New York Giants: Where’s the Eli Manning deep pass?

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning needs to start testing defenses with deep passes if Big Blue is going to right the ship before Halloween.

Everybody knew what living legend and future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning — and brother of New York Giants starter Eli Manning — was and wasn’t during his final season with the Denver Broncos. His football IQ was as good as ever, but the arm was barely of shell of what it was during his prime.

By that time, Manning connecting on 20-yard passes became highlight-reel moments that generated memories of the days of old when he was “The Sheriff” winning games with the Indianapolis Colts.

By all accounts, Eli Manning hasn’t regressed that much as of October 2018. Sure, the zip isn’t on the fastball like it was in 2008, but the 37-year-old doesn’t have a dead arm. You wouldn’t have known that during Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, as Manning devolved into Captain Checkdown for the majority of a contest in which New York’s offense was bland and unimaginative for all but two drives.

As Steve Politi of NJ.com wrote, New York’s “small ball” approach sunk the offense against the Saints:

"Through three and a half quarters — in other words, before garbage time, after the Saints pushed the lead to 16 — Manning had completed 23 of 29 passes. That isn’t bad. But those 23 completions went for just 153 yards. That’s an anemic 5.3 yards per pass play. The Saints were allowing 10.2 yards coming into the game — dead last in the league."

Let’s get this out of the way right now: If Manning is physically incapable of stretching the field, the organization (specifically ownership in this instance) needs to admit it made a mistake in going all-in on the two-time Super Bowl MVP and find someone who can run the offense as intended. Making a trade with the New Orleans Saints for Teddy Bridgewater wouldn’t be a drastic overreaction in that instance.

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Assuming that’s not the case, head coach Pat Shurmur and his staff need to address the elephant in the room and inject some much-needed life into the passing attack. It’s not as if the Saints reinvented the wheel in an attempt to remove superstar Odell Beckham Jr. from the game. New Orleans played zone, the type of zone literally every coach, player and fan who has been involved with the sport for longer than a day has seen time and time again.

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Manning missing Beckham once a game is forgivable and understandable. No QB has a perfect rating every Sunday. Tom Brady misses passes. So does Aaron Rodgers. Outside of one incomplete pass, Manning never gave Beckham a real chance to hit the Saints with a home-run journey we know he’s capable of making.

People can bemoan play-calling all they want. Manning is the CEO of the offense who is able to call whatever he wants at the line. It’s on him to feed his best weapons.

The offensive line was far from great, but it also wasn’t the dumpster fire it was during the loss to the Dallas Cowboys. There were plays to be made against the Saints. Manning didn’t make them. Now that the season is 25 percent over, one can say that’s an alarming trend in what was supposed to be a new-look New York offense.

Maybe the issue is Manning has happy feet and too quick an internal clock because of concerns about the play of those tasked with protecting him. To be blunt, he has to get over it. This offense, one that features rookie running back Saquon Barkley and Beckham, is not a developing project. It’s meant to win now.

Of course Beckham is frustrated on the sidelines and when speaking with reporters after losses. He’s used to seeing double-team coverages. He’s been the best receiver on the field every day of his adult life. He’s passionate about winning. Good quarterbacks test secondaries despite schemes. Manning needs to do this every week through December in what is built to be a big-play offense.

Making Manning more efficient was an admirable goal for Shurmur and company, but not at the expense of preventing him from airing it out at all. Every game the Giants utilize a plan similar to the one implemented versus the Saints wastes Beckham and Barkley. It could also lead to things quickly getting out of hand for Shurmur and the Giants.