Not So Fast

Yes Eli Manning had a bad game against the Panthers. Actually, he had a really bad game, throwing three interceptions and loosing a fumble in the Panther’s domination of the Big Blue. But don’t jump on Eli’s back just yet.First off, he’s only in his second year. In my own opinion, I think that he did phenomenal for a second year quarterback in a tough division, not to mention in the media center of the world, New York. He was doubted last year when he was thrown into the middle of the season, after Tom Coughlin pulled the struggling Kurt Warner. The Cowboys game at the end of the year signified Eli’s light bulb in his head going off, in that he finally got the fact that he was in the NFL and he figured out the game. The Giants won that game, finishing with a 6-10 record.

    Coming into this year, there wasn’t that much of an expectation for the Giants, let alone for Eli. The “Sophomore Slump” was supposed to set in from Week 1, however, it really didn’t hit until about Week 12. The projections were that the Eagles were going to dominate the East, and everyone else was in a fight for second place at best. Who would have thought that the Giants would win the East and go to the playoffs as a 4 seed? I think that is a step in the right direction for young Eli.

    In the long 24 hours since the Giants debacle on their own turf, I’ve heard the words “Peyton” and “Eli” in the same sentences more than I ever have before. Everyone is saying “Well Peyton is an MVP quarterback, Pro Bowler, and he still hasn’t won a playoff game, so Eli is just going on the same path”. Here’s where I say not so fast. It was his first playoff game and in part thanks to Peyton, and the city that is the namesake for the team, he was under intense scrutiny, putting quite a bit of pressure on only a second year quarterback. He got this scrutiny from the influx of interceptions that he has thrown in the last 4 weeks of football.

    I think that young Eli will wake up and win a playoff game with the New York Giants. The weapons that he has around him are great players that will influence his development even more than it already has. Plaxico Burress, Jeremy Shockey, Tiki Barber and Amani Toomer will all be great weapons for Eli to utilize in the future just as they were hooking up for the Giants this year. Some people forget that Eli threw for 3,762 yards and 24 touchdowns in the regular season. Those are great numbers for a second year quarterback. Those 17 interceptions need to come down though, and they will once he gets more help with the offensive line and gets better at decision making. Over the off-season, as long as the Giants address their offensive line and secondary issues, then the Giants will be a threat next year, and years after that. Super Bowl title anyone?