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Monday Media Transcript: Quarterback Eli Manning

Eric from BBI : Admin : 1/1/2018 2:14 pm
Quarterback Eli Manning

January 1, 2018

Q: How would you describe this season?

A: Well, it was tough, tough year. Obviously, didn’t win enough games, losing your head coach, lost a lot of guys to injury and that’s football sometimes. You go through tough years and you learn from it and hopefully it makes you appreciate it, work harder to hopefully not go through these types of years again.

Q: How much do you want to be back and be the starting quarterback for the Giants next season?

A: Yeah, I mean, this is what I want to do. I want to play quarterback for the New York Giants, that’s what I hope happens and obviously we’ll talk and figure out what’s the plan for the franchise going forward.

Q: Do you have a plan for when you are going to start doing work again in the offseason?

A: No set plan right now. I usually take a few weeks to let the body heal and then yeah, start training again, slowly getting back into shape and getting ready for next year.

Q: Will you have to change your training much, with a potential new coach and new system coming in?

A: I guess it just depends when all that is finalized and when you know who’s the head coach and who’s the offensive coordinator and what kind of offense is being put in. I guess I don’t know what all the rules are, but as soon as you can get that information and get started on learning the system, the better.

Q: Does this day-after the season ends feel different or strange to you as compared to ones in the past?

A: Well, yeah, I guess there’s more uncertainty this year than after others. But it’s always a disappointing day, that the season’s over, [other than] the two years you win Super Bowls, where it’s not. It’s always tough that it’s coming to an end and another year that didn’t go as we wanted. You just try to learn from each game, each year, each situation and try to be better for it.

Q: Is this the first day-after season in which you don’t know if you will be back next season?

A: Yeah, you could probably say that.

Q: Have you made an appointment to see General Manager Dave Gettleman?

A: I haven’t, no. Nothing set up right now.

Q: If you were to be here next season and not be the starter, would you want to go elsewhere?

A: Those are all situations and scenarios we’ll have to talk with Mr. Gettleman and figure out what his plan is and make those decisions later.

Q: If the Giants pick a quarterback with their first pick in this year’s draft, would you be comfortable in the role of mentoring that quarterback in his first year or so?

A: You know, I think I’ve always been a good teammate and whatever quarterbacks are in there, I think you’re always talking football. I don’t think you’re ever specifically a mentor. You’ve got a job to play quarterback and get ready, but I think you’re always helping the other guys and learning from the other guys in the room and, hey, they help me, I would help them.

Q: Is there a takeaway that you can take from this season?

A: Yeah, I mean, I think you try to find different things. I think over these next few weeks you kind of reflect a little bit more on the whole season and try to figure out how you can prevent it from happening again. If there’s anything you can do – in football there’s things you can control and there’s a lot you can’t control. So, you just try to figure out ways that you can improve upon yourself and how you can make the other guys around you better as well.

Q: What do you think New England Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels does well to put New England quarterback Tom Brady in good situations, as far as an offensive coach?

A: I don’t have those answers. I haven’t watched their offense specifically to see what he’s done, so I don’t know if I’m the right person to answer that question.

Q: How did you get through this season and never really lose your cool?

A: Well, you know you’ve got a job to do, that’s to play quarterback and try to win each and every week. You knew it was going to be tough certain weeks and you felt like you didn’t have everything you could possibly do to win each game, or to do what you want to do. You were limited in some areas after you had some new bodies in there, new players. You’re trying to get on the same page with them, so it just took time to get comfortable and figure out what everybody’s strength was and what we could do offensively once you start losing linemen, losing some receivers. So, it was tough. Not just on me, it’s tough on the offensive coordinator, on the coaches, to try to figure out [how to] put a game plan that gives us a shot to win each and every week.

Q: Do you expect to see a lot of new faces on the team next season?

A: Well, in the NFL that’s kind of part of the deal nowadays. Each year you’re going to have new faces, there’s going to be new teammates and new guys. So, that is part of it. You don’t know who, or how many or what’s going to happen there.

Q: Is the possibility that the new head coach will bring a completely new system a concern for you?

A: Well, I think that’s just part of football. I spent 10 years in the same offense and then these last four. I had to change four years ago and go into a brand new offense that was completely different and I was able to figure it out. So, I think now that you’ve been in two different ones, depending on what kind of offense, but hopefully there’s some carryover or something where you’re not just learning everything all new. I think once you play 14 years, all offenses have some similar plays and concepts. So, just try to get on the same page with the coordinator and do it his way.

Q: How much do you think you have left as a quarterback in this league?

A: I feel like I can still play at a high level. I feel like I can make the throws and if you get the right guys around, that I can be very effective and play at an extremely high level.

Q: Would you be willing to rework your contract or take a pay cut to come back here next season?

A: Again, we’ve got to figure out all those things. A lot of conversations have to be had with management before we get into all those things.

Q: Is there a certain timeframe where you want to know what is going to happen this offseason?

A: I have not thought about that yet, so just trying to take it one step at a time here.

Q: Do you think this was the hardest season of your career?

A: Yeah, I’d say so, I’d say so. Just dealing with a lot. It’s never fun losing a head coach in the middle of the season, it’s never fun losing games and being out of the playoffs as early as we were. So, it was tough in a lot of areas, but I think just hopefully just going through those tough times you can be stronger because of it.

Q: When you look back on how your consecutive starts streak ended, how will you look at it?

A: I was never much about that streak. I didn’t know what the numbers were ever until someone told me, so it wasn’t something I was chasing, or going after. So, I don’t think it will be a subject that I’ll think about very often.

Q: If you are told that you will play next season as long as you are doing well, is that as good of a deal you can possibly get anywhere else?

A: Well, wherever you go, wherever you’re playing, you’ve got a job to do and that’s to play well, to win games. And if you’re not doing that, you can easily be replaced. So, that’s a part of playing football in this position.

Q: Isn’t that deal of playing as long as things are going well about as good as you can ask for anywhere?

A: Again, we’ve got to have these first conversations and just see what their plan is and what they’re thinking.
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