The reign of Eli Manning in New York might come to a close this week as first round draft pick Daniel Jones is set to start his first NFL game in week 3 of the football season.
Ironically all the Jones comparisons are with Eli’s brother, Peyton Manning, with his football IQ, incredibly accurate passing and on-the-fly play calling. We got a glimpse of what he can do in the preseason when he played four games (starting one), amazing 416 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions, a ridiculous 85% completion percentage and a 137.3 passer rating (which is not as impressive yet, given the size sample).
For those of us who got a chance to watch him play, it was obvious that it could be sooner than later for this Duke University prospect.
For his part, Manning took the demotion well, per Giants coach Pat Shurmur, “Eli and I spoke this morning. I told him that we are making a change and going with Daniel as the starter,” said Shurmur. “I also talked to Daniel. Eli was obviously disappointed, as you would expect, but he said he would be what he has always been a good teammate, and continue to prepare to help this team win games.”
Shurmur went on to explain that the decision was not about a problem with two-time Super Bowl MVP Manning, but it was about developing Jones and the future of the the team, and stressed Manning’s professionalism, work ethic, and his football IQ. “All those attributes are as good as I have ever seen in a player,” he stated.
The Giants started the season 0-2, with Manning getting 250 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions against the Buffalo Bills. His first game against the Dallas Cowboys he totaled 306 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in a lopsided loss 35-17. Jones played garbage minutes and went 3/4 with 17 yards.
You can catch Jones’ first NFL start when the Giants play the newly ranked top ten defense of the Tampa Bay Bucs this Sunday, September 22 at 4:05 p.m. EST.
