Eli Manning praises job Daniel Jones, Brian Daboll have done for Giants
Giants head coach Brian Daboll talks to quarterback Daniel Jones during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on Aug. 15. Credit: Brad Penner
Eli Manning usually doesn’t comment extensively on the current Giants. He made an exception this week, speaking about quarterback Daniel Jones and coach Brian Daboll.
“I think Daniel has made great strides," Manning told Newsday. "He’s protected the football. Things that have hurt him in the past, he’s corrected. It’s been a conscious effort to do that. He’s tough, he runs, he throws it."
Jones has completed 66% of his passes for 2,534 yards with 12 touchdowns and four interceptions this season. He's also the team's second-leading rusher behind Saquon Barkley with 548 yards and five touchdowns. He's averaging 5.8 yards per carry.
Jones has been without receivers Sterling Shepard (torn ACL), Kadarius Toney (traded to Kansas City) and Wan'Dale Robinson (torn ACL). Kenny Golladay dealt with a knee injury earlier this season and has only four catches. Tight end Daniel Bellinger has also missed time with an eye injury.
Darius Slayton has 35 catches for 608 yards and two scores, followed by Richie James with 38 catches for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Barkley has 42 catches, but no receiving touchdowns.
"As an offense, they’ve gotten better," Manning said. "They are somewhat restricted in personnel and some of the injuries they’ve had, but they’ve found a way to stay in games for the most part — obviously the [Eagles game] was the one exception where it got out of hand.
"So I think he’s made improvements, he can make plays. I’ve talked with him and been proud of the way he’s played smart. It’s not easy with the style they’re playing. But he’s keeping them in games. When they were winning games, they were playing their best football in the fourth quarter and the defense was making stops and the offense [was sustaining] drives and they’ve lost that a little bit, but I think that’s the winning formula."
Manning also praised the job Daboll has done in his first season. The Giants remain in the playoff hunt with a 7-5-1 record and are preparing for a huge road game with playoff implications on Sunday night against the Washington Commanders.
"I think [they got it right]," Manning said of the Giants hiring Daboll. "He seems to have a great attitude. He’s come in and changed the chemistry and the atmosphere and the morale around that organization. [They] got off to a fast start. There’s going to be ups and downs and little lulls and this is why you bring in coaches and the best coaches can work through that.
"The NFL’s a long season. It’s never easy. Each win you have to earn. The best teams can get beat. I’m looking forward to how he responds to this and gets the Giants back on track."
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
