Giants owner John Mara still believes in "punching bag" Eli Manning | Would he still iron Saquon Barkley?



[ad_1]

NEW YORK — Giants owner John Mara put his weight behind struggling quarterback Eli Manning, 37, despite his team's 1-5 start to the season.

"When we are 1-5 years old, it usually means that everyone has to play better," Mara said Tuesday at the NFL Meeting at the Conrad Hotel in Manhattan. "He's not alone, many guys just need to do their job, we always believe in him, everyone has to do his job for us to succeed, and for the moment, that's not happening. product not. "

Manning had a hard time constantly shifting the Giants' offense on the field, despite the fact that he completed 68.7% of his passes for 1,662 yards with six touchdowns and four interceptions.

It's time for the Giants to play Kyle Lauletta

Last April, the Giants selected offensive midfielder Saquon Barkley as the second-ranked NFL draft pick in 2018, alongside quarterback Jets Sam Darnold, Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen and quarterback Jr. Bills Josh Allen, with the aim of building around Manning. .

Similarly, the Giants could have hired a veteran such as Teddy Bridgewater or reverted to the 2017 Davis Webb third round pick after the previous regime of general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo, missing Opportunity to play it at the end of the match. the season.

"I do not know what you mean by" doing everything "with [Eli Manning], "Said Mara. He is our quarterback. He was still under contract. I know it's the punch bag right now, but a lot of guys have to play better right now. It's not just him. "

Although Barkley was as good as or better than what was announced, with 438 rushing yards and four touchdowns in front of 373 yards and two more goals, the plan to create the offense around Manning appears to have been flawed, with hindsight.

"We were the best player in the repechage," Mara said of Barkley. "I still believe that he was the best player in this draft."

Mara says he'll leave the decision to play fourth-round rookie Kyle Lauletta to head coach Pat Shurmur and his staff.

However, Mara says that he is not worried about the "wastage" of years of quality in Barkley's first contract to research and develop Manning's successor at quarterback.

"We took the best player in the repechage," said Mara. "I am delighted with what he has achieved as well, and I think the sky is the limit for him.I have no idea what we are going to do in the draft of the year. next, let's see what happens. "

Matt Lombardo can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MattLombardoNFL

[ad_2]
Source link