His voice, usually a flat monotone, contained a bit more resonance, his words delivered slightly more forcefully.
Almost as if Eli Manning was attempting to put the “first-year starter” label away for good as he looked ahead at what he hopes he’ll become for the Giants.
“I didn’t play as well as I know I can,” Manning said yesterday, assessing his season. “I’m going to get better, I know I am. I’m going to work hard and do everything I can do to become a guy who can be a leader of a team, when things aren’t going well take over and get things going. That’s where I want to be next year.”
It’s where the Giants need him to be next year if they are to take the next step, from playoff entrant to serious contender, something they did not look to be in their 23-0 playoff loss to the Panthers.
Their 11-5 record and NFC East title were impressive achievements for a team that finished 6-10 in 2004, succeeding when expectations were initially quite low.
“Raise your hands in here all of you who thought we’d win 11,” Tom Coughlin asked to the media contingent at Giants Stadium during this season’s final press conference. “Guess what, I don’t see anybody’s hand in the air in here. Isn’t that amazing.”
There will be no sneaking up on anyone in 2006, not with the core of the team under contract for next season, including all 11 offensive starters.
There are needs to fill, certainly in the secondary and at linebacker, perhaps some speed at the receiver position.
More than anything, the Giants need Manning to further his development and evolve into the star quarterback they traded up for him to be.
“The first season as a starting quarterback and we won 11 games and that’s pretty good, you have to remember that,” Manning said, accentuating the positive. “We had a good season, we won the division, we did some good things with a young quarterback and that’s something to be proud of. We ended on a bad note but we definitely improved from the year before.”
A year ago, Coughlin said Manning’s presence provided “hope.” Yesterday, Coughlin said “That hope is even greater.”
Manning said he’ll take about one month off from throwing and to clear his mind, but he promises to review the tape of every one of the 557 passes he attempted in the regular season, plus the 18 he labored through in the playoff carnage.
He insists the Giants need to do a better job of throwing the ball downfield and must translate all the work he does preparing for the games into more tangible physical results.
“I don’t know if it’s hit fully yet,” Manning said of the sudden end to the season.
“When you have a feeling you’re going to win a game there’s a reason for it and it usually happens. I had a good feeling about [the playoff game] and it didn’t happen, so it’s a shock.”