Giants still search for big-play offense
The 2018 New York Giants offense was supposed to be explosive.
How could it not be? The Giants added running back Saquon Barkley to a skill-player group that includes receivers Sterling Shepard and Odell Beckham Jr. and tight end Evan Engram, and they changed out their offensive line, replacing Ereck Flowers not once, but twice in the lineup with Nate Solder at left tackle and Chad Wheeler at right tackle.
Yet here they are, with a 1-3 record to start the 2018 season and a 30-game streak of not having scored 30 points on offense, a streak that goes back to former head coach Tom Coughlin’s final game with the team.
In fact, in their three losses, the Giants have failed to score 20 points, which has scores of Giants fans scratching their heads and wondering if the one constant in this rather lengthy dry spell, quarterback Eli Manning, is to blame.
The truth is that Manning, like the rest of his teammates, hasn’t been perfect and that he can play better, something he’s only too happy to acknowledge.
One place where many people would like to see Manning pick up his performance is in taking more chances deep down the field.
Except for one problem: Manning, who back in his hey-day was a known gunslinger who used to throw deep passes frequently during games, has for whatever reason reverted into a more conservative game manager who has made the checkdown his favorite play.
“There are ways to get explosive plays without throwing it deep,” Manning said. “It’s not like they all have to be go-routes or post-routes. Hitting guys on the move when they do play man, in zones you can still hit plays. In breaking routes and buying time. You can still hit explosive plays when teams are trying to take away the deep shots.”
But when asked at what point does it pay to take a risk every so often, Manning stunned the crowd and said, “Risks are not what you want to take. You throw the ball down the field when it’s not risky, and then there’s forcing things and that leads to turnovers that leads to mistakes.”
It also hasn’t helped matters that with the exception of their Week 3 game at Houston — a victory — the Giants haven’t run a balanced offense between the run and the pass.
But when it comes to Manning, he’s been somewhat of a lightning rod of late for Giants fans who have begun screaming that the veteran quarterback’s best days are behind him because he can no longer make the plays down the field.
“I don’t think I’m passing up on open guys down the field to throw it underneath,” said Manning, whose dink-and-dunk approach has resulted in a higher completion percentage (74.2 percent) this season. “I think we still gotta do a good job getting the ball out and getting completions, but also see if we can hit some shots as well.”
Manning has said that he’s been choosing his spots to throw the ball down field carefully, again stressing that there’s a fine line between taking a risk and being reckless.
“It’s not all about just throwing it deep every play, that’s not the answer to our solution,” he said. “I know that’s what everybody wants to do, it’s an easy thing to say, yeah, we’ll throw it deep and all of our problems will be fixed. It’s still about finding completions and when you do throw it down the field completing it.”
“If you think you can complete the pass, you throw it,” Manning said.
“If you don’t, if it’s a risk of a turnover or throwing it into double-coverage, that’s not what it’s about. You try to put your playmakers in a position to get open. That’s what we’re doing.
“Sometimes they take away certain things, you have to check it down, live with it and try to get a first down, move the chains, and live for another down or opportunity coming up.”
SERIES HISTORY: 10th regular-season meeting. Panthers lead series, 5-4. The Giants are 2-2 against the Panthers on the road, their last meeting a 38-35 loss on Dec. 20, 2015 in Charlotte.
