Every Down Back
by Dave Gardner
Eli Manning has earned the respect of his teammates, and the Giants deserve the respect as the best team in football right now.
Eli Manning is rarely in the spotlight, and you get the feeling that’s okay with him.
After his Super Bowl Championship last season, he told reporters that he was ready to focus on improving in the 2008 season.
“I’ve got to become a better quarterback.,” Manning said. “That’s my goal. Toward the end of the season I was playing well, but I’ve got to do it over a whole season and cut down on my mistakes, and try to work on that this offseason.”
So far, he has accomplished his goal. His passer rating has hovered around 90, and his completion percentage (61.8) and touchdown-to-interception ratio are much better than they have been at any point in his career.
Despite guiding the team to the playoffs in consecutive seasons (2005 and 2006) early in his career, the media and fans were calling for his head.
“I never doubted myself,” he said. “I never lost confidence.”
Before the 2008 season, pundits again doubted the younger Manning. On the road in one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL, Heinz Field, Manning again delivered.
“This was a huge win,” he told reporters after the game.
The one trait that has been steady about Manning is his calm. His offense moved the ball well against the Steelers, but had to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns.
“It was easy to get frustrated, but we didn’t,” he said. “We just hung in there tough, and we found a way to win.”
“Getting frustrated doesn’t fix anything, and it’s not going to help.”
After a 12-play, 8-minute drive in the fourth that put the Giants two points behind the Steelers, Manning rallied a lethargic offensive group that had retired to the bench.
“We just wanted to get the game into the fourth quarter,” Manning said, “and then hopefully make enough plays to pull out a win in the end.”
It took Manning and his offense slightly more than three minutes to do what it hadn’t for the previous 53.
A special teams error by backup long snapper James Harrison resulted in a safety, tying the game and giving the ball to the Giants at their own 47 yard line.
On a third-and-seven at the 50, Manning hit Steve Smith for a 25-yard strike; four plays later he executed a perfect playfake, freezing the Steelers’ linebackers and freeing tight end Kevin Boss for the score.
“We hung in there tough, and that’s what I’m most proud about it,” Manning said. “There are things that we can work and fix, but we never gave up.”
It was fitting that Boss scored the touchdown, because a big part of Manning’s increased success has been a decrease in the personalities around him. Jeremy Shockey was one of them; he’s gone, and the Giants don’t miss him.
Now instead of Shockey’s “fire” fueling the team, Manning’s moxie is the team’s mantra.
“We have great focus, and we have great guys on this team,” Manning said. “Whatever you throw at us, guys will step up.”
Yes, even with an opportunity to steal the spotlight from his big brother and from his Hall of Fame-bound cross-town rival, Brett Favre, Manning is just talking about his teammates.
They’ve responded, and the Giants are looking like the best team in football as the first half of the season comes to a close.
“Whatever we’re asked to do,” Manning said, “we’re going to do it with a smile, and we’re going to go out there and try our best.”
Spoken like a champion, acted out like a leader, and lost in the quotes of the other Manning Tuesday.
Playoffs? You wanna talk about playoffs?
AFC
1. Titans (7-0): The AFC South officially belongs to the Titans at the halfway mark. They will have a more difficult road in the second half, though; the combined record of their opponents through seven games is 17-34.
2. Bills (5-2): With the Patriots finding ways to win, it was not a time for the Bills to lose a divisional game. Mark Dec. 28 on your calendar. It’s the date the Bills host the Pats for the AFC East crown.
3. Steelers (5-2): How can the same offensive line make Ben Roethlisberger look like Ryan Leaf and Mewelde Moore look like LaDainian Tomlinson?
4. Broncos (4-3): The Broncos have cooled down after a hot start thanks in part to two blown calls. The Chargers are going to have this spot at the end of the season.
5. Patriots (5-2): Will the Patriots be favored to beat the Colts Sunday night? And will it end the growing rivalry if they do?
6. Ravens (4-3): Joe Flacco needs to be more accurate.
NFC
1. Giants (6-1): Steve Smith has been an underrated asset for this team. He doesn’t have elite speed, but he has sure hands and he knows where the sticks are. On a team short of a backup tight end, Smith is playing that role well.
2. Panthers (6-2): The Panthers edged out a victory against the Cardinals and regained control of the NFC South. How long will it last?
3. Redskins (6-2): Is Clinton Portis carrying the ball a little bit too much? He’s on pace for that scary 370 range in carries.
4. Cardinals (4-3): It is so hard to believe that we’re at the midway point and no one is challenging the Arizona Cardinals for the division. Can we just throw an NFC East team in this division?
5. Cowboys (5-3): Say goodbye to Brad Johnson. You know your career is over if Brooks Bollinger is threatening your starting job.
6. Buccaneers (5-3): Jeff Garcia needs to calm down in the pocket. He’s jumping up and down when he’s got good protection, and he’s missing open receivers because of it.
Fast Facts
Fact of the Week No. 1: Matt Cassel has completed 131 passes this season, and 49 of them (37%) have gone to Wes Welker. Only 26 (17%) have gone to Randy Moss.
Fact of the Week No. 2: The Colts are off to their worst start (3-4) since Peyton Manning’s rookie season in 1998 (1-6).
Fact of the Week No. 3: Brett Favre’s passer rating before the bye: 106.9. Favre’s passer rating since the bye: 65.9.
Weekly MVPs
Offense: LaDainian Tomlinson, RB, Sains. 19 carries, 105 yards; 5 catches, 65 yards and a score. He’s been slower in the United States this year, but he hurried up in London. It was a losing effort only because Drew Brees put up enough points to force the Chargers into the air. Tomlinson is going to be grinding out a lot of wins for the Chargers in the second half of the season.
Defense: Mathias Kiwanuka, DE, Giants. He had three sacks and a game-changing forced fumble. Although he stands up a lot now in the defense, he still looks really comfortable with his hand in the dirt and bull-rushing. The Giants should consider nabbing an outside ‘backer in the draft and keeping Kiwanuka on the line full-time.
Giants DE Mathias Kiwanuka applied constant pressure to Roethlisberger and forced him into several errant throws. Kiwanuka finished the game with a career-high three sacks and a forced fumble.
I’ll Deny I Ever Wrote This…
Bonus college note: The BCS National Championship Game is going to feature the Texas Longhorns vs. the Florida Gators. Texas, having made it out of the toughest part of their schedule should be alive, and Florida would have the benefit of the early loss if they beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game. That being said, they both have big tests this week: Florida vs. Georgia in Jacksonville and Texas vs. Texas Tech.
Don’t fight it, write it! Got a question or a comment? Send it in to theconstantgardner@newerascouting.com. Include your name and hometown, and I might include you in an upcoming article (unless you instruct me otherwise).