For all the talk about Eli Manning’s deficiencies, the much-maligned former No. 1 pick has the Giants on the verge of their third consecutive trip to the playoffs. Imagine if that were the track record of the much-maligned Isiah Thomas. James Dolan would give him a lifetime extension.
Sorry. Couldn’t resist taking one more shot at Isiah. The point is, though, that the Giants could do a lot worse than Eli. In a league of underwhelming quarterbacks (with a few notable exceptions) Manning keeps finding a way to put up wins. No Tiki Barber? No problem. The Giants already have more wins than they did all last season and there are still three games to go. And remember, this is a team that started the season with two ugly losses. Eli’s best moment of the season came two weeks ago against the Bears when he shook off seven consecutive quarters of horrific football (against the Vikings the previous week, he had three interceptions returned for touchdowns) to lead the Giants to a thrilling, come-from-behind 21-16 victory. He was 7 of 9 for 95 yards and a touchdown on the final two scoring drives that secured the win.
But Manning’s season numbers – 18 touchdown passes, 17 interceptions – are nothing to brag about. His passer rating is a pedestrian 75.2, good for 23rd in the NFL. And there are times, like the Vikings game, where he looks completely clueless on the field. Manning is also a victim of his appearance. That perpetually dazed expression that reveals very little, regardless of the circumstances, certainly turns off many fans who like to see their players get all fired up on the sidelines. With Eli, nothing can shake that placid demeanor. Even he said after the Bears victory, “It’s easy to forget bad plays.” There are those who think it shouldn’t be quite so easy.
But it is that ability to forget the bad that makes Eli an above-average quarterback, the kind of guy who could – if surrounded by the right kind of talent – win a Super Bowl one day. He may never have the gaudy stats his brother compiles, but he does find ways to win in the regular season. And in addition to the recent comeback, Manning has taken some steps this year to become more of a team leader. In training camp, he shot back at Barber for comments the former Giant running back made regarding Eli’s leadership ability. And when the team started 0-2, Manning led his squad to six straight victories that helped make the Giants the leaders in the wild card race.
The problem is, in these so-called “referendum” games, like the Week 10 matchup with the Cowboys, Manning usually looks a little overmatched. It is a bit bizarre how somebody who looks so overmatched at times can turn it around so thoroughly, often within the same game.
Most of the criticism emanates from the fact that Eli was a No. 1 pick. But that should be irrelevant to Giants fans now. For better or worse, they’re stuck with Eli. And usually it’s for the better. And it could be a lot worse. Just ask Knicks’ fans.
Around the sporting world
• Is there a more unlikable guy than Bill Belichick? Between Spygate and his morose demeanor and the way he encourages his team to run up the score, Belichick, despite his superior coaching skills, is everything that is wrong with sports. I know this has all been written before, but it’s really rather obnoxious to watch this team – his team – pursue history. And by the way Giants fans, if you think Eli Manning – despite my defense of him – is the guy who is going to stop this juggernaut in the season’s final week, you need to get a new pipe dream.
• If the Yankees don’t get Johan Santana, that’s fine. The problem is that if he ends up on the Red Sox, the Bombers can forget about winning the division for the next several years. That leaves the wild card as the only way to get in the playoffs, which is dangerous. Let’s say Cleveland has another good year, but finishes behind an even stronger Tigers team. That could mean the Yankees are at home in October. Look, anything can happen in a seven-game series, but over the long haul the Sox will have too much pitching. So the problem becomes not what happens in the playoffs, but getting to the playoffs in the first place. Let’s see how Yankees fans who complained about Joe Torre like that scenario.
• Speaking of the Tigers, that should be some lineup Jim Leyland pencils in every day next season. If Miguel Cabrera gets in shape – and reports are that he’s working out hard – he, Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez make up the best threesome in baseball. If Comerica weren’t such a gigantic park, the Tigers would be a threat to break the vaunted 1,000-run barrier next year. They might be anyway.
• How consistently good are the San Antonio Spurs? Did anyone notice that last week, they beat both the Mavericks and the Jazz without Tim Duncan? As of this writing, the Spurs are 17-3. With four titles in the last nine years, the last obstacle this Spurs squad must hurdle to be considered one of the all-time great dynasties in basketball history is repeating. And that could happen in six short months.
• Does the NHL exist anymore?