So many questions for Mario Manningham.
How frustrating was the training-camp injury that set back the Giants wide receiver? How disappointing was his lack of playing time and production? How difficult was it for him to learn the offense as a rookie?
Manningham earlier this week listened and then finally had enough.
“Let’s talk about this year!” he exclaimed after a practice, smiling but clearly wanting to move on.
Some things are best kept in the past, and Manningham’s first season with the Giants falls into that category. He pulled a quad muscle not long after arriving at Albany for his first NFL training camp and was rendered useless for months.
He never felt healthy until midseason, and missed so much time that the crucial learning process had been completely blunted.
He had four receptions for 26 yards and one receiver reverse for a 12-yard loss. For a third-round draft pick arriving as a highly productive player at Michigan, it wasn’t much at all.
Fortunately for the Giants, they didn’t need much. Now they do. Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are gone, and there’s no more time for Manningham to wait in the wings. Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith move into the starting spots. Sinorice Moss heads to camp at the No. 3 receiver, a role that definitely can change.
Manningham and first-round pick Hakeem Nicks will compete for playing time, followed by third-round pick Ramses Barden.
“When you’re a rookie, you’re just going out there trying to remember the play,” Manningham said.
“I’m better, way better. It’s just going out there and playing now. I can’t wait to go out there and show everybody what I can do. That’s why I’m here.”
At 5-foot-11 and 183 pounds, Manningham isn’t especially big, but he’s plenty fast, has solid hands and at Michigan excelled at getting down field. He did that twice this past Monday during an Organized Team Activity practice. There’s another scheduled for today.
Without Burress, there’s no obvious deep threat among the receivers, making Hixon and Manningham the primary options there.
For his part, Manningham isn’t making bold promises or predictions, but does have something for those worried the Giants receiver corps is going to be a weak link:
“We’ll be all right. Were going to be tighter than what people think. We’re going to be good. . . . We work too hard and we are on each other too hard.”