Giant
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- Mar 19, 2019
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It has been a long time since Eli Manning has had to compete for his job. Manning, 38, has started 230 of a possible 240 games in 15 seasons.
But the Giants didn’t draft Daniel Jones with the sixth overall choice to sit for long.
As the Giants left the offseason program a couple of weeks ago, coach Pat Shurmur indicated Manning and Jones will compete for the starting job.
Manning, though, doesn’t sound as if he’s worried about losing his job.
“I mean no, I don’t feel like it’s a competition,” Manning told Rhett Lewis of NFL Network on Friday at the Manning Passing Academy. “I feel like I’ve got to do my job and I’ve got to compete every day and try to get better every day. That’s the way it’s been my whole life, and that’s just the way I’ve always approached practice every day to improve, to earn my place on the team, to earn the respect of the teammates and do it each year.”
Manning, who threw 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season, has no problem helping Jones, even though he knows eventually the former Duke quarterback will replace him. Manning is just trying to make sure it’s later than sooner.
“We’ve got new guys and I’m trying to build a relationship with them and get them up to speed and so I’m trying to do my job in the quarterback room,” Manning said. “I’ve always been good with young quarterbacks, whoever’s been in there, trying to get them up to speed, teaching them about defenses or styles or what our defense plays. So I’m doing the same thing with Daniel and I’m going to be a good teammate, I’m going to do the best that I can do and help everybody on the Giants be successful.”
Manning was in the same situation as Jones in 2004 when the Giants traded for the No. 1 overall pick as their franchise quarterback. He competed with Kurt Warner for the job, taking over as the starter for the final nine games as a rookie.
“Definitely drawing back on that and I talk to Daniel and I see so many similarities in the situation and how things are going and just what he’s trying to do, his personality,” Manning said. “He’s coming into this team; he’s just trying to learn the playbook, learn the names of everybody, got to earn the respect of his teammates. He’s got so much going on. He’s got the New York media, dealing with them; all of a sudden they’re saying things Day One. . . .So just work hard, take your job seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously — if you can do that — enjoy your teammates, listen to your coaches and we’re all in this together and we’ll get through it.”