Giant Football Blog

Manning must continue to grow as leader

It was more a challenge than a reminder when general manager Jerry Reese said this offseason that Eli Manning is "not a veteran any more, he's a Pro Bowler -- we'll put some of this on his back."

With so much talk about the tall and talented receivers the Giants lost, Reese wanted everyone to consider the great asset he believes Manning can and must be.

"We're going to put more of the onus on him," Reese said.

And how did Manning respond?

"I think you got a quarterback going into his sixth year and . . . some young receivers," Manning told The Post yesterday. "It's my job to make sure those guys are on the same page and my job to be a leader and take control of the offense and the passing game. Continue

Manning looking to be highest paid QB

Eli Manning is still in line to get one of the most lucrative contracts in NFL history. He is just going to have to wait a little longer than expected.

Manning and the Giants remain far apart in their negotiations on a new deal, according to two NFL sources with knowledge of the talks. Nobody is panicking, even though 2009 is the last year of Manning's rookie contract, and both sides expect a deal will eventually get done.

But they had originally hoped to do it this spring, with the Giants prepared to make Manning one of the NFL's richest players. According to one source, Manning's agents "want to make him the highest-paid player." Another source suggested the Super Bowl XLII MVP's initial asking price was up near an average of $20 million per year. Continue

Manning gets work in with receivers

Eli Manning, for one of the very few times since he arrived with the Giants, yesterday took the field for an organized team activity (OTA) practice with nearly all of his key receivers on the scene.

That's rarely been the case for Manning in these voluntary (yeah, right) off-season workouts. Plaxico Burress rarely showed up, preferring to spend his down time in Miami. The same with Jeremy Shockey. Both are gone and while the departures caused a talent drain, what's left behind as far as personality and pedigree leads to a greater sense of cohesion.

Manning all off-season gets to work with the two new starting receivers, Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith, as well as Mario Manningham, Sinorice Moss, tight end Kevin Boss and rookies Hakeem Nicks, Ramses Barden and Travis Beckum. Continue

Manning likes new targets

David Tyree is not the most accomplished receiver ever to wear a Giants uniform, but he did make the greatest catch in team history, his miracle helmet grab in Super Bowl XLII ranking as one of the most memorable in NFL annals.

Tyree admits he's not an expert on the class of receivers coming out of college but he has paid particular interest to Big Blue's first-round pick Hakeem Nicks, who earned Tyree's "stamp of approval" after he viewed one particularly outrageous reception. Nicks is something of a YouTube legend for his behind-the-back catch and run for North Carolina against West Virginia in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Continue

On first trip to Hawaii, Eli Manning wants to hang loose

Peyton Manning has been to eight previous Pro Bowls and each time he offered to take his little brother along for the ride. Each time, though, Eli Manning declined.

"It's one of those things where I didn't want to come until I earned it," Eli told the Daily News Thursday from Hawaii. "Peyton invited me a few times, but I told him I wanted to get there on my own. It's always been a goal of mine to play in this game." Continue

Maybe Giants' Manning should backload new contract

Eli Manning might have a decision to make: riches on the field or off.

The Giants quarterback is due to become a free agent at the end of the 2009 season and the team, understandably, would like to prevent him from hitting the open market. Although sources familiar with the situation said no deal is imminent, the team will likely try to get something done by the time they show up in Albany for training camp in July.

But if, as has been speculated, Manning becomes the highest- paid player in the NFL, would it handcuff the team's possible pursuit of a top-shelf wide receiver?

Manning might have to choose between big cash and a big target. Continue

Giant payday coming to Eli Manning after laying Eagle egg

The Super Bowl championship the Giants won last year was priceless. The man who led them to it is not.

The Giants will have to pay a hefty price to keep last year's Super Bowl MVP. Eli Manning's contract is due to expire after next season, and sometime in the next year - probably the next few months - the Giants will take the first steps toward making him the next member of the $100 million quarterback club.

Manning might even end up being the highest-paid member, as several NFL sources said his next deal could be worth a league-high $15 million per season. That would be an average of $1 million more than his brother Peyton is making on the seven-year, $98 million deal he signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2004. Continue

Eli Manning confident he can perform a playoff encore

The miracle that Eli Manning pulled off last February didn't just give the Giants a surprising Super Bowl ring. It emphatically let them know they had a championship-caliber quarterback.

It also gave them a belief that Manning can do it again.

And that's the task - and challenge - facing the 28-year-old quarterback as he opens his fourth postseason Sunday with a divisional playoff game against the Eagles. He's the engineer of one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets in NFL history, and he's coming off a 12-win, Pro Bowl-caliber season. Continue

New York Giants QB Eli Manning is three wins away from elite company

The club is more exclusive than Augusta National, and a fat bankroll alone won't buy membership.

Eli Manning, if he is a student of football history, should have a list of its members taped inside his locker this month, because he is three victories away from getting the keys to the clubhouse and learning the secret handshake.

Bart Starr. Bob Griese. Roger Staubach.

Any Tom, Dick or Brad Johnson can win one Super Bowl -- all it takes is a hot streak at the right time, or a dominant defense, or a few good breaks. Or, in the case of the 2007 Giants, all of the above. Continue

Eli, Giants believe in lots of off-week rest

 What kind of week will this be for the Giants? Just listen to Elii Manning and judge for yourselves.

"It's an exciting time to be a part of this," he said yesterday. "It will be fun for me this weekend to sit and watch all these playoff games, my brother's playing, it will be fun to kind of be able to relax and be able to watch all these games on TV and start figuring out who you're going to play."

Big brother Peyton heads out west with the Colts to San Diego, but Eli won't make the trip, even though the Giants are sitting this weekend out, proud owners of a bye as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Continue