The preseason is a fickle beast. Sometimes a poor preseason reveals major weaknesses that are exposed further during the regular season. Sometimes it means almost nothing and should be disregarded completely when looking ahead.
Last year, the New York Giants were 5-0 in the preseason and finished 6-10. That’s probably why starting quarterback Eli Manning is unfazed by his struggles or the team’s 1-2 preseason record. Last year, the success didn’t translate.
Manning is 20-of-38 for 159 yards with no touchdowns and one interception this preseason. That’s not good, but it’s similar to his older brother Peyton (22-of-35 for 176 yards, o TD, 1 INT), Tom Brady (10-of-22 for 107 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and Russell Wilson (17-of-31 for 146 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT).
“For me, preseason is just trying grow within the offense and get the timing of the game,” Manning said, via the New York Daily News. “Obviously you’d like to go out there, have completions and score points, but it’s not going to affect your confidence in any way.”
One reason the offense hasn’t gotten rolling this preseason is due to injuries. Wide receiver Victor Cruz has been nursing a calf injury, but the offensive finished 13th in the league last season without him.
Manning also finished 12th in Pro-Football-Reference.com’s adjusted net yards per pass attempts statistic and 7th in ESPN’s QBR last year. Getting Cruz back in the fold should help Manning’s numbers significantly, but his status remains uncertain.
Running back Shane Vereen should help the Giants be more efficient on offense, which should also help. More manageable situations and more first downs should translate to more scoring opportunities. If Manning and the Giants are going to improve in 2015, they will need to add this type of efficiency to go with the big plays and flash of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
So Manning is probably right to be unfazed by preseason struggles, but it wouldn’t be bad thing if the Giants were to start clicking offensively. Since the starters won’t play Thursday night, that’ll have to start happening in practice away from the prying eyes of the media and fans.
“I think we’ve been close on some stuff down the field and some big plays, but we can’t be close anymore,” Manning said. “We have to start hitting on it.”
There’s no guarantee that will be the case before Week 1 because these things often take time. Things rarely just start clicking overnight and Manning is already talking about it being a long season in regards to getting into a rhythm with Cruz. This preseason, unlike the last, may be a sign of things to come.
