QB Eli Manning, New York Giants

HT: 6-4, WT: 218, Born: 1-3-1981, College: Mississippi, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 1

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 6th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: J Gordon (87), M Ingram (88), Eli Manning (89), J Blackmon (90), K Britt (91)
Position: R Griffin III (66-QB11), T Romo (70-QB12), Eli Manning (89 - QB13), B Roethlisberger (104-QB14), M Vick (111-QB15)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

Latest News

Giants | Eli Manning hopes Victor Cruz attends OTA's (Mon May 13, 08:56 PM) - New York Giants QB Eli Manning said he hopes WR Victor Cruz attends organized team activities next week. "We get into some real practices next week so hopefully as we get into those live going-against-the-defense practices he'll get back in so we can get back to work," Manning said.

Our View: Cruz wants a new long-term deal and no progress has been made on that contract just yet. Giants co-owner John Mara recently said he's "pretty confident" the two sides will be able to come to an agreement.
link to story   

2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Eli Manning had a subpar performance and failed to take the offense into his own hands and raise the play of his teammates. Manning missed Cruz early on a in breaking route but was able to connect with him down the sideline on a fade route for a big gain. Manning was under frequent pressure however and the offensive line did a poor job of blocking the DAL front 7. Manning took several big sacks that killed some drives, in which he lost too many yards to realistically sustain the drive and recover from a 2nd and ~20 situation. Manning was not elite on Wednesday but it could be said that his teammates on offense were mediocre at best. He had to deal with many dropped passes from Cruz, one from Bennett and the rushing attack left a lot to be desired. Manning was forced to pass on almost every third down to keep drives alive and the pass protection was not sufficient to deal with this. Bradshaw and the running game sputtered and offered very little for Manning to utilize early in the game. Manning did have a few key throws; finding WR Hixon deep down the middle from the slot position as he threw a perfect high ball for his WR to jump and grab. However Manning also could have had Hixon late in the game for a touchdown but overthrew the open WR. He was able to find TE Bennett easily on a high pass in the redzone, simply abusing a mismatch where his TE had a huge height advantage. Manning had a very mediocre performance on Wednesday night but his teammates did little to help him on offense and the entire unit must shoulder the blame. The Giants passed first to set up the run last year and as much as they may want a better running game, they may have to give up and realise this team goes through QB Manning when a play is needed against a good team.

Week 2 - Eli Manning had a very rough first half against the Bucs that left many fans wondering if the “old” Eli had resurfaced. Manning rolled out of the pocket in the redzone, missed wide open Bradshaw in the flat for the touchdown and instead threw the ball to tackle Will Beatty who couldn’t make a play on the ball and the giants had to kick a field goal instead of a sure touchdown catch by Bradshaw. Manning was picked off over the middle of the field as he tried to float a pass over the Bucs LB, who jumped and picked it off instead. Manning then overthrew Cruz over the middle of the field which lead to another interception, simply a poor throw that got away from him. Manning did enjoy connecting to WR’s Cruz and Nicks throughout the game; his favourite WR’s got open very regularly and he placed the ball with terrific accuracy for most of the game. Manning threw a perfect strike down the seam to WR Nicks, who broke inside and outran his defender for the first touchdown. Manning failed to continue this hot streak however and threw a pick six to Tampa Bay, not seeing the defender who undercut the throwing lane and snagged the third interception of the NYG QB. In the second half however, Manning was almost completely locked into Cruz and Nicks and made many big first downs on slants and seam strikes over the middle of the field repeatedly. Manning hooked up with WR Cruz on a deep streak pattern down the sideline, despite taking a big shot in the pocket as Cruz was wide open and scored the second touchdown. Manning got his third touchdown pass to TE Bennett as he stepped up in the pocket and threw a beautifully floated pass to the pilon where Bennett outleapt his defender with his size to secure the third touchdown. Manning was at polar opposites in each half of this game but it was encouraging to see that such a strong comeback was possible in this offense.

Week 3 - Eli Manning put on a display of a consummate veteran at the position on Thursday evening against a Panthers defense that never bothered him in the pocket. Manning had a clean pocket that he could step up into and scan the field from without any fear of being flushed out. Manning picked apart the Panthers soft coverage and consistently found his targets, releasing the ball quickly. Manning’s lone touchdown pass came on a nicely executed post pattern in the red zone to one of his new favourite targets, Martellus Bennett. Lined up in the slot, Bennett escaped the trail coverage of the defender and Manning zinged it into him before the FS could get over to help. Relying on a strong ground attack led by Andre Brown, Manning was not asked to do much and the game soon got out of hand. The Giants’ improved pass protection is encouraging, although the Panthers front four would not be known as one of the more formidable ones in the league. Manning should continue to be a somewhat boom-bust QB1.

