New York Giants starting quarterback Eli Manning is seemingly comfortable heading into the 2019 season without any further guarantees.
That was made clear when the Giants reached for Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with the sixth-overall pick in April’s NFL Draft.
Since then, indications from the Giants are that they believe Jones could be ready to start out of the gate. Given Manning’s struggles over the past several seasons, this situation seems ripe for a quarterback controversy.
Manning is having none of that talk.
“I mean no, I don’t feel like it’s a competition. I feel like I’ve got to do my job and I’ve got to compete every day and try to get better every day,” Manning told NFL Network. “That’s the way it’s been my whole life and that’s just the way I’ve always approached practice every day to improve, to earn my place on the team, to earn the respect of the teammates and do it each year.”
That’s certainly one way to look at it. Glass half full and the like.
Unfortunately, reality tells us otherwise. The Giants are in the initial stages of a rebuild after selecting Jones and trading star receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Said rebuild could be expedited if Manning struggles during camp or the early part of the season. Nothing coming from the Giants’ brass suggests otherwise.
Maybe it is time for Manning to look at this as a competition. If not, he could lose a starting job he’s apparently not vying for.