Brandon Marshall talks up Eli Manning’s leadership skills
Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Brandon Marshall attend the Annual Charity Day hosted by Cantor Fitzgerald, BGC and GFI at Cantor Fitzgerald on September 12, 2016 in New York City. Credit: Getty Images for Cantor Fitzgera / Jamie McCarthy
Brandon Marshall has been one of the NFL’s most productive receivers over the past 11 seasons, and he’s done it with quarterbacks who run the gamut from decent to disastrous. Jay Cutler, Kyle Orton, Chad Henne, Matt Moore and Ryan Fitzpatrick are among the more impressive names on the list of those who have thrown passes his way.
Enter into Marshall’s life one Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl winner and new Giants teammate.
Is Manning probably the best quarterback Marshall has ever had a chance to play with?
“Not probably,” Marshall said when asked that question for a Giants.com interview. “He is.”
After several years of close bonding with Fitzpatrick and the Jets — “[He] is probably one of my favorite quarterbacks that I’ve played with,” he said — Marshall sees a lot of similarities between his former Jets quarterback and new Giants one.
“I don’t think people realize how hard Eli works in the film room and in the classroom, and how he’s an amazing leader,” Marshall said. “Obviously, we know about his physical ability. What’s not reported is how hard he works off the field. With Ryan Fitzpatrick, I’m used to that type of approach, where they’re leaders and they also push you in the classroom. So being able to play with a guy who’s a two-time Super Bowl champion and has done some amazing things in this league for a long time, he’s a warrior, and I’m looking forward to following him.”
That process has already begun.
Marshall said Manning was one of the first Giants players to reach out to him when news began to spread on Wednesday morning of his two-year contract agreement with the Giants.
“Eli is already on me about getting together at the beginning of April with the other guys,” Marshall said of workouts planned by the players before they report for the start of the offseason program on April 18. “We’re already planning on a schedule to get to work.”
Marshall said he is only starting to learn about Manning’s dedication.
“That’s something I found out the last couple of days in getting to know the building, getting to know him and the people [here],” he said. “He’s one of the best when it comes to preparation and understanding the game plan, understanding what the opposing team is going to throw at us, and that’s the thing I’m most excited about. When you win games obviously there is a physical part to it, but the teams that really separates themselves are the teams that win before they even play the game. I can’t wait to just follow him and get to learn from him and get this job done.”
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
