Getty ImagesEli Manning is not the quarterback you think he is. He’s certainly not the quarterback he was four years ago.
This Eli Manning delivers the ball with pass rushers in his face as well as any quarterback. This Eli Manning buys time in the pocket, and extends plays far better than he used to. He waits until the last instant to throw the ball.
“To be honest with you, [Eli's] making a lot more plays this postseason with his legs,” Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo said in response to a question PFT asked Sunday. “On those third down conversions and things like that, he’s on fire. He’s thrown one interception in the postseason. He’s a dual-threat weapon right now, and he’ll be a great challenge for us.”
Manning’s ability to convert third-and-longs is one of the 11 reasons I came up with why the Giants can win. (Don’t worry, Pats fans. You got 11 reasons as well.)
The Giants are converting 45% of their third downs since Week 17. They have been especially good on third and long, and that’s largely because Eli has gotten much better at avoiding the rush, making defenders miss, and buying time to find his third or fourth read.
yada yada Eli. yada yada Giants. Who the h*ll cares. All I know is, NFL Films composer Sam Spence was more brilliant, especially on third downs.
Brady is shaking in his uggs
His play this year has certainly made me a believer in him, me thinks he does better under pressure than Peyton does….
Eli is still the benefactor of awesome receivers & great protection. He’s still the same average at best quarterback he has always been. Rex Grossman would look good on the Giants too!
Which will make another difference in the game.
No disrespect but it is the Patriots defense the worst starting Defense to ever appear in the Superbowl. Its Wilfork and a bunch of scrubs pretty much.
Mayo and McCourty are former pro bowlers who have not played anywhere close to that this year.
You can get away with that Defense against a shoddy Tebow offense and barely scraping through a conservative and predictable Ravens offense but not against an elite QB in Eli and all his weapons.
This game shouldn’t really be close at all.
He needs to keep it up. Obviously if you can convert 3rd downs you have a decent shot at winning. Same goes for any team.
It’s not pretty but Eli gets it done. Hail!!
Eli has entered the elite group of current QB’s. I’ve never been a huge fan of his, but there is just no argument against how good this guy is now.
The result of this game won’t be any different then it was 4 years ago.
Yeah eli is good.. But dont forget about the 1st ballot HOFer.. That would be Brady!! If it comes down to a shoot out, Brady got it in the bag!
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Besides their regular season and playoff contests, the Patriots play the Giants every year in an exhibition game . I can never remember a game where Eli did not perform well.
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Anyone else notice that Eli somehow became “clutch” at the exact same time when his Defense got healthy over their last 5 games and have held each of those opponents under 20 pts?
Werent they like 7-7 when his D was playin bad?? Maybe im missing something…
That’s what puberty does
It expect we’ll see more of this trend this week.
Respect from the Patriots towards the Giants.
Disrespect and trash talk from the Giants towards the Patriots.
You can get away with that Defense against a shoddy Tebow offense and barely scraping through a conservative and predictable Ravens offense but not against an elite QB in Eli and all his weapons.
This game shouldn’t really be close at all.
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The first game between these two teams was close. Neither team was at full strength for that one (Pats lost Spikes and Chung to injuries in that game, which is why Sergio Brown was out there at the end in time to commit PI to put the Giants on the 1 yard line).
I expect this one will be close too. I think it’s fair to say the Pats’ defense is a lot better with Spikes and Chung playing; they missed much of the year with injuries.
…swept by the Redskins…
Eli is a silent assassin. Keeps knocking off top ranked QB’s and teams. He is coming to Indy well prepared with teammates that seem pretty determined to finish the job. We find out on Sunday night if they can take out the Patriots again for another Lombardi.
And I dont think Brady would have beaten the Niners if he took the pounding that Eli did.
Hus10188:
ur crazyyy!!! Okay pats ranked 31 in defense and giant ranked 27.. Thats not much better. But one proven fact is brady is better than eli! So whats ur point?
Would anyone guess from all the talk so far that teh NYG are not favored in the game? I can’t tell you how many media types have basically decided the Pats have almost 0 chance to win this game.
NFLN gave the NYG advantage in offense, defense and coaching for example.
Not that I think it matters to the game itself or I care who picks what team, it just feels like the Pats are underdogs here.
I agree, although it’s a damn shame this Eli has the same goofy face.
@mute617 – that great protection lead to him getting drilled 26 times by the 49ers defense last week. did you not watch the game? he was getting killed and still got up.
he has taken an undrafted WR (Cruz) and made him into a probowl WR.
I guess Aaron Rodgers is only good because he has 4 WRS and a TE that could start on any team. Or Peyton was only good because he had Harrison and Wayne for almost his entire career.
If you watched the Giants this year would also have noted how many easy passes these WRs dropped during the year.
mute617 says:
Jan 30, 2012 9:14 AM
Eli is still the benefactor of awesome receivers & great protection. He’s still the same average at best quarterback he has always been. Rex Grossman would look good on the Giants too!
