QB Eli Manning
Conference Call, November 24, 2014
Q: Obviously, everybody is still buzzing about the Odell Beckham Jr. catch. When you saw that on film today when you broke down the game, did you see anything different that you may not have spotted last night?
A: No, it was a very impressive catch. I don’t know if I have quite seen one like it. To truly catch it one-handed where you don’t have to pull it into the body and really just catch it with a couple of fingers. It almost looked like he was ready to catch it like he was ready to throw it. He kind of had the grip on it like he is about to make a throw, pretty impressive.
Q: How did you think your offensive line did last night with all the new parts in there?
A: I thought they performed well. I thought we did a good job running the ball, getting some positive yards. We stayed in good third down situations. Protected on third down pretty well, had to hold it a little bit on some third and longs, and was able to get the ball down the field. They got a little pressure at times, and got a couple sacks, but that is going to happen in a game. I thought that guys competed and played hard and did a good job. We had a lot of plays, and we were going up-tempo, and they responded well to that.
Q: How do you guys approach this final stretch of five games mentally? Do you compete for that outside chance at a wild card?
A: You compete to get better. I think we are doing a lot of good things. Offensively, we played well last night, just not well enough to win. We’ve got to find ways to get better in some areas and compete and we want to get a win. We work hard, we prepare hard, we are doing good things at practice, we are doing some good things in the game. You see the effort, you see the determination. We want to get a win to get that feeling back. We have to build off some of the good things that we are doing and put it all together in a game.
Q: Is there any importance in managing to get to .500 on the season?
A: No doubt, there is definitely, to try to win these last five, definitely. I think that is a great challenge, whether it is playoffs in the picture or not. We’ve got a job, we are football players, we have a job to do, and let’s go out there and practice hard, compete and try to win every game that you are going to play in.
Q: Have you noticed defenses playing Odell Beckham Jr. any differently and does it amaze you to see someone that young, given his experience, adjust the way he has?
A: The last few weeks we probably have seen a little bit more two safeties and kind of keeping an extra safety over his head a little bit more than what the teams have shown going into the breakdowns and what they have been doing. I think they do know he has some big play potential and they might kind of start that way but they are going to get back to some single high and give him some opportunities to have some one-on-one matchups and he is doing a good job winning those matchups.
Q: Have you at all pondered the thought of what Odell Beckham Jr. might be able to do if Victor Cruz was still in the line up?
A: Yeah, I thought about it a little bit. Having both of those guys on the field at the same time, it would be a pretty good duo. You throw Rueben Randle and Larry Donnell and Preston Parker, and all of those guys, a lot of weapons. We are still doing some good things with this receiving corps and they are making plays and we will see what happens. We will keep working with Odell Beckham Jr. and hopefully Victor Cruz can heal up quickly.
Q: What can Odell Beckham Jr. do better? He has made some amazing catches but I am sure there are areas that he can improve on. What else can he do to improve his game?
A: There are some areas, he is still a young receiver. Missed a lot of time coming into this season with training camp and OTA’s, and the first four games of the season. He is doing a lot of things really well in his route running, and winning. There are always a few things, just on the depth of a couple routes, being patient on a couple of routes, the conversions of what the route is versus certain technique and coverages. There are always a few little things like that show up on the game film, which happens to young receivers sometimes, but overall I have been impressed with not just his playmaking, but his understanding of the offense, and playing at a high level and doing some of the little things really well.
Q: Does Odell Beckham Jr. remind you of anybody that you have played with in the past?
A: It is hard. He is a little bit different, different type of receiver than we have had with his explosiveness that he has coming out of breaks, the speed. Getting down the field, the catch ability, catches the ball very naturally. Obviously, big hands, he is a pretty rare kind of combination of speed and explosiveness, with also really good route running and being able to stop on a dime as well out of his breaks.
Q: What about the reading of the body language, which I think had been a big topic considering that he missed all that time? It seems like the two of you, you’re able to read his body language, and he is able to read you.
A: I think it is a credit to him for the most part being at the right depths. He comes out of his breaks very sharply. He doesn’t drift on things, you are able to see right when he is making that cut and he is coming out of his breaks very well, very smoothly. It is easier to read his body language. Sometimes it is the guys that aren’t as crisp on the routes and that is where you have a harder time and it takes longer to read their body language and know how they are going to come out of things, so that it is maybe not as precise as it should be. His breaks are very precise; it is much easier for the quarterback to know where he is going to be out of the break.
Q: Your team is 0-8 against opponents with winning records. Now you drop down to teams with losing records. Is that a relief? Is there an added pressure to play a team that has won only one game?
A: I think it is the next game. We are going to Jacksonville, they have one win, and we have three wins. I don’t think we are in a position to label anybody or to think we are better than anybody. We have to play well. We’ve got to find a way to get a win, we’ve got to put 60 minutes together and play great football for that whole time.
Q: You have played on championship teams, both of which were to some degree defined by the offensive and defensive line play. When you look at what is surrounding up front and also the defensive line, how does this group compare to championship level players?
A: I really don’t know how to answer that question. I think we are doing some good things offensively. At times we have been in some close games, especially these last two weeks. We felt we had opportunities to win these last two games and just fell short. I think guys have competed and played well enough, and put us in positions to win those games. I think you look back to our 2006 season. We went 8-8, we weren’t a very dominant team, next year without really much adjustment with players and personnel, we win a championship. I think that is kind of the way football goes. Being with the same crew for a year, two years, or three years, it is going to make you stronger and more comfortable. We had some new guys on this squad and hopefully we will be able to stick together for a few more years and make something special. I think it can start right now. It can start at this time. I think we have made some improvement, we are doing some better things, but it is not too late to get on a hot streak, and get things rolling right now.
Q: How do you sell guys on that, that you are almost building towards next year?
A: I think everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to get that feeling back. I have seen that these last few weeks, we haven’t got discouraged, it is frustrating. Everybody is disappointed today that we didn’t get that win. We didn’t make every play we needed to get that win and left some plays out there on the field. I think guys understand every game is important, everything you are doing is important. You never play for next year. Right now we are playing for this year, playing for right now. That is the mindset. I think you just have to understand that it is not too late to get on a hot streak and feel good about what we are doing.
