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Eli Manning completed his first 11 assists Sunday against the NFL's best defense, and he still finished with a 62.1% completion rate.
If Manning had missed instead in his first 11 shots in a 20-15 loss to the Jaguars, it is likely that a quarter of the Giants would have found a way to recover his figures to 62.1%.
At the beginning of his 15th season, Manning is what he is. Part of his identity is a career smuggler of 59.8%, with nine seasons better than 60% and a score of 63.1%.
That's part of what makes the first-year marriage of head coach and caller Pat Shurmur – whose attack is based on creating easy finishes – and so interesting Manning.
"You have to do your best," NJ Network analyst and quarterback of the Hall of Fame, Kurt Warner, told NJ Advance Media. "Tom Brady and I were very keen to see things, to read them, to hijack them, very precise on short passes.
"We could live in this underlying world and be successful, Eli has never been built this way, it has always been better down, tie in a bit, see it open, run it on field."
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Under Shurmur in 2016, quarterback Vikings, Sam Bradford, set a short record for the NFL in terms of percentage completion for one season (71.6). Drew Brees of the Saints broke the mark last season while Shurmur helped his mate Case Keenum finish his career with 67.6%.
"We will always have a high percentage of success," Shurmur said, "and we are doing our best to put the ball in the hands of our playmakers."
The addition of Saquon Barkley, the rookie running back, should improve Manning's numbers, but Manning was just 2-in-6 to launch at Barkley against the Jaguars.
"You want to try to put the ball on the field," said Manning, "but if the teams play a soft zone and take things off the field, just know you have a good one.
"If you manage to do check-ups and get eight or ten yards on the ground, these are great options for us, it can help us be patient and not force things or wait for things to happen." on the field, touch in the space and let it play games. "
Can we work the same Shurmur magic on Manning? Should it even be tried?
"Where he is the best, is when you say," Eli, we need a workout "or" Eli, we need momentum in the playoffs, "Warner said. I do not think Eli is at his best when you say, "Eli, here's the ball, go throw it 45 times and win games for us." His behavior, his balance, was his greatest strength. "
Warner, who was teaming with Manning in his rookie season in 2004, competed in his third Super Bowl at the age of 37. Manning tries to do the same thing at the same age.
"It's a team that is designed so that Eli is no longer a complementary piece," Warner said. "As a 37-year-old, I think it's perfect, I think the defense will be like two years ago, OBJ is back, you have a racing game, Eli has a very good season and this team compete – if all the pieces settle and play as we saw them a few years ago. "
Manning overturned Odell Beckham on two assists in the end zone, one with a full blitz and the other with a clean pocket. A connection may have turned a loss into a victory.
The Jaguars only allowed one run over 18 yards in 224 Manning.
"I'm delighted that Eli is our quarterback," said Shurmur. "He has responded well throughout the match, he is there, he is alive, he is well prepared and we are very lucky that he is our quarterback."
Shurmur has subtly revealed some of his true philosophy by cutting stunning quarterback Davis Webb in favor of Kyle Lauletta. Will he apply the same logic with Manning, who averages 16 steals per season?
"Fast things … are all to see, go out and be extremely accurate so that your guys can do something with football," Warner said. "I'm not saying that he can not do it." It's just not who he was.
"I'm more in the vein of doing what you do.What you are great at, being great.It can do other things, that's auspicious for any quarterback over Aged not to take so many shots and be precise below when you have guys who can make great games. "
Ryan Dunleavy can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants cover on Facebook.
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