Eli’s guarded
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- April
- 28
Eli Manning smiled the whole interview session, but you got the idea that somewhere in his heart he wished the Giants would have made that trade for a veteran wide receiver.
Not that he had anything against Hakeem Nicks or Ramses Barden. But it’s obvious now that, unless things change before training camp, he’s going in without a concrete, No. 1 receiving option. That can be disconcerting for any quarterback, much less one who now has a receiving corps of two rookies, a successful third-year player in Steve Smith, two mid-level vets in Domenik Hixon and David Tyree, an injury-prone and underachieving veteran in Sinorice Moss, and a second-year guy trying to come off injuries in Mario Manningham.
Really, Smith is the only one who sticks out as a dangerous option. And right now, he’s a third-down, move-the-chains type guy, not a gamebreaker.
Still, Manning put on an optimistic smile.
“That doesn’t worry me,” Manning said. “You’ve got to trust our players. Know what their strengths are and know what they do well. The more time we get to work with our guys here, the better they’ll get.”
The good news is that they’re all working in the offseason conditioning program. That wasn’t always the case. As you might remember, Plaxico Burress used to work out with Jeremy Shockey in Miami. Not that the constant presence of the young veterans ensures success, but it’s better than not having them around at all. Besides, none of them can afford to go off on their own, anyway.
Eventually, it will come time to add the rookies into the mix.
“I’ve seen how rookies come in and how it’s a learning curve,” Manning said. “It’s a process. We’ll see how well they can do and how they can help us this year. Just talk to them, get them to relax, play fast, and see what they’re capable of doing.”
The highest expectations from fans will fall on Barden, a 6-foot-6 leaper who is expected to contribute in the red zone. But Manning warned that there’s a little more to the pro game than just throwing a jump ball and having the receiver run under it. Barden is going to have to learn how to get off the line in press coverage, along with the other nuances of receiver play, even in a limited role.
How fast he masters the fundamentals will determine how effectively Manning can use him.
“We just gotta see how he does with that,” Manning said. “He can help with throwing fades. We just have to see what he does when he gets in here with minicamps and practices. It’s nice to have that option, but there’s a lot of other things you can do down there besides just throwing it up and hoping somebody catches it. It’s about guys getting open, running routes, and learning the system.”
In other words, let’s all cool our jets over the rookie receivers. It’ll be a long time before the jury gets in on them.
Tell me, do you think either Nicks or Barden will make an immediate impact? Better yet, what if they don’t. Do you have any faith whatsoever in the returning vets?
EP
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 1:46 pm by Ernie Palladino. 
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Ernie Palladino
Its hard to judge. I have the feeling that TC/Gilbride don’t trust rookie players and dont give them enough opportunities to succeed. Look, Moss was successful the few chances he was given last year and he still sat the bench most of the time. Manningham was supposed to be this great deep threat but all the coaches had him do was run a few screens (when he was healthy). Hopefully, with both Toomer and Plax gone they will be forced to give the rookies more of a chance and see what we have. I do have faith in the returning vets and the way I look at it Toomer being gone is going to improve the WR2 position. He just didnt have enough speed there and wasnt much of a threat. You line Smith (or someone else) up there full time and you have improved that position IMO. I still like Hixon in the 1 spot (unless Nicks/Barden are superb) due to his big play ability. The guy is fast and gets seperation. Just needs to catch a few of those balls he missed last year. A few more pounds of muscle wouldnt hurt either.
Hixon, Smith, Manningham, Moss, Nicks, Barden. They’re young, fast, talented, and can make plays. What they do need is a QB who trusts them and can get them the ball when they’re open, and a OC who can scheme to get them open. Nobody wants to see that happen more than Jacobs and his backups, so opponents don’t conclude beating the Giants is akin to stopping the running game, because there is no passing game. I think Eli can get his part done. Question is, can Gilbride get his part done? How much is his part? It’s one point more than the Giants defense allows… and in 2009 that defense looks to be very, very stingy on paper.
Rookie receivers not named Randy Moss always have trouble in the Pros. Unfortunately, these two will not be any different. Had the Giants done the right thing and signed Braylon Edwards, they’d be a favorite for the Superbowl… As it stands now, they’re just another playoff team that’s a WR away from winning it all.