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You might be the biggest moron on this entire site.
NFL Network will be replaying the NFC Championship game again soon. I suggest you get your notebook, a pair of thick glasses, and a brewski, and take notes.
Eli got his lights punched out several times, got up woosy, and still made the plays when it counted.
I wish I could see your face years from now, when he’s giving his hall of fame speech.
Eli is also fortunate that the Niners kept running into each other in the excitement to pick him off in the NFC Championship. He should have been stuck with 2-4 picks in that one. If he throws like that this Sunday, there will be duckboats in Boston. Brady’s numbers looked bad because guys made great plays on the ball. Eli’s looked good because guys didn’t.
Let’s not get too overconfident in the Giants D, either. Last I checked, they gave up more points than the Pats did and even than their own offense scored. They have talent on D, but yards allowed are not a great measuring stick.
“superpats90 says: Jan 30, 2012 9:35 AM
Yeah eli is good.. But dont forget about the 1st ballot HOFer.. That would be Brady!! If it comes down to a shoot out, Brady got it in the bag!”
Is that why Eli has beaten Brady the last 2 times?
Lets not forget about all the drops Eli had to endure all season
He is still the same Eli. Chucks the ball up late down the middle when he gets pressured. Here’s hoping the Pats hang on to a couple, this time.
mute617 says:
Jan 30, 2012 9:14 AM
Eli is still the benefactor of awesome receivers & great protection. He’s still the same average at best quarterback he has always been. Rex Grossman would look good on the Giants too!
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When the receivers were slow like Toomer and Burress, or young, like when Manningham and Nicks were rookies, Manning was “trash” and “overrated”, now those young guys have experience and synergy with him and they make him the “benefactor of awesome receivers and great (nearly killed last week???) protection”.
You can’t have it both ways, slappy.
superpats90 says:
Jan 30, 2012 9:35 AM
Yeah eli is good.. But dont forget about the 1st ballot HOFer.. That would be Brady!! If it comes down to a shoot out, Brady got it in the bag!
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The only thing that will be in the bag are the clothes he will be wearing to the hospital to sit in a hyperbaric chamber following that beating he is going to take Sunday.
mute617 says: Jan 30, 2012 9:14 AM
Eli is still the benefactor of awesome receivers & great protection. He’s still the same average at best quarterback he has always been. Rex Grossman would look good on the Giants too!
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I’m really getting tired of this idiotic comment about how Eli is lucky that he’s playing with such “awesome receivers and great protection”. You have any idea how Victor Cruz, an UNDRAFTED 2nd year player, got so “awesome”? Might just be from the work that he puts in WITH Eli, and the time and patience that Eli takes with all his receivers, like Jake Ballard (TE).
If Rex Grossman was on the Giants, he would look different… he would be sitting behind David Carr.
ay, 09:08 AM
They beat the Falcons, Packers and 49ers!! They must be the better team!!
That’s all I keep hearing from these overconfident Ginas fans.
Despite only having one receiving weapon on the entire team, NY allowed two long TDs and 150 yards rushing to SF. Yes, some of those rushing yards were to Alex Smith, but tasked with stopping only two things, Frank Gore and Vernon Davis, they could do neither. It wasn’t until SF panicked at the end and started going pass heavy that NY finally took over the game defensively.
NY’s unstoppable offense was held to 7 points in the first half against a middling Atlanta D, 13 legitimate points against a terrible GB unit, and 10 total points against a great SF unit. I’m not optimistic about their Wrs against NE’s secondary either, but their overall advantages have been vastly overstated.
Sheli Manning and the rest of the Ginas won’t be feeling so Super come next Monday.
“Its Wilfork and a bunch of scrubs pretty much”
^^^^^
Not really. Brandon Spikes, Jerod Mayo, Patrick Chung and Gerard Warren have all been difference makers when they’ve been healthy and out on the field.
Devin McCourty, while looking awful at CB earlier in the year stepped his game up when moved to Safety. Rob Ninkovich also has his moments.
This isn’t the 2003 Patriots D we’re talking but they are not a bunch of scrubs either.
We get it. The PFT writers all live in New York and like the Giants. Cool.
His play on the field still doesn’t change the fact that he’s a mouth breather who looks like he belongs in a special ed classroom.
Just when everyone writes off the 7-7 Giants, Eli stepped it up. Got to give the man credit. He has played lights out since the Jets game and to be beaten up all day by the 49ers, and not have a turnover??? He deserves to get another ring!!!
This game shouldn’t really be close at all.
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Keep this comment in mind, Patriot fans.
The Giants better not somehow lose this game, huh?
Eli has always taken a lot of crap and some of it has been warranted. Fact of the matter is, he has gotten better as a QB in so many ways over the years and is to the point where he has become an elite QB. his pocket presence is superb and his ability to skirt around pass rushers or deliver a ball with full knowledge he is about to get demolished is gutsy. This kid takes a beating on a regular basis, never complains, doesn’t get hurt and just keeps on playing. i have gained an immense amount of respect for eli over the last few years.