Week 4 - Eli Manning struggled in the first half, improved in the second half but ultimately his performance just fell short for the Giants. Manning couldn’t figure out the Eagles defense in the first half. They pressured Manning heavily and his offensive tackles were getting routinely beaten at the point of attack. The Eagles defense gave Manning a tough time in the pocket in the first half and very little was accomplished in the passing game. The Giants made adjustments at half time however and the second half was a different story. Manning was patient with the ball and was afforded better pass protection from his line. He read the blitz well and stepped up into the pocket to avoid the wide 9’s rushing technique. Manning was accurate from the pocket and had good success throwing the ball when his offensive line held up in pass protection. The Giants chipped and doubled the Eagles premiere rusher’s effectively and Manning took advantage of the Cruz vs. rookie CB Boykin matchup. He worked the Eagle’s corners on the outside, throwing outs and deep fade patterns against press man coverage to beat the man to man defense. Manning and Hixon have developed some chemistry and were able to connect on several back shoulder fade patterns that require perfect timing. Manning’s first touchdown came on a slant pattern to Cruz against Boykin, Cruz was able to get to the inside and beat his man for the score. Manning did have a terrible interception that ended up costing the Giants the game. He carelessly threw a ball high in the endzone and it was easily picked off by the Eagles DB. Manning did find Pascoe wide open over the middle in the redzone late in the game for a very easy looking touchdown pass. Eli Manning played effectively in the second half after the adjustments were made but it wasn’t enough to secure the win.

Week 5 - Eli Manning had a very efficient game on Sunday and the Giants offense kept the ball from the Browns offense very well. Manning never got sacked, felt the rush well and threw accurately from and outside the pocket while playing at a very high level. Manning got his first touchdown on the goal line, using play action to freeze the Browns secondary before throwing a perfect out pattern in stride to WR Cruz for the score. Manning was on form for the game, throwing in breaking patterns and slants with perfect timing and in stride to his receivers. He was almost picked in the redzone however, but WR Randle was able to break up the pass and the ball fell incomplete. Manning found Cruz again the redzone on a corner route. The Browns DB was shading to the inside too much and left the corner route wide open for Manning to easily find Cruz for the second touchdown. Manning found Cruz for the third time deep down the field on a go route, lofting the ball with just enough air to float it over the shoulder to WR Cruz for the third touchdown connection between the duo. Manning almost had another big pass on a bizarre down the field to Cruz but the ball flew out of Cruz’ grasp and into the hands of a Browns defender for the only interception he threw on Sunday. Despite throwing for 250 yds and 3 TD’s, Manning actually handed the ball off a lot on Sunday to RB Bradshaw. They had their way with the Browns defense for the most part on the ground and through the air, which is a good sign for fantasy owners of QB Manning and Bradshaw.

Week 6 - The Giants had an excellent game plan offensively that allowed Manning to perform extremely well without asking the QB to do too much. The Giants kept with the running game to give Manning manageable situations to work with and the defense had to keep guessing the entire game long without the Giants falling into a passing-every-down trap. Manning was efficient on third down early in the game, converted a lot of plays to keep drives alive. Manning threw into very tight windows over the middle, executed roll outs with pin point accuracy to the outside and even found WR Hixon deep for a big play on a streak pattern. He also used play action well and spread the ball a lot which made it very difficult for the defense to key on any one player. Manning’s only touchdown came in the redzone, he used play action to freeze the secondary and hit Cruz on a slant in the endzone for the touchdown strike. The game felt over early in the third quarter as the 49ers fell flat offensively. Manning had a lot of missed opportunities with the football in terrific field position but didn’t look to try as hard and almost threw a pick before settling for field goals. WR Cruz also saved an interception for Manning as he broke up a pass that looked intended for DB Rogers. Manning had the benefit of an excellent running game that improved as the game went on, almost perfect pass protection on the day as he didn’t get sacked once and got to play with the lead for almost the entire game.

