Pressure's on Manning, off Pennington - ESPN.com

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Pressure's on Manning, off Pennington

By Sal Paolantonio

ESPN.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- It was a strange scene. Eli Manning, taking the snap, pivoting on his right foot, offered the football to a running back not wearing No. 21 at the New York Giants' first mandatory minicamp. Gone was veteran Tiki Barber, Manning's "security blanket," as veteran receiver Amani Toomer put it.

The next morning, across the Hudson River at New York Jets minicamp in Hempstead, the snapshot was just as odd. With veteran running back Curtis Martin out of the picture, quarterback Chad Pennington handed the ball to the steal of the NFL offseason: former Chicago Bears running back Thomas Jones.

The big difference? Pennington was clearly a bit more secure with the change. "He's a special player, and I think he's going to take a lot of pressure off all of us," said Pennington.

This is a simple tale of two football teams in one town, both trying to replace a legend at a critical position -- at a time when they seem to be moving in opposite directions.

For the Giants, who sneaked into the 2006 playoffs based largely on Barber's last-minute heroics, the task for his replacements -- Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns -- is enormous. Barber's absence has created an unprecedented situation for Manning, who more than any other player on the team will be expected to pick up the slack. The void is huge; in 2006, Barber rushed for 1,662 yards. No team in NFL history has had a player run for 1,600 or more yards and then lost that player the following season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

For the Jets, who gave rookie head coach Eric Mangini an improbable playoff berth last year, the gift of getting Jones is just as historic. Jones led the Bears with 1,210 yards rushing last season -- thus making him the first player to gain 1,000-plus yards rushing for a Super Bowl team and then start the following season on another team.

Last week, while Mangini had his staff blast overmodulated music onto the practice field -- everything from classical Baroque to old-school rap -- Jones was flexing his biceps, which look like two softballs bulging under his skin, and a big smile, which tells a story of liberation and opportunity.

Gone from the shadow of Cedric Benson in Chicago, Jones was given a five-year, $20 million contract by the Jets to be the next big thing in the Big Apple.

"This offense was made for me," said Jones. "It's creative, but it will give me a chance to show what I can do if they want to put the load on me." Translation: Jones fits the Mangini mold to a T.

One of seven children from a family deeply rooted in the coal-mining tradition of southwestern Virginia, Jones has led by example, putting in three-a-day workouts at the Jets facility this offseason.

"His leadership is infectious," said Mangini. "You can see that the younger guys are watching what he does and trying to keep up with him."

With Jones and second-year back Leon Washington of Florida State -- who showed flashes of what the coaches call "missability" last season -- the Jets expect to have a nice change-of-pace look to a running attack that lacked punch in 2006, when the team had a strangely unprepared approach to Martin's looming unavailability. As a result, the Jets averaged 3.5 yards a carry last season, finishing 30th in the league.

The Jets traded for Jones knowing that their fragile quarterback has just finished the first full 16-game season of his career. Mangini's hope is that Jones' presence will help keep Pennington whole for an unprecedented second straight year and duplicate the two-back approach that gave last year's final four playoff teams such success.

The Giants' two-back approach to replacing Barber has a bit of a different feel. The mammoth Jacobs, in his third season, has made it clear he wants to be Barber's heir apparent. But in his first two seasons, Jacobs had just 38 and 96 carries respectively, with only 11 receptions last year for 149 yards.

The latter number was a nice day at the office for Barber, who had 50.9 percent of the Giants' touches from scrimmage in 2006. Barber was one of only five backs in the league to have at least half of his teams' touches last year, and all the others are returning to their teams.

To help Jacobs shoulder the load, the Giants acquired the veteran Droughns, who has proved in Denver and Cleveland that he can be a feature back -- but not as a threat in the passing game. Droughns has never had more than 39 receptions in a season. Barber was under 39 catches just once his 10-year career -- in 1997, his rookie year, when he had 34.

Of course, the impact of all this will be felt most by one player: Manning. Losing his outlet, his comfort pass, his crutch, Manning is entering his fourth season with all eyes on him. In reality, it's not Jacobs and Droughns who will pass or fail this can-we-live-without-Tiki test. It's Manning, and he knows it.

"I know I will have to step up -- we all will on offense, there's no question about that," said Manning, who failed to crack the 60 percent completion mark in his first three seasons. Last year, Manning was sixth in the league in pass attempts but finished 21st in completion percentage (57.7).

