Don't be shocked when Manning rolls the dice

A lot of people are killing Eli Manning today for that left-handed shotput towards Kevin Boss in the first quarter which turned into the second interception and killed a scoring opportunity. Yes, it was not a smart play at the time. Hold onto the ball and settle for three points if you have to.

But my question for all of those who are lambasting Manning is this: Are you surprised?

When you think about it, Manning has a history of trying to make plays like that. This wasn;t the first time he attempted a left-handed pass (although it might be the first time he did in so close to teh goal line and into triple coverage). He's been known to make some pretty wild decisions on the field.

Take, for example, his shining moment as a pro -- the Great Escape in Super Bowl XLII. I;ve heard Manning say in interviews that while he was being spun around and pulled at by the Patriots' defense on that play, at one point he considered flipping the ball to an open man. That open man was Chris Snee. He didn't, but he almost did something worse. He threw the ball blindly down the middle of the field. Any quarterbacks coach will tell you that is the LAST thing you want to do. But somehow David Tyree was there to make the catch, the Giants scored a few plays later, and the rest is history.

So no, Manning should not have tried to push the ball to Boss yesterday. It was a bad decision. But Manning has a history of turning bad decisions into memorable plays. I'd expect him to continue taking risks like that. Because you never know when it is going to pay off.

"Just saw Kevin Boss open and was trying to get him the ball," Manning said after the game. "That is one of those things where everything is telling you to try to get him the ball, but you just have to know you can’t afford to have a turnover there and especially can’t afford to float it in that situation. Sometimes you have to know when to stop competing a little bit, just say ‘They got us,’ and either throw it with your right hand or don’t throw it and take the sack and get the field goal."

Had he said that a few years ago, the Giants might not have won a Super Bowl.