Week 7 - Eli Manning was patient on Sunday and ultimately rewarded in a close game that forced him to dig deep to pull out the win. Manning felt the rush well, used the running game early in the game while they still could and took what the defense gave him in the first half. Manning floated a terrific pass downfield to Bennett who made a terrific diving catch in first half to set up the Giants in scoring position. Manning only had 1 touchdown pass on Sunday but could have easily had as many as 3. On two separate occasions Manning’s receiver was tackled 1 yard shy of the goal line, and the Giants subsequently turned the ball over to the running game which scored the touchdown instead. Manning almost had Cruz for a big touchdown play in second half but overthrew him by a few yards. Manning did have two poor turnovers as interceptions however. Manning wildly overthrew Bennett in redskin territory and it was easily picked off the DB in a bizarre looking turnover. Manning also threw a pass right to a LB who was in coverage in the flat on checkdown pass and it was also easily intercepted. Lucky for Manning, the redskins had turnovers themselves and he had a chance to win the game in the final minutes. Manning found WR Cruz running deep down the sideline for a big catch and run play to seal the game in the final few minutes. Cruz had beaten the secondary over the top and Manning threw a perfect tough pass over Cruz’s shoulder for the win. It was not Manning’s most solid performance on Sunday with the two turnovers but he played well enough for the Giants to win and relied on his talented WR’s to help him. The running game was shut down for the most part and the Giants needed their QB to win the game for them.

Week 8 - Eli Manning started off the game with a bomb to WR Randle but it was not indicative for the how the rest of the game would pan out. Manning and company struggled heavily to move the ball almost any time they got it. The Dallas defense had a great game plan to shut down the Giants offense and it worked well for the most part. The Dallas defense was able to slow down the NYG rushing attack greatly. The secondary then played 2 man deep to take away big plays from Manning. Their corners also played press man coverage to try and take away the short routes. The result was a total lack of offense despite excellent field position from numerous Dallas turnovers. Manning did not take advantage of multiple redzone opportunities and the Giants had to kick a lot of field goals. Manning had a chance to score a touchdown in first half, finding Bennett over the middle of the field in the endzone but he juggled the pass and it fell incomplete. Manning found it difficult to find open receivers all game long as they could not shake the tight coverage from DAL defenders. Manning had one turnover on a bizarre pass play in the second half. Manning fired it into Cruz over middle but Cruz took a big hit, the fall popped out and fell into the hands of a Dallas player for the interception. The Giants really struggled to move the ball at all and relied on great defense to help put up points. Dallas have neutralized the Giants offense two games in a row now and seem to have their number.

Week 9 - Eli Manning has struggled immensely for two straight weeks and nobody seems to have a good answer as to why. The running game sputtered and the entire offense was rarely on the field in the first half. The Giants had a lot of penalties on short yardage situations which they then failed to convert. Manning could not connect with any receiver consistently apart from Cruz. Nicks’ hasn’t been a factor in a few weeks as Giants receivers in general struggle to get any major separation. Pittsburgh’s defense played tight man to man coverage, forced Manning to think twice before throwing and threw the entire offense upside down all game long. Manning accomplished very little on Sunday, going under 50% completion and very few explosive plays down the field. The Giants relied on penalties and questionable refereeing decisions to help them move the ball at all and the offense deserves little credit despite the 20 points that was put up, 7 from a defensive play. Manning didn’t look comfortable at all in the pocket, made questionable decisions and was lucky to only have one turnover. Manning got hit as he threw a bad pass to WR Cruz who was well covered, resulting in an interception. Manning could have easily been picked off again in the redzone, hitting the DB in the hands as he tried to get the ball to Cruz but luckily for Manning it bounced off the DB’s hands. The offense had no big plays, few first downs and the Giants need to rethink how defenses are playing so well at taking away what they want to accomplish offensively.

Week 10 - Eli Manning’s struggles continued in Cincinnati on Sunday as he had a very disappointing performance for fans and fantasy owners to watch. Manning had very little running game to utilize and had to shoulder the entire offense on himself for the most part. Manning and the Giants failed to convert third downs throughout the game and could not find a way to keep up with the Bengals. On numerous third down plays, Manning completed the pass but it was continuously short of the first down as he settled for the underneath throw and the drive fell apart. Manning connected well with WR Nicks throughout the game but this was the only thing that went right for the Giants on Sunday. Manning almost connected with Bennett in the endzone for the touchdown but he could not keep his feet in bounds and they had to settle for a field goal. The Giants offensive line, in particular RT Diehl, did not play well and shares some of the blame for the woes. Manning’s decision making was also very questionable however. On one play he was pressured, Manning flipped the ball in the air trying to avoid the sack and this lead to an easy CIN interception deep in NYG territory. Manning’s next turnover came as he got hit in the pocket. The ball fluttered in the air and was also easily picked off by the defense. He felt a pressure to make something happen and looked for the big play but the defense was one step ahead the entire time. Manning almost had some slight redemption as he found Cruz deep down the field late in the game but the ball slipped right through Cruz’s hands. Manning turned it over one more time as he got hit from behind in the pocket and the ball was stripped. The Giants are struggling as teams have taken away what routes and plays they like to call. The Giants have not countered by adjusting themselves and need the bye week to re-evaluate their offense.

