Eli's albatross?
At some point this season, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning lost his confidence. His shoulders now sag, his facial expressions offer doubt and he looks more like a small-town prep school quarterback than one leading a pro team based in the country's most high-profile market.
Those sheepish grins that have creased Manning's face in recent weeks tell more about what is going on in his head than his canned comments. Something is wrong and it may have something to do with a guy playing 3,000 miles away in Southern California.
His name is Philip Rivers, the third-year quarterback out of North Carolina State who has emerged as the San Diego Chargers' starter this season after being Drew Brees' understudy since entering the league. Rivers has exceeded expectations this year, completing 60 percent of his pass attempts, throwing for 3,157 yards and proving to be more than reliable.
He's tossed 20 touchdowns against only eight interceptions, becoming the new darling of the NFL while sparking a water-cooler debate. Suddenly, a question that was never asked since the 2004 NFL Draft has been raised recently: Should the New York Giants have traded Rivers away to get Manning in the 2004 NFL Draft?
A move that seemed like a no-brainer at the time it was made is now being more closely examined. And for the rest of his playing days, it's become apparent that Manning will always be compared to Rivers just as the careers of Sam Bowie and Michael Jordan became intertwined once they were drafted into the NBA in 1984 (The Portland Trailblazers picked Bowie ahead of Jordan, in case you were wondering).
That must weigh heavily on Manning, who until this year has never had to play in Rivers' shadow. In his first two seasons with the Giants, Manning put up respectable numbers while Rivers made all of five pass attempts in 2004 and 2005. Last year, Manning started all 16 games, throwing for 3,762 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading his team to the playoffs. At times, his play was erratic — as reflected by his low completion percentage (52.8 percent), not-so-stellar quarterback rating (75.9) and relatively high number of interceptions (17).
But then again, Manning didn't have much experience. At least that was the excuse used to rationalize his mercurial performances. This year, though, Manning doesn't have much of a crutch to lean as the Giants try to make the playoffs. His numbers are very similar to the ones he produced last year. He's completed 58 percent of his passes and thrown for 3,143 yards while tossing one less touchdown and one more interception than he did in 2005.
In no uncertain terms, Rivers has outperformed Manning this year. Whether this will continue to be the case is hard to tell at this point. One thing is certain, though: Manning is not the same player he was in college at OIe Miss. While quarterbacking the Rebels, Manning was very accurate, orchestrating long drives by making short, intermediate and long-range passes. Even though he was surrounded by inferior talent, Manning still led Ole Miss to its first 10-win season in 32 years as a senior.
Back then, Manning looked like a top draft pick. Now he appears lost — seemingly weighed down by the man he was traded for two years ago. Three thousand miles may separate them, but Manning realizes he and Rivers will always be tied together. The body language says it all.
Photo Sources: http://www.covers.co.uk/images/2006/180x180/manning_eli061121a.jpg, http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2005/writers/peter_king/10/11/mmqbte/p1_rivers.jpg
Those sheepish grins that have creased Manning's face in recent weeks tell more about what is going on in his head than his canned comments. Something is wrong and it may have something to do with a guy playing 3,000 miles away in Southern California.
His name is Philip Rivers, the third-year quarterback out of North Carolina State who has emerged as the San Diego Chargers' starter this season after being Drew Brees' understudy since entering the league. Rivers has exceeded expectations this year, completing 60 percent of his pass attempts, throwing for 3,157 yards and proving to be more than reliable.
He's tossed 20 touchdowns against only eight interceptions, becoming the new darling of the NFL while sparking a water-cooler debate. Suddenly, a question that was never asked since the 2004 NFL Draft has been raised recently: Should the New York Giants have traded Rivers away to get Manning in the 2004 NFL Draft?
A move that seemed like a no-brainer at the time it was made is now being more closely examined. And for the rest of his playing days, it's become apparent that Manning will always be compared to Rivers just as the careers of Sam Bowie and Michael Jordan became intertwined once they were drafted into the NBA in 1984 (The Portland Trailblazers picked Bowie ahead of Jordan, in case you were wondering).
That must weigh heavily on Manning, who until this year has never had to play in Rivers' shadow. In his first two seasons with the Giants, Manning put up respectable numbers while Rivers made all of five pass attempts in 2004 and 2005. Last year, Manning started all 16 games, throwing for 3,762 yards and 24 touchdowns while leading his team to the playoffs. At times, his play was erratic — as reflected by his low completion percentage (52.8 percent), not-so-stellar quarterback rating (75.9) and relatively high number of interceptions (17).
But then again, Manning didn't have much experience. At least that was the excuse used to rationalize his mercurial performances. This year, though, Manning doesn't have much of a crutch to lean as the Giants try to make the playoffs. His numbers are very similar to the ones he produced last year. He's completed 58 percent of his passes and thrown for 3,143 yards while tossing one less touchdown and one more interception than he did in 2005.
In no uncertain terms, Rivers has outperformed Manning this year. Whether this will continue to be the case is hard to tell at this point. One thing is certain, though: Manning is not the same player he was in college at OIe Miss. While quarterbacking the Rebels, Manning was very accurate, orchestrating long drives by making short, intermediate and long-range passes. Even though he was surrounded by inferior talent, Manning still led Ole Miss to its first 10-win season in 32 years as a senior.
Back then, Manning looked like a top draft pick. Now he appears lost — seemingly weighed down by the man he was traded for two years ago. Three thousand miles may separate them, but Manning realizes he and Rivers will always be tied together. The body language says it all.
Photo Sources: http://www.covers.co.uk/images/2006/180x180/manning_eli061121a.jpg, http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2005/writers/peter_king/10/11/mmqbte/p1_rivers.jpg
posted by Rainer Sabin @ 2:29 AM
1 Comments:
At 2:56 PM EST,
Anonymous said…
I think you're way off here... I bet Manning doesn't think about Phillip Rivers at all. I bet he doesn't think about how Matt Jones beat him in the 7 overtime game against Arkansas... Players have short term memories and that trade was a million years ago. No one except you even thinks about it anymore... I know you're a giants fan, but find another reason why they suck this year! it's not because of Rivers!
Post a Comment
<< Home