach a lesson with a growing case of laryngitis. Although it would become increasingly difficult to perform to the best of their abilities, the job can still be done.

All it takes is a focus on what they still can do, rather than what they can’t.

The professor could use written communication and educational videos in order to give the lesson. For Manning, as his physical abilities dwindle, his best weapon needs to become his brain.

Conveniently, the most recent quarterback to have to adjust to a weaker throwing arm just so happens to have the same parents as Manning.

When Peyton Manning’s arm began to fail him, he worked harder than ever to master defensive schemes so that he could maximize the amount of space he had to throw the ball into. Although he could no longer make every throw on the field, he knew which ones he still could make and how long he had to make them.

Much like Peyton, Eli is among the most cerebral quarterbacks in the game’s history. Entering his fourth season in Ben McAdoo’s offensive system, Manning should put in more work than ever to master it.

With every extra .0001 of a second it takes for the ball to get to its destination, it’s an extra chance for a defender to make a play on the ball. Every three hours that Manning spent preparing for a defense in the past needs to turn into six for the future.

Similar to Peyton’s final season, Eli can earn his money before the ball is ever snapped.

The Giants’ offense took a massive step back in 2016, while the defense did the complete opposite. If the defense can duplicate its dominant performance, Manning will once again find himself playing for a contender.

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The question is: will he continue to hold the team hostage as the window for his third Super Bowl title inches eerily close to shutting?