Yesterday, on WFAN radio, New York Giants Quarterback Eli Manning stated that he was not to blame for the Giants morbid 0-5 start to the season. His comments are as follows:
“I don’t think I’m playing lousy. I think I’m seeing the defenses well. I think I’m throwing the ball accurately. So I feel like I’m in sync, my fundamentals are good, everything’s kind of in place. It’s just a matter of getting in some bad predicaments and not catching many breaks and just getting in some tough spots.”
Let’s just review some of Eli’s statistics so far this season to evaluate whether or not he is primarily at fault for the Giants’ struggles:
-Eli Manning has 12 interceptions this season, the most in the NFL, and three more than the next two in line (Matt Schaub and Carson Palmer).
-Eli has thrown nine touchdown passes this season, which is one fewer than Sam Bradford, who has never had a winning record as an NFL QB.
-Eli’s passer rating this season is 65.8, which is 32nd in the league. Only Josh Freeman and Blaine Gabbert have a worse passer rating.
-Eli’s QBR is 34.24, which is 28th in the league. Matt Schaub is one spot higher than Eli Manning in this statistic, and he was benched on Sunday.
-Eli Manning leads the league in fourth quarter interceptions with seven.
All of that sounds pretty lousy. The losses aren’t all his fault, but he has to take some of the blame.
Just for reference, here’s a play that perfectly describes the New York Giants’ 2013 season:
