New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur’s final words before breaking up for the summer suggested Big Blue would foster a quarterback competition between Eli Manning and newcomer Daniel Jones when training camp opens.
The comments surprised many following the Giants insisted all spring that Manning remained primed to begin another season.
Manning himself is not affected by Shurmur. In the Manning Passing Academy, Eli told NFL Network’s Rhett Lewis Friday that he doesn’t think he’s fighting with Jones to maintain his job.
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«I mean , I don’t feel like it is a contest,» Manning said in an interview which will air on NFL Network’s Total Access Friday night. «I really feel like I’ve got to do my job and I have got to compete every day and attempt to get better each day. That is the way it has been my entire life and that’s just the way I’ve always approached training each day to improve, to make my place on the team, to make the esteem of the teammates and do it annually.»
Manning does not consider Jones contest and said he’s got no issue nurturing a rookie QB that the Giants expect will turn into another franchise signal-caller.
«We’ve got new guys and I’m trying to construct a relationship with them and get them up to speed and so I am trying to perform my job from the quarterback space,» Manning explained. «I have always been great with young quarterbacks, whomever has been in there, trying to get them up to speed, teaching them about guards or styles or what our defense performs. So I’m doing exactly the identical thing with Daniel and I’m likely to be a good teammate, I am going to do the best that I can do and help everybody on the Giants be prosperous.»
Manning’s dismissal of a supposed QB competition similarly echoes Jones’ reaction to Shurmur’s remarks, when the rookie said he’d not been told by coaches he would have a chance to start.
Whether it’s a full-time contest, the reps each QB gets when training camp opens July 24 will be closely tracked. A buzz will begin if Jones gets reps with the 1s early in camp, but Manning doesn’t sound concerned about that possibility.
Manning noted that he remembers his own»contest» with Kurt Warner back in 2004 — the veteran started the first half of this season before Big Blue turned to Manning to the final seven tilts.
«Definitely drawing on that and that I speak to Daniel and I see so many similarities at the situation and how things are going and just what he is trying to perform, his personality,» Manning explained. «He is coming to this team, he is only trying to understand the playbook, learn the names of everyone, got to make the respect of his teammates. He’s got so much happening. He has got the New York media, dealing with themall of a sudden they’re saying things Day 1. … So just work hard, take your job seriously, but do not take yourself too seriously — if you’re able to do this — like your teammates, listen to your coaches and we’re all in this together and we’ll get through it»
Manning also confessed he’s seen the memes suggesting Jones is a facsimile of himself, also noted their personalities are like rookies.
«I see it,» Manning explained. «He is a good kid, he is quiet and he’s just hoping to learn, get a good feel for when to let his personality come out. I was the same way. My rookie year I wasn’t going to say — Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan, you have these big characters — I am just going to keep my mouth shut, be on time, work my tail off in the weight space, ask my questions to the trainer after the interview is over and also make sure I understand what I am doing before inform Tiki exactly what his path is or I inform Amani Toomer,’Hey, I don’t believe you did that right.’ You got to make the respect. You have to have struck in the mouth a few times and wake up… until you do a whole lot of talking.»
Catch Manning’s interview Friday night on NFL Total Access at 7 p.m. ET.
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