INDIANAPOLIS — There’s Eli Manning the quarterback and Eli Manning the offensive coordinator.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin pointed to Manning’s routine of having a meeting with the receivers after every Friday practice as one of the reason his quarterback has improved and has the team a win away from another championship.
“We get in the green zone, we are going to do this, we are going to do that,” receiver Mario Manningham said of the meeting. “We are going to talk about the technique of the defensive backs.”
Manningham said the meetings really only started this year, which happens to be by far Manning’s best season in the NFL. And it is one of the reasons the Giants are back in Super Bowl XLVI against New England.
“He has a tape made, he cuts it up, he decides how he wants to implement and impart to the receiver, what he’s looking for,” Coughlin said. “The receivers talk about what they should and shouldn’t do and what they should’ve done. He does go through that.”
The improvement of Manning and the receiving trio of Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz and Manningham has been evident.
“It helps prepare for Sunday because we’re going everything just with us,” Nicks said. “We’re going over the game plan and how Eli is seeing everything, and how we can take advantage of things and exploit certain things. It helps us (bond) … It’s just the plays we are running and making sure we’re on the same page.”
The process actually begins earlier in the week when Manning also spends time with the other positions on the offense. He works with the tight ends, running backs and offensive line about pass protection.
“He’s involved with all groups throughout the course of the week, he’s very much involved with the offensive lineman,” Coughlin said. “He likes busting their chops and they do it the other way around. So, he spends time with everyone throughout the course of the week, and it’s basically all football.”
The breakout season for Manning could not have been needed more. The Giants running game finished last in the league, despite some late-season improvement. But without Manning’s development it’s unlikely the Giants would have even been in position to win the NFC East and go another playoff run like they did four years ago, when they beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
“We leaned on the passing game. There is no question. He’s the trigger guy, so between the receivers, the protection and himself there is no question we were not running the ball as effectively as we have in the past,” offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride said. “So the only way we were going to move it and have a chance to be successful was through the air.
“Fortunately, we’ve gotten better, with the exception of the San Francisco game, over the last four or five weeks of running the ball. But for the most part, we were not as good as we’ve been. We have been pretty good, but we were just not as good this year.”