Manningham said Giants would air it out

Mario Manningham predicted this.

Back in September, when the Giants were just finding their footing, he told reporters he thought the receiver combination of him, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz would be even more dangerous than the one the previous year that included Manningham, Nicks and Steve Smith.

The quote was met generally with eye rolls or laughter. Steve Smith was a Pro Bowl receiver for the Giants. How could they be better without him?

Fast-forward about three months and no one is laughing at that idea any longer. The Giants aren't just better than they were last year, but they also are the most dangerous vertical passing team in the league.

"I'm going to say we're one of the best, if not the best," Manningham said Wednesday.

The Giants lead the NFL with 15 passing plays of 40 or more yards -- already more than twice the number they had last year -- and are tied for fourth with 56 pass plays of 20 yards or more. Only they and the Patriots have two players in the top 10 in receiving yardage. Only the Cardinals' Larry Fitzgerald has more receptions of 40 yards or more than Cruz's six.

Does that make them the best?

"According to those statistics, it's tough to argue [against it]," Cruz said. "We understand we have to make plays, and stretching the field keeps the defense honest and keeps them off their toes. It's good to have guys who can stretch the field vertically."

The Giants have been trying to get that part of their game going for several seasons now, but it never clicked.

"The receivers they had here, I'm not saying that they're slow, but that hasn't been the style of play," Manningham said.

That goes back way before this group was a part of the Giants. In the franchise's 87 seasons, Cruz and Nicks are the first duo to have concurrent 1,000-yard seasons. Manningham, had he played more than 10 of the 13 games, would likely have been a third. Only five teams in NFL history have had three 1,000-yard receivers in a season.

Tom Coughlin said he was unaware of this first in Giants lore.

"Given where we are and how we played and the way in which we attained our production offensively, I'm glad for the distribution, I'm glad for the balance," Coughlin said. "I think as you look at the number of catches, that kind of adds up for us."

Added Nicks: "With the playmaking ability that we have on the outside, Eli [Manning] does a good job of distributing the ball around."

It's easy to see how much better and more dangerous the Giants' receivers are now. But what made Manningham think that in September, after only three games, when Cruz had been a virtual non-factor in two of them?

"Basically, Cruz could do more than Steve did in the slot," Manningham said when reminded of his remarks. "[He can] run after the catch. He can make people miss. All three of us can go deep, so you can't just be like 'These two guys' or 'This guy is the only one who goes deep.'

"Everybody can go deep."