NYG Transcripts: QB Eli Manning -- October 29, 2018
Q: Is it kind of best to just get away during the bye week and kind of flush yourself of what’s happened to this point?
A: Yeah, I think we’ll keep looking to see what ways we can improve, personally, as an offense. For everybody to see how we can score more points. Once we eventually get away, take some time to get your mind and body healed up and rested, and then come back knowing we got eight games, and you got to make the best of it.
Q: Do you approach the self-scouting period any differently?
A: The same – you look at the last game, and all the games. Just take things from each game that you need to improve on, and work on those things, and have the mindset of training those things when you get back to make sure we’re not repeating any mistakes.
Q: Have you ever felt more helpless in your career?
A: I think the answer just comes to execution. We got good players. There’s some good football. There are some good plays. There’s some big plays, some explosive plays. There’s just some bad football as well. So, it’s just cleaning up the bad stuff – and there’s going to be some every game. There’s going to be bad plays. There’s going to be defenses that make good plays, and those types of things. It’s just trying to get on the same page with coaches, with players, and make sure we’re giving ourselves the best chance to be successful, and make sure we’re doing all the things possible that we can to play at a high level.
Q: Is there a lot you can change during a bye week?
A: It’s not like you’re going to change your style or get all new different plays and all of a sudden. Just trying to figure out what are we doing well, what’s not going as well, what plays are in our system that we can run more, or do differently to just keep us out of some bad situations.
Q: You’re on pace to take 62 sacks this year. Your previous high being 39. How difficult is it to be functional when you’re taking that many hits?
A: It’s tough, every sack has got its own story. Some, it’s coverage, or some it’s on me not throwing it away. All of them really happen every once in a while. They just happen too frequently. We just got to find ways to be productive, whether you get the ball out quickly or more max protection, or just have a combination of the two, or move in the pocket. Just things to try to get us out of those situations, because sacks are drive killers. They make it tough, and the ones that aren’t sacks, you’re still able to move the pocket. We just got to find ways to be productive. We have playmakers. We got to get them the ball, and get it to them in a timely fashion, and let them make plays.
Q: When the unit struggles on offense, do you feel as if you’re pressing to make plays that you wouldn’t normally make?
A: I think we’ve done a pretty good job of not doing that. It’s what’s kept us in some games, is not forcing things, not turning the ball over. We’ve been pretty good with turnovers. There was definitely a play or two where you press things in certain situations, but I think I’ve done a pretty good job of not making things worse by trying to force things that aren’t there. I think guys just got to keep doing the right things, and just do a little bit better.
Q: Pat Shurmur said he’s going to evaluate everything this week, including the quarterback position. How does that make you feel? Do you think coming off the bye this will still be your starting job?
A: Yeah, I hope so. That’s what the coach does. In a bye week, you evaluate everything. That’s part of his job.
Q: If it means at some point stepping to the sideline so that a player like (QB) Kyle Lauletta can get a look, is that something you’re willing to do?
A: I’ve always been a team player, and do kind of what I’m told. I expect and want to be the starting quarterback until I’m told differently.
