–Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has watched the Giants 2018 season unfold with interest. And like Giants general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Pat Shurmur, Favre believes that embattled quarterback Ei Manning can still compete at a high level if he has the right pieces around him.
In the weekly show he co-hosts with Bruce Murray on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Favre noted that Manning is still very much the same quarterback who led the Giants in the 2007 NFC Championship Game against the Packers toward a victory, and the same quarterback who has accumulated multiple Pro Bowls and a pair of Super Bowl MVPs.
However, Favre said that if Manning is to do what he’s capable of doing, the Giants have to do a better job with protecting him.
“He’s not going to win with his feet. Every once in a while, he may scramble but he is who he is,” he said.
“And when you can protect him he’s really good. And I think his demeanor and his personality, and his physical attributes really haven’t changed and so I think it is up to the team and the organization to provide him – and I know that they’ve tried their best – with adequate protection. You gotta figure out a way to protect the guy.”
Through four games, Manning has already been sacked 15 times, putting him on pace for a 60-sack season if his offensive line can’t tighten things up.
According to Pro Football Focus, he’s been under pressure on 51 of his 169 drop backs (30 opercent).
Favre, who identifies with Manning as a competitor, also opined that it’s possible that Manning has in fact tried to do too much to help jump-start the Giants offense.
“I think a guy like Eli, and I don’t know this for certain, but I think guys that are really, really true competitors and have played a long time, you know, have a tendency when things go – you hope that things don’t go bad but if they do you find that you try to do too much,” he said, adding that’s a good quality to have in a quarterback.
“And, yes, that gets you in trouble and then more criticism falls upon you,” Favre added.
The problem for Manning is that the offensive line is what it is at this point in time, which means it’s up to the coaches to ensure the players are fully up to speed and for the players to ensure they’re attending to every last detail when it comes to executing their assignments.
If those factors fall into place, Favre believes that the Manning who Giants fans know and love, will eventually resurface.
“I think he’s battling his butt off. And I think given good protection I think you see an Eli that we have known to be there at the end. I think that that’s still there. I don’t see skills diminishing; I see an offensive line struggling to protect him right now,” Favre said.
“If they figure that out, I think you’ll see that the Eli that we’ve known for so long will be there again.”
BY THE NUMBERS: 9 – Number of deep pass plays of 20-plus yards the Giants have completed this season. That ties them for 23rd with the Bills, Colts, and Dolphins. The Giants are also tied with the Texans and Cardinals for last in the league with zero pass plays of 40-plus yards.
