THE MANNING BROS.
By D'Arcy Maine, NFL Draft Bible
Hello everyone! Thanks for checking out my column and nfldraftbible.com. I’m really excited to be writing for the site and hope you enjoy reading it half as much as I do writing it. Like you, I’m a football fan and hope to provide a fan-centric perspective. I’m going to try and not let my team bias become obvious but I’m sure it will soon enough. In the meantime, I’ll keep you guessing. I would love to hear from readers and feel free to email me at darcy@nfldraftbible.com with any suggestions, ideas for new columns, or just general stuff. I’ll be writing this column weekly so make sure to keep checking it out! Thanks for reading!
Now let’s get to some football… I recently started thinking about the NFL’s most famous siblings, the Manning brothers, after someone asked me if my sister and I are competitive (which, as almost anyone with a sibling could understand, we are). It was just one year ago that the league was over-hyping the aptly named “Manning Bowl” in which we, the football fateful, could finally watch Peyton and his Colts face his brother Eli and his Giants in the first game of the 2006 season. The hype was relentless- a battle of brothers, the sons of a legendary quarterback squaring off at Giants stadium in front of millions.
Sadly, the game did not live up to the hype and Peyton’s Colts defeated the Giants, 26-21 with mediocre performances from both Peyton and Eli.
Fast forward one year to the present and Peyton is considered the best quarterback in the league and Eli is fighting to prove he is worthy of a starting position. Peyton finished the 2006 season with a well-deserved Super Bowl victory as his younger brother looked on from the stands. Peyton starts the 2007 season hoping to lead the Colts back to the Super Bowl as Eli heads into a “make-or-break” season having perfected only the “deer in headlights” look after the snap.
The Giants are without star running back Tiki Barber (lost to retirement and the Today Show) this season, making Eli’s job even more difficult. Eli has yet to assume any leadership with his teammates but with Barber’s departure, the time is now to become a true leader both on and off the field.
The past three seasons, Eli has had the excuse of inexperience and youth but heading into his fourth NFL season at 26 years of age, he cannot hide behind that excuse any longer. His numbers have consistently improved year-to-year but not at the rate G-Men fans had hoped. As the number one draft pick in the 2004 draft, expectations were high for the youngest son of Archie Manning. Unfortunately- and perhaps partially as a result of the constant pressure and media scrutiny he faces daily- Eli has been expected to lead the Giants to NFC success and his talent has failed to grow with the expectations of the fans and critics alike.
It appears that Eli has been working hard this off-season to improve his game and connections with teammates. For the first time during their careers, Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey showed up during off-season workouts in New Jersey with Eli. Brandon Jacobs looks to replace Barber as the starting running back and has shown serious potential in his first two seasons as a pro, but his lack of experience could prove difficult for Eli after multiple seasons of relying on the experienced Barber.
Eli has shown flashes of promise. After the defeat to Peyton and the Colts, he led the Giants to a huge comeback in the second game of the 2006 campaign against their divisional rival Eagles. The Giants won in overtime after being down 24-7 with Eli throwing for three touchdowns and 371 yards. It’s easy to forget but Eli helped bring the Giants to a 6-2 record at the halfway mark of last season. At the same time, the youngest Manning is perhaps most noted for his failure to deliver at big moments, which resulted in winning just two of the final eight regular season games.
Pass completions have plagued Eli’s career. In 2005, his first full season as a starter, Eli completed a dismal 52.8 percent of passes. In 2006, he improved to 57.7 percent. In comparison, big brother Peyton competed 62.5 percent of passes in his third season (2000) and averages 64 percent for his career.
In Peyton’s third season he passed for 4,413 yards and threw for 33 touchdowns. Last season, Eli passed for 3,244 yards and 24 touchdowns with 18 interceptions, throwing under 200 yards in nine games. The fans and team management want more from their “star” quarterback this season. And if Eli doesn’t deliver, get ready for some major changes in 2008.
This year, with the new addition of quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer, there is hope Eli could find his niche and become the quarterback that fans hoped he would be, utilizing a different methodology. This is wishful thinking. The former Ole Miss standout will never repeat the success of his brother and remain the average quarterback he has been since being drafted.
Being part of the football’s royal family is a blessing and a curse and I question that if Eli did not have Manning as a last name if the expectations and the failure talk would be as prevalent. I also wonder if less pressure would allow his true talent and leadership to come through. Eli lacks the natural charisma and love for the spotlight that his brother so easily assumes.
In conclusion, we have to remember that Eli will never be Peyton because he’s not Peyton. Is it possible he can turn things around? Yes, but its now or never as the weight of New York will be sitting on his shoulders.
Be sure to check out D’Arcy Maine all season long exclusively on NFL Draft Bible!
Email: darcy@nfldraftbible.com
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4 comments:
Looking forward to reading more of your articles, hopefully Eli can turn it around, Go Giants!
eli has a few things going against him. he is still relatively young, mental game seems week, and barber is gone. it seems to be that one bad pass usually leads to another. he needs a stronger mental game and not let one mistake dictate his performance throughout the game. with barber gone, someone else has to step up and be as reliable to make the plays and gain the yards. if no one does, then the giants are going to have to depend on defense to win games this season.
Leadership is detremental to the quarterback position and Eli has failed to step up into that role. With Tiki and now possibly Strahan leaving, he will need to take the reigns and prove that this is his team now. A poor season from Eli will likely equate into a losing record, which will inevitably lead to a new coach. So there is a chain reaction here depending on how much Eli progresses or regresses this season.
Eli is unstoppable and needs more credit for his skill. I have faith that the best is yet to come for this young QB.
I am particularly excited to see how he will measure up to the rest of the NFC East...
and can't wait for your commentary!
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