QB Eli Manning -- August 13, 2019
Q: John (Mara) said a couple minutes ago, when looking at the season, ‘the best thing that can happen is Eli (Manning) plays every game and Daniel (Jones) sits on the bench all season.’ Any thoughts?
A: My mindset is to go in, play well, win football games and have a great year. That’s what I’m working towards.
Q: Did you guys take anything out of that first series against the Jets the other night?
A: Yeah, not a whole lot. (There was) one little bootleg and two runs. Then obviously I had a penalty on the second play, which is never good. I think this week we’ll get more playing time. (We’ll be) going against a good defense and a good team in Chicago. We want to go out there and get some first downs and move the ball and score some points.
Q: Have your personal objectives changed in terms of what you want to accomplish in preseason games as your career has gone on?
A: No, you always want to go out there, perform well, and make good decisions. I think in preseason it’s important for quarterbacks, because things are live now, the rush is live, it’s real, and you’re going to have to throw it in some more awkward situations with your feet not always set and different things. It’s good to get work on that, feel the rush and move it around, and (then) make good decisions with that.
Q: John talked a little bit about how it’s one year at a time right now to wait to see what happens. You’re obviously in the last year of your contract, how do you approach that and what’s your mindset toward that?
A: My mindset is, again, just focus on this year. Have a great year, play well, win football games, and take it from there.
Q: Are you alright with that wait until the offseason, no matter what happens, to see what your future holds?
A: Yeah, I think that’s what’s fair. I have never been one who is ever concerned or worried about contracts and things like that. I figure I won’t start now.
Q: If you could define a successful season for yourself or for the team, what would it look like for you?
A: It’s making the playoffs to start with, and then making a run in the playoffs. Obviously, the goal is to always win a championship, and you can’t do that without making the playoffs. I think the goal is to win the division and go from there.
Q: Do you feel any pressure with having such a high draft pick playing behind you?
A: No. In this job, the pressure is to go out there and perform at a high level to win football games. That’s the point. You can’t worry about what other guys are doing behind you and what’s going on there. My mindset is to prepare each and every week to get better, to make the guys around me better, to try to make good decisions, play at a high level, and put the team in a situation to win.
Q: How impressive, though, was it, because you were able to sit there and watch what Daniel did the other day in his first game experience here in the NFL and to be able to do that?
A: Yeah, Daniel came in and had a great drive. He threw the ball accurately, had completions, and had a nice touchdown throw. It was a good drive by him and the offense.
Q: Do you see any reason why the offense cannot start out fast?
A: That’s the goal, we have a good squad on the offensive side. I feel like the guys know what we are doing and we should be able to go out there and perform our jobs, move the ball, score points and make some big plays. Whether we are going to make explosive plays or dinking and dunking and moving it down the field, and kind of being able to do it each way. I think that’s the way you have to play football, take what the defense is giving you, make good decisions. Run the ball, play action and convert on third downs.
Q: One thing you could lose before the start of the season is possibly Golden Tate. If it does unfold that way, what would you be losing? You have had a while to see what he brings to the table.
A: I think we will just see how that plays out in the next few weeks and take it from there.
Q: What does Golden (Tate II) bring to the team?
A: Golden is a smart player and he is going to be in the right spot and he has a good feel for the zones, how to get open versus different techniques and stuff. A veteran guy but also, we have seen a bunch of it with the Giants, his run after catch historically has been very good, a play maker. Hopefully, things work out and he will be here all year.
Q: Have you seen better protection from the offensive line in training camp?
A: It seems that way. I think, obviously, once you get to live action, that kind of tells more of a realistic approach to things. We get blitzes, and everybody is on the same page. I feel like they are on the same page, they are making good calls, they are in the right spots and picking up a lot of blitzes and sound in passing things off, communicating what the defensive line is doing.
Q: What are your thoughts on how the defense is taking shape this year?
A: I think every time in training camp, you kind of go back and forth. Some days the offense has a good day, some days the defense has a good day. That’s football. It just depends sometimes what plays you have called versus coverages. I feel like they are doing a good job and making plays. I feel like they are going to have a good year.
Q: Pat Shurmur talked about how he wants all of his quarterbacks to play at least the first three pre-season games. What’s your preference workload-wise?
A: I don’t know if I have an exact formula to that. I like to get out there and have some drives and get the feel of the game. Get things going, get some long drives going. Face all those circumstances, third downs, a two-minute drive. I think those things are good to get somewhere in preseason games.
Q: On the first play the other night, did you not see Rhett Ellison open down the field?
A: I saw him, I just had to make a decision on whether or not to make that throw with a corner running back there. I figured with him running back, maybe hit the over route. Looking back, it’s kind of one of those maybe you could have thrown it and so you have to make those decisions in football. Sometimes the maybes turn out good or maybe they don’t. Try to make decisions and move on.
Q: Do you like the makeup of this team?
A: That’s kind of the way it works in the NFL. You need your vets to play well and be great leaders. You have to work to get the young guys to step up and eventually help you out. Sometimes you have to go through some of those growing pains with the young guys. Hopefully, we have enough vets that can get us started and get us going, and some of the young guys can eventually fill in their roles and help us out in some ways.
