Pump the brakes on Eli Manning’s obituary.
Despite a popular theory that Eli has peaked and is now among the worst quarterbacks in all of football, his New York Giants teammates have borne witness to some true turn back the clocks moments so far this year.
In fact, some of the team’s receivers have come away so impressed with Manning’s sudden revitalization that they are beginning to wonder if he could play another five years.
Manning spent his offseason working with a baseball trainer to increase his arm strength, which has shown with each pass he’s thrown in training camp.
Coupled with some additional weight training, Manning’s arm looks particularly strong, which is something tight end Evan Engram can attest to.
“Eli looks really good. He’s been slinging the ball around a lot, and there’s a lot of velocity, and he still has his touch. He’s Eli, he’s been making great throws for years, but definitely you can see his confidence, and you can see his confidence really growing this camp,” Engram said.
Despite a hiccup on Wednesday, Manning has been nearly flawless over the first two weeks of camp, dominating in both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 situations, including during blitz periods and two-minute drills.
Without the overbearing presence of Odell Beckham Jr., Manning has been able to more freely spread the ball around, developing chemistry and a rapport with every receiver on the team. Coupled with the arm strength, it has begun to create a more positive and optimistic atmosphere.
Of course, dominating in training camp and playing well come the regular season are two different things. And as impressive as Manning has looked thus far, he must carry that into the season or run the risk of being replaced by rookie Daniel Jones.