Week 12 - Eli Manning had a terrific bounce back game after his last few forgettable performances as a QB. Manning torched the Packers through the air and was helped by his running attack/pass protection. Manning was in charge of the pocket and at the line of scrimmage, moved around in the pocket well to avoid the rush and scored touchdowns in the redzone which really helped the entire offense regain its form. Manning almost had a fourth touchdown pass in this game, as he missed FB Hynoski in the flat on the goal line who was wide open. The Giants scored the touchdown but it was on the ground instead. Manning showed great patience and accuracy on his first actual touchdown pass to WR Randle. Manning bought time for his WR in the pocket, shifted right and lofted the pass right into the hands of Randle. Manning had a shot at a big pass play on a streak route to WR Nicks but he slightly underthrew Nicks in the end and he was lucky it was not intercepted. Manning had another big play on a crossing play over the goal line for his second touchdown. Manning found Cruz in the redzone, despite double coverage and Cruz took it in for the score. Manning got his third touchdown also in the redzone, simply finding Cruz on a slant pattern and watching as his talented WR took the catch while running into the endzone for another Giants touchdown. Manning had enough time in the pocket, was decisive with the football while making smart decisions and was able to finish off drives which made a big difference on Sunday night.

Week 13 - Eli Manning had a quietly efficient evening against a Redskins pass defense that no fan, analyst, or pundit would consider lockdown. Completing twenty of thirty-three pass attempts for two hundred and eighty yards, the veteran signal caller had his way with the generous Washington secondary, but that proved insufficient to overcome the Redskins in Week 13. A toothless Redskins pass rush gave Manning all night to find open receivers, and he targeted Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks the most as he drove the Giants hither and yon into Redskins territory. Manning made impressive throws into tight windows with the Washington secondary bracketing his receivers, using the exact mix of velocity and touch to get the ball to his weapons. This was most evident on a forty-nine yard go route pass to Victor Cruz, as Cruz got separation from the secondary and Manning hit him in stride. Manning routinely found Cruz and tight end Martellus Bennett in the middle of the field and threaded the needle to them, despite the presence of bracket coverage. Still, the New York offense was not its usual juggernaut self against the Redskins. Manning was not in sync with Hakeem Nicks, especially, and missed the mark at times on throws to Cruz and Bennett. He seemed to have a good rapport with Bennett in the first half, but the tight end did not get a target in the third and fourth quarters. The Giants also used a heavy dose of Ahmad Bradshaw to grind down the clock and keep the dynamic Redskins offense off the field, so Manning did not need to throw often or lead any sort of dramatic comeback, as he is wont to do.

The nine-year veteran made no mistakes, throwing no interceptions or fumbling – he really did not force the ball many times, save a couple of throws to a smothered Hakeem Nicks – and often chose the safe throw to the open man. His pass attempts went for well over eight yards per throw. The Giants, overall, had difficulty moving the ball into to the Washington red zone as a result of overthrows, dropped passes, and, if it can be believed, decent defense from the Washington secondary. The team tied for the second most points in the NFC only managed one touchdown – a short crossing route in the end zone by Martellus Bennett – and sixteen total points against a defense allowing nearly three hundred passing yards per game. This lack of offensive firepower is certainly disappointing, as Eli’s scoring capabilities are well-known. It is safe to chalk up Manning’s run-of-the-mill performance as an aberration – in terms of analyzing causation – and look forward to future games.

