Eli Manning ‘absolutely’ will play in preseason game vs. Bills, Ben McAdoo says
Eli Manning, reacting after a two-minute drill during training camp on Monday, Aug. 15, 2016, said he would like to get hit in game action. Credit: Brad Penner
Ben McAdoo said Eli Manning “absolutely” will play on Saturday against the Bills in the Giants’ second preseason game.
Manning did not play in the opener against Miami and there had been speculation the Giants might hold him out against Buffalo as well. The 13-year veteran quarterback said on NFL Network on Tuesday that he wanted to play and take a few hits from opposing players before the regular season starts. McAdoo apparently agrees on that philosophy.
“Anticipation and instincts, it’s a big part of the game,” McAdoo said on Wednesday. “It’s hard to train it in practice. You do the best you can by creating situations, but there’s nothing like the games to get those reps.”
It’s unlikely Manning will play more than a series of two before handing the position over to Ryan Nassib.
The Giants did some preparations for the Bills in practice on Wednesday, including running scout teams on both offense and defense. McAdoo said it was aimed more at teaching the players how he wants them to prepare for opponents rather than the actual opponent this week.
“It’s a dress rehearsal for the dress rehearsal, so to speak,” he said, noting that the Jets game in Week 3 of the preseason will be the real dry run. “We’re still in training camp mode, still competing, and we still have to get our work done. There’s still jobs to be earned, but we’re out there just going through the process right now.”
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.
