New York Giants: Eli Manning will make or break 2017 season

Quarterback Eli Manning will be the determining factor as it pertains to the New York Giants pursuing a Super Bowl championship.

Nothing that occurred during August and the preseason eliminated the high expectations hovering over the 2017 New York Giants. New York’s first-team offense should, theoretically, have the goods to light up scoreboards versus all opponents. The team’s defense could be a modern Big Blue Wrecking Crew that terrorizes offenses. The club’s title hopes that existed on Aug. 1 remain alive and well days before the Giants open the campaign on the road versus division rivals the Dallas Cowboys.

With that said, the Giants are not a perfect unit. Concerns had about the team’s offensive line were not assuaged following four preseason games. An injury plague infected the locker room throughout August, and such physical setbacks could present problems when the Giants take the field on the night of Sept. 10. Truth be told, the Giants may be the league’s ultimate “boom or bust” team of the 2017 season.

Like life, pro football is not fair. In a fair world, New York quarterback Eli Manning would be revered as one of the best players in franchise history and a man who already has a spot in the Hall of Fame guaranteed to him because of his two Super Bowl MVP awards. In such an existence, we’d see the 36-year old as a leader who has probably deserved better from teammates and the Giants over the past five or so seasons.

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That world, of course, does not exist. Manning is routinely mocked by observers, analysts and even New York fans for the miscues and subsequent bewildered faces he makes during games. He’s seen as more of a hindrance to his team’s championship hopes than as a reason for why the Giants succeed and win games. He’s unfairly compared to contemporaries, such as his older brother Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and others.

Make any jokes about Manning that you desire. All had better realize New York’s championship aspirations rest on the broad shoulders of the veteran signal-caller who may, all things considered, need to be better than ever to lead the Giants beyond a playoff berth and a single postseason game during the twilight of his prime.

Manning can’t make left tackle Ereck Flowers any less of a combination of a revolving door and a traffic cone. He cannot evolve into a top-tier running back who could push the New York offense to the tops of categories such as most yards gained per game and points per contest. Manning is limited in what he can offer the Giants at this stage of his career, but he’s about to be asked to do far more than he’s ever done throughout his 14 years in the league.

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For starters, Manning must rely on an internal clock while in the pocket unlike ever before. The Giants aren’t replacing Flowers, and the third-year pro isn’t any less a liability than he was last January. Fans and teammates alike had better get used to Manning turning into Captain Checkdown as a form of self-preservation when facing elite pass rushes.

It’s on Manning to make sure wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall feel they’re getting the targets they deserve on a weekly basis, while at the same time taking advantage of second-year pro Sterling Shepard facing favorable defensive matchups. All the while, Manning will also be tasked with helping rookie tight end Evan Engram develop as a pro and an impact-player who should find the end zone no fewer than six times this season.

Just as important, head coach Ben McAdoo will expect Manning to open things up for the New York rushing attack with his arm, if such a tactic actually can actually work with how the club’s offense is currently built. Oh yeah: It’s entirely possible McAdoo and his staff will want to keep Manning on a pitch count to keep him fresh for December and January games even though he’ll be leading the best passing attack he’s ever had during his tenure with the Giants.

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Those keen on hitting out at Manning for whatever reasons during the final weeks of the summer will happily forget the two-time champion was playing his best football of last season when it mattered most. We can only guess what could’ve been for the Giants had those around him not betrayed him during that playoff contest versus the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Manning will be required to repeat that performance on a weekly basis in order for the Giants to play as well as advertised over the next four months.

History shows the future Hall-of-Famer is up for the challenge.

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