Giants: Five things to know | 
Judge
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Six months later we're still talking about The Play.
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I'm sorry, but I can't help myself. Whenever I see the New York Giants' Eli Manning, I think about that final, frantic minute of Super Bowl XLII when he extricated himself from a tangle of New England pass rushers, scrambled to his right then lobbed a 32-yard pass that David Tyree turned into a miracle.
I know what that play did for Tyree. What I want to know is what it does for Eli Manning.
Once upon a time there was a feeling the Giants may have missed on the guy; that they overpaid to acquire him and that he never, ever, ever was going to live up to the quarterback they imagined.
| Out of Nowhere Man |
 Cornerback Kevin Dockery is not exactly an unknown, but you might have trouble finding a handful of people in, say, downtown Dubuque who would recognize him. The team's nickel corner and a valuable special-teams contributor, Dockery is part of a secondary that suddenly looks so deep, veteran Sam Madison should be nervous. A former starter, Madison could have trouble making the 53-man roster. Dockery won't. In fact, look for him everywhere this fall. |
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Then, all of sudden, he frees himself from Richard Seymour and Jarvis Green, heaves the ball downfield and -- presto, just like that -- becomes a Super Bowl winner ... a Super Bowl MVP ... a franchise quarterback.
"That one play turned Eli Manning's career around," said Washington assistant Joe Bugel. "I really believe that because he had the will to win that sucker.
"To do what he did (Bugel shakes his head) ... that kid is going to end up being a great player. When Manning made that play, and (Tyree) made that catch I said, 'Oh, geez, these guys are going to be good for a long time -- especially at that position.' "
The Giants concur, and so should you. Yeah, I know Manning threw a league-high 20 interceptions last season, but that was before his unforgettable playoff run.
In his last five games -- one a regular-season loss to New England, the rest playoff victories -- Manning threw 10 touchdowns and two interceptions and completed 62 percent of his passes.
As one assistant said, maybe one game doesn't change a quarterback; but one month could. And no one -- not even Tom Brady -- had a month as steady and as productive as Eli Manning.
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Sleeper ... Pablo Sandoval: The slugging Sandoval played games at first base, catcher and third base last season, but he only qualifies at first base on CBSSports.com because he didn't reach 20 games at any one spot and first was the position he played the most. That sounds like bad news for Fantasy owners, but it is really only bad news on Draft Day and until he gains eligibility at another position. Sandoval, who enters spring training as the penciled-in starter at third base, can catch the standard five games and gain third base eligibility in a hurry. While his rookie power numbers won't play all that well at first right away, they will be great if he can qualify at catcher in addition to third and first. This is someone to watch very closely this March. Bust ... Brian Wilson: A bust in his prime? Yeah, we can't like everyone who is 27, right? Wilson is popular in Fantasy leagues because he saved 41 games last year for a team that wasn't a contender. That is why he is popular, 40-save guys don't grow on trees. Well, those saves came with a 4.65 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Those are not closer numbers and scare this writer off. It happens every year, someone overpays for saves and that closer loses his job. We are not saying Wilson can't improve his ERA and WHIP, but the mere fact the added pressure of contending could lead to him losing his closer's job. Breakout ... Matt Cain: Last season was supposed to be a breakthrough year for the 16-game loser from 2007. Oops. Granted, that losing record came with a solid 3.76 ERA and 186 strikeouts, but there were some who thought it would be Cain (read: this writer) who would have the season that Lincecum had. Perhaps this is the year, although how could it possibly be Lincecum-good? The Giants should improve offensively, if only because they can't be any worse, so the full-go arm of Cain can rise up to win 15 games with a mid-3.00 ERA and 200 strikeouts. Those are numbers of a top 20 option. On a good team, he has 20-win stuff. -- Eric Mack Top Prospects ('09 destination) 1. Madison Bumgarner, LHP, Double-A 2. Timothy Alderson, RHP, Double-A 3. Buster Posey, C, Double-A 4. Angel Villalona, 1B, High Class A 5. Conor Gillaspie, 3B, High Class A |
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Now add the Tyree play, and you have Eli Manning as the Giants saw him in April, 2004.
"Can one play change a career?" said defensive end Justin Tuck. "Absolutely. I'm not saying necessarily Eli, but there was definitely a resurgence."
I guess that's what I'm talking about. After Manning last season slumped to a .547 completion percentage, threw too many interceptions and struggled at home, he seems revitalized. At this summer's training camp he looks like a sharper, more accurate passer, nailing nearly all of his throws despite an absence of healthy wide receivers.
At Saturday's workout, Manning was without Plaxico Burress, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Amani Toomer and, yes, Tyree -- all of them injured -- yet he rarely missed. I don't remember that happening in summers past, and neither do reporters who cover this team.
Now, I don't care if you believe The Play transformed Manning, but he sure seems like a different, more comfortable and more confident quarterback now ... and that can be nothing but good for the Giants.
"I don't think (one play changes you)," Manning said. "I think maybe it helps to quiet some things down. But I've always had great confidence in myself, and after a bad game I can shrug it off.
"The fact is: There still will be some bad games that occur. That's part of football. You're going to go through that. But I know I can bounce back from it. And I think the fans know I can bounce back from it, and it's not going to affect me in games that go on after that.
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| Ask an NFL player or coach |
 Justin Tuck, DE: Honestly, we haven't stressed it that much. I think it's understood that we didn't play well at home last year, so we definitely want to come out this year and play better. We haven't sat down and stressed it, but it is a focal point for us. We do want to play better in front of our hometown fans. How do we do that? I really don't know. Just go out there and play our style of football. I think we get lax at home sometimes and take it for granted. Meanwhile, when we go on the road, we're more like a dog backed in a corner. I think we need to be like that at home, too.
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"I've got to become a better quarterback. I feel like every practice, every year, I've become more comfortable. And I think this year I will be better than I was last year."
Manning conceded he watched The Play so many times in the offseason he lost count. Replays. TV highlights. Videotape. It didn't matter. It always wound up ending the same, with Manning escaping the Patriots' pressure and finding Tyree.
Nevertheless, he admitted that at one point during his mad scramble he considered -- if only for a split-second -- a desperation shovel pass.
"I saw a body in front of me," he said, "and thought it might be Brandon Jacobs or somebody. Sometimes you start to throw before you realize who someone is, and I saw it was Chris Snee. That wouldn't have been a good idea."
What would be a good idea is not to undersell Eli Manning again. In three years of starting he's taken the Giants to the playoffs three times. He won a Super Bowl. Now he and his teammates know what he -- and they -- are capable of accomplishing, much as San Francisco understood after Joe Montana uncorked a desperation pass to Dwight Clark in the 1981 NFC Championship Game.
That play launched the 49ers and their quarterback. Another could make Manning and the Giants must-watch TV for the foreseeable future. You decide. Manning already has.
"I don't think one play becomes the turning point," Manning said. "Winning a championship and being in a situation where you have a little over two minutes left in the game and winning on a two-minute drive can change your confidence or give you that sense that, hey, if we get in that position again we can win games; no matter what happens, what is thrown at us, we always have a chance to win a game."
But that's precisely the point.