Yea Eli is certainly just the product of great receivers. You sir, are a moron. How did former pro bowler Steve Smith do when he left Eli? How did Plax do for the Jets? Victor Cruz is an undrafted free agent, and while I don’t doubt he is a legit talent, there is no doubt a lot of his success can be credited to the man throwing him the ball. Jake Ballard is a guy you would still never have heard of if Eli wasn’t throwing him the ball. The Elite debate is over, has been for a while. Anyone still arguing whether or not he’s elite immediately loses all credibility. If he wins Sunday, the question becomes where does he rank among the ALL-TIME greats.
The Giants were 9-7 in the regular season, only scraping into the playoffs thanks to the hapless Cowboys. They wouldn’t be here now if not for a few mistakes by the 49ers.
Giants are a solid team, and Eli is an excellent QB, but there’s nothing magical or unbeatable about them. They’re just as lucky as the Pats to be in this game.
The Patriots may have the “worst” defense in the league, but they were 13-3. Like Eli in the playoffs, the stats don’t tell the story of what teams do to win games.
It does seem as though the Giants have the right momentum and matchups to win the game. But remember how much better the Pats looked heading into the last Super Bowl these teams played, and the Giants still won. The Giants aren’t as “better” on paper as the Pats were then, so we’re all fooling ourselves if we think we know what will happen.
Bottom line … this should be a damn good game.
No question Eli has improved. It is ugly sometimes and other times his WRs bail him out, but he gets the job done. Fun to watch
Mute617
Said
Eli is still the benefactor of awesome receivers & great protection. He’s still the same average at best quarterback he has always been. Rex Grossman would look good on the Giants too!
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Average at best!?!?!
LOL!
Sure.
I don’t need to start pointing out all the reasons your wrong. Eli is the only reason the giants are where they are. He’s a HOF and he will prove it (AGAIN) on Sunday. This time it will be a blowout! The Giants are better on both sides of the ball this year comparably to 07 and the pats only have gronk. It will be a coaching battle and since the pats won’t have tape of the giants practices, Bilicheat ain’t even that good….
Giants by 10
“Eli is still the benefactor of awesome receivers & great protection.”
I’ll give the WRs. Bottom lie, NY has never had such a talented group of WRs before. But the O line? If there’s one glaring weakness of this offense, it’s the O line. Against San Fran, it didn’t look like there was an O line at all. Like him or not, Eli’s making time for himself by using his feet.
Eli is better than he was four years ago, but not as much as some may think. His 31-25 record in his last 56 games (since Plaxico went down in 2008) show that while he’s better he hasn’t been more consistent than he was his first three or four seasons. His O-line meanwhile is worse now than it was before and the Patriots defense is MUCH better now than it was even six weeks ago – they’ve been fixing their fundamentals and it’s showing in this playoff run.
The first game between these two teams was close. Neither team was at full strength for that one (Pats lost Spikes and Chung to injuries in that game, which is why Sergio Brown was out there at the end in time to commit PI to put the Giants on the 1 yard line).
I expect this one will be close too. I think it’s fair to say the Pats’ defense is a lot better with Spikes and Chung playing; they missed much of the year with injuries.
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Dude, lets not start acting like Chung and Spikes are some sort of pro bowl saviours on defense, theres 50 guys each I’d pick before those two. I had them included when I talk about how bad your defense is.
Chung is just a guy, nothing more, nothing less and Spikes is slow as molasses. I hope you guys in Foxboro aren’t deluded enough to think they’re your own Ed Reed and Ray Lewis.
I really don’t even look to the Giants win as a reason for optimism, your team hasn’t beaten a team over 500 in the reg season at all. Every semi decent offense you played destroyed your secondary such as Chargers, Steelers and Bills. I would hate to imagine what Rodgers and Brees would have done.
Plus your team hasn’t really fared well against elite Defenses, its one thing putting up points against the Bills and Broncos D but Ravens, Steelers and Giants did as great a job as they could against Brady and Co.
Belichick knows the Giants won’t be intimidated in the slightest.
45% on third down now. Before the Niner game he was 75%. Pats D is more like Packers and Falcons then Niners. Eli is gonna pick that “defense” apart. That plus the how the Giants D Line will dominate the pats o line…..again,
Giants 38 Pats 17.
Mute617 — you clearly don’t watch football, or know anything about the giants. Eli is playing better than any quarterback in the league since week 16, and top 5 easily for the entire season. Gerat protection you say? Did you watch the san francisco game? He got LIT UP, took it in the face, and still hung strong in the pocket for the entire game. He’s a great, great, great, quarterback.
He’s also lucky
Eli = Average! Which is why every year, mid-year, everyone wants him benched!
In my opinion, Eli is a Top 5 QB.
For thos who say no, I will start the list for you: (You can move the top 3 around anyway you see fit.)
1. Brady
2. Brees
3. Rodgers
4.
5.
Eli is #4 or #5.