New York Giants coach Pat Shurmur’s final words before breaking for the summer indicated Big Blue would nurture a quarterback competition between Eli Manning and rookie Daniel Jones when training camp opens.
The remarks surprised many following the Giants insisted all spring that Manning remained primed to begin a second season.
Manning himself is not influenced by Shurmur alluding to a QB competition. At the Manning Passing Academy, Eli told NFL Network’s Rhett Lewis Friday he does not think he is fighting with Jones to keep his job.
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«I mean , I do not feel like it is a competition,» Manning said in an interview which will air on NFL Network’s Total Access Friday night. «I feel like I have to do my job and I have got to compete every day and try to get better each day. That’s how it has been my whole life and that is only the way I have always approached practice every day to enhance, to earn my place on the group, to earn the esteem of the teammates and do it each year.»
Manning does not consider Jones competition and said he has no issue nurturing a rookie QB the Giants hope will become another franchise signal-caller.
«We’ve got new guys and I am trying to build a connection together and get them up to speed and so I’m attempting to do my job in the quarterback space,» Manning said. «I have always been great with young quarterbacks, whomever has been in there, trying to get them up to speed, educating them about defenses or fashions or what our defense plays. So I’m doing the same thing with Daniel and I’m likely to be a good teammate, I am going to do the best I can do and help everybody on the Giants be prosperous.»
Manning’s dismissal of a supposed QB competition similarly echoes Jones’ response to Shurmur’s comments, when the rookie said he had not been told by coaches he would have a opportunity to start.
Whether it’s a full-blown competition, the repetitions each QB gets when training camp opens on July 24 will be carefully monitored. A buzz will begin if Jones gets repetitions with all the 1s early in camp, but Manning doesn’t seem concerned about that possibility.
Manning noticed that he remembers his own»contest» with Kurt Warner back in 2004 — the veteran began the first half of this season before Big Blue turned to Manning to the last seven tilts.
«Definitely drawing on that and that I talk to Daniel and I see so many similarities in the situation and how things are moving and just what he’s trying to perform, his personality,» Manning explained. «He is coming into this group, he’s only trying to learn the playbook, find out the names of everybody, got to make the admiration of his teammates. He’s got so much going on. He’s got the New York media, dealing with themall of a sudden they’re saying matters Day 1. … So only work hard, take your job seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously — if you’re able to do this — enjoy your teammates, listen to your coaches and we are all in this together and we will get through it»
Manning also admitted he’s seen the memes indicating Jones is a facsimile of himself, also noted their personalities are like rookies.
«I see it,» Manning explained. «He is a fantastic kid, he is quiet and he is only hoping to learn, get a fantastic feel for when to allow his personality come out. I was the exact same way. My newcomer I wasn’t going to say — Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan, you got these big characters — I’m going to keep my mouth shut, be on time, work my tail off at the weight room, ask my questions to the trainer after the interview is over and make sure I know what I’m doing before tell Tiki what his route is or I tell Amani Toomer,’Hey, I don’t think you did that right.’ You have to earn the respect. You got to get hit in the mouth a couple of days and wake up… until you do a great deal of speaking.»
Catch Manning’s interview Friday night on NFL Total Access at 7 p.m. ET.