Week 14 - Eli Manning had an almost flawless performance on Sunday, the flaws being two glaring interceptions that came on poor decisions. Manning’s first interception lead to a pick 6 as he threw a pass to the outside that was extremely late and allowed the defender ample time to step in front of the pass. Manning found redemption quickly as he hit TE Bennett on a simple in pattern just over the goal line for the score, a staple play between Manning-Bennett connection. Manning did well to find WR Nicks down the sideline at one point in the game but the accurate ball went for nothing as penalties offset the play. Manning was able to find WR Cruz on a deep fade down the sideline, hitting the WR just before he was forced out of bounds. Manning then hit Hixon in the back of the endzone on a terrific fade pattern throw, floating the ball just over the defenders head to a place where only his WR could catch it. Manning followed up this touchdown pass with another even better play deep to Nicks. Manning floated a pass perfectly in stride to Nicks, who had gotten a step ahead of his DB against the sideline. Manning did have another poor decision late however that led to another turnover, similar to his first interception. Manning threw far too late to the sideline as he tried to find TE Bennett and the Saints safety read this pass in time to pick it off. He was able to seal the game away in the 4th quarter however, finding Cruz over the middle in the endzone for the touchdown after an excellent play action fake. Manning could have had even more interceptions against the Saints on Sunday but poor hands by Saints DB’s led to harmless in completions instead. Manning played mostly solid against New Orleans but still threw too many passes in harm’s way whenever he felt pressured and really tries to force passes anywhere rather than simply take a sack.

Week 15 - Eli Manning had an extremely subpar performance on Sunday against the Falcons. Manning did a poor job of taking charge of the offense. His performance was filled with inaccurate throws, bad mistakes and costly turnovers. The Giants looked lost on offense, failed to execute in big situations and could not stay on the field. Manning was picked off right at the start of the game as DB Samuel undercut the route for a big turnover. Manning was late with the football to the outside, Samuel took a gamble and was in the right position at the right time to pick it off deep in Giants territory. Manning struggled with his accuracy, missing a lot of receivers with passes that went too high. He also failed to put the ball on his receivers in stride and overthrew open Nicks deep on a streak pattern. Manning was picked again on a crossing route, as a Falcon DB undercut the route over the middle that was thrown in a poor location. Manning only looked competent on consecutive throws outside of the pocket, as he threw downfield and allowed his receivers to pick up chunks of yards but this was not nearly enough for NYG to stay in the game. Manning and the offense looked extremely out of rhythm and Eli was neither Elite nor clutch for this week at least.

Week 16 - It’s tough to put a finger on what exactly has been ailing the Giants the past two weeks but clearly Eli Manning and co. haven’t gotten over it yet. Manning had a rough time in the pocket on Sunday as he was pressured often and failed to sustain any long drives for NYG. The Giants players missed many blocks and assignments in pass protection which resulted in a lot of incompletions for Manning as he rarely had enough time to survey the field. Manning was relied on heavily and there was very little running game available to combat the deep hole the Giants found themselves in quickly against the Ravens. Early in the game, Manning found no rhythm with his receivers and felt heavy pressure that hurried a lot of throws. Manning was able to hit Reuben Randle down the field on a post route which set up a touchdown but this was an exception to the Giants play on Sunday and Manning’s biggest completion by far. Manning tried to hit Domenik Hixon down the field on a streak pattern but the pass was underthrown and Hixon was flagged for pass interference which negated a rare opportunity for NYG. Manning threw behind again to Hixon over the middle of the field and had two drops in the second half which could have made the game somewhat more respectable on the score board. Manning’s only touchdown came in the final few minutes against a softer defense as he floated a pass in the corner of endzone to wide open Hixon on a fade route. Manning was poor on third down and struggled with accuracy in this game but his teammates did not protect him well and they had some drops which resulted in the overall lacklustre effort seen on Sunday.

Week 17 - After New York took the previous two weeks off it seems, they returned to form with a bang against the lowly Eagles led by QB Manning. Manning looked extremely comfortable picking apart the Eagles defense and was extremely efficient with the ball. He felt the pass rush well, got the ball out of his hands and made excellent decisions while he scored touchdowns instead of kicking field goals. Manning’s first touchdown came in the redzone as he picked out WR Randle in the endzone on a slant after a solid play fake for the easy score. Manning hit WR Randle for the second touchdown on a deep fade play, putting the ball in perfect place where only his WR could touch the ball. Manning regained his accuracy and form in this game and floated a pass perfectly over the shoulder for RB Bradshaw to catch and run on a wheel route. Manning then scored again on a fade pattern in the endzone for David Wilson, putting the ball high and away from the defender. Manning’s fourth touchdown came on a deep streak pattern to Cruz, who broke away from the defense and ran untouched into the endzone for the score. Manning’s final touchdown came on play action as he hit FB Hynoski in the flat for the walk in touchdown. Manning looked calm, in command and surgically picked apart Philadelphia with pin point accuracy. PHI didn’t offer much resistance in terms of coverage or pass rush but it was refreshing to see Eli Manning and the offense show signs of life after questionable play the previous 2 weeks.