Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor might think getting rid of Tom Coughlin is the first step toward rebuilding the Giants into a winner. But the franchise isn’t going to be elite again until Eli Manning becomes an elite quarterback again.
A 23-0 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday at MetLife Stadium exemplified the disparity between one team headed to the playoffs and a team playing out a forgettable season. There was no more glaring example of that than at quarterback, where Russell Wilson wasn’t spectacular, but efficient and Manning was horrible.
It doesn’t get much worse than a coach calling his offense “pathetic,” which was what Tom Coughlin did after watching Manning throw five interceptions as the Giants were shut out at home for the first time since 1995.
“I didn’t play as well as I needed to,” Manning said. “Some of the throws that were intercepted could have been better.”
He has now thrown 25 interceptions this season, which is the starting point for why the Giants are 5-9 and assured of their first losing season since 2004. Manning was a rookie then and the Giants weren’t quite sure of his future in the NFL. He has since won two Super Bowl MVP awards. But now it’s uncertain whether he’ll be one of the best at his position again.
It was hard to watch his performance against the Seahawks and not wonder whether he has regressed into Mark Sanchez.
“It’s a prime example of when it rains it pours,” defensive end Justin Tuck said of Manning’s performance. “He hasn’t been able to put it together this year and that’s tough.”
Manning didn’t get much help Sunday. The running game produced just 25 yards, and Seattle secondary was more competitive than the Giants receivers. Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks each had defenders take the football out of their hands for interceptions and it was the Seahawks who came down with the ball on a Hail Mary pass into the end zone to end the first half.
But the Giants quarterback deserves plenty of blame. He threw enough balls just behind receivers to allow the top-ranked Seattle defense to make the kind of deflections that create turnovers. Manning also looked unsteady behind a shaky offensive line that allowed three sacks.
“It’s not fun when you get dominated like that,” he said after completing 18-of-31 for 156 yards. “It’s tough to deal with.”
Manning said he had looked forward to the game, eager to see how the Giants offense would match up against the Seahawks physical defense. He thought the game plan was sound and his teammates were ready. But the Giants were outclassed.
“They just wanted it more,” Manning said. “They’re playing for bigger things than we are.”
There will probably be more voices like that of Taylor calling for Coughlin to resign. No one is ready to get rid of Manning just yet. But there has to be concern over how things could have gone so wrong this year.
His 25 interceptions match his career high set in 2010 and his completion percentage of 58.6 is the lowest since his 56.1 during the 2007 Super Bowl season. After 10 seasons, thousands of throws and countless beatings, his best days could be behind him, though teammates think this year is an aberration.
“I have no doubt in my mind he’s going to bounce out of this and become the Eli of old heading into next year,” Tuck said. “I see the work he puts in and how he goes about it. You can’t keep a guy like E down for long.”
Manning isn’t one to publicly analyze his season. Of the interceptions he says “each one has its own story,” whether it was a bad decision, bad throw or good defense. The end result was another rotten game in what has been a rotten season for the Giants quarterback.