Barber notwithstanding, the Giants' fortunes reflect Manning's performance. Look at last season. The Giants started 6-2. They were entrenched in first place. And Manning was hot: a passer rating of 87.5, completion rate hovering at 61 percent. The second half of the season, the Giants flipped, going 2-6. And in the final eight games, Manning's performance plummeted. His passer rating was just 66.5 with a 54 percent completion rate.

This will be the big question facing the Giants: Will Manning wither in the spotlight?

So far, at least, head coach Tom Coughlin says he is pleased by what he's seen this offseason from Manning -- the attendance in the offseason program, the discipline in the meeting rooms. Of course, Coughlin, who was given a one-year reprieve after last year's collapse, has no choice but to tie his future to Manning, who is being schooled daily by quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.

And on the first day of mandatory minicamp, Coughlin issued an ultimatum to his team: He wants a lot less chatter to the outside world -- a not-so-veiled reference to Barber's often critical, always outspoken availability to the New York press, and a philosophy well-suited for the polite, soft-spoken Manning.

Ironically, if the Giants get a decent year of out Manning and his two new running backs, they could be in good shape in the NFC East, where every team has nagging questions at quarterback. The Redskins and Cowboys still don't know what they have in Jason Campbell and Tony Romo. And the Eagles are holding their breath that Donovan McNabb's surgically repaired knee holds up through training camp.

Given those unknowns in his division, Coughlin won't have many excuses if the Giants don't contend for the division title. He's like Joe Torre with the Yankees this season: Get it done now.

Out on Long Island, Mangini's job status feels a lot like Willie Randolph's with the Mets -- less tenuous but with an added twist. Mangini is trying to catch his old boss in New England. With few in disagreement about Bill Belichick's spectacular offseason, the Patriots will be difficult to dethrone in the AFC East.

The Jets defeated the Pats once last year, but it had the same effect as poking a large beast with a stick. New England woke up and got revenge when it counted, with a 37-16 drubbing in the first round of the playoffs. Lest we forget, the Jets could not run the ball in that game. Washington finished with 50 yards on 11 carries. The team's second-leading rusher that day? Wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery: two carries, 19 yards. Mangini learned his lesson.

As for Jones, he doesn't sound like a guy who's focused on facing the Patriots twice a year. Of course, that's Mangini's job. But perhaps Jones knows that it could be worse. He could be on the other side of the Hudson trying to imitate Tiki Barber.

"I love New York," said Jones. "What's not to love?"

Sal Paolantonio covers the NFL for ESPN.

[Maxman]

Tiki had 50% of the touches. To make up for his loss they will rely on Eli to step up. In Tom Coughlin's last season. I mean his contract year.

The Giants are going to be fun to watch this season. For all the wrong reasons!

[shawn306]

Watching the Giants go 4-12 this year is going to be SWEEEEETTTTT !!!!!

[#27TheDominator]

I wonder about the fact that the article basically completely blames the Giants freefall on Eli's passer rating and his completion percentage. Two stats described as completely worthless by most of this board.

[The Troll]

That is a crock.

There is a ton of pressure on both of them. The difference is that there is no threat of Eli losing his job halfway through the season.

[#27TheDominator]

That is a crock.

There is a ton of pressure on both of them. The difference is that there is no threat of Eli losing his job halfway through the season.

There's not? If not that is only due to a lack of planning by management.

[The Troll]

There's not? If not that is only due to a lack of planning by management.

Who is Eli going to lose his job to? Anthony Wright?

You know, the same arguments some people have about Chad (when he is healthy, we make the playoffs!) could also be said about Eli (2 full seasons as starter, 2 playoff appearances).

They are both eratic, crappy QBs. The major difference is that Eli still has room for improvement and he has no one on the roster to push him out of his starting role.

[#27TheDominator]

Who is Eli going to lose his job to? Anthony Wright?

You know, the same arguments some people have about Chad (when he is healthy, we make the playoffs!) could also be said about Eli (2 full seasons as starter, 2 playoff appearances).

They are both eratic, crappy QBs. The major difference is that Eli still has room for improvement and he has no one on the roster to push him out of his starting role.

I didn't say he was going to lose his job, I said it was the fault of management that he couldn't lose his job. No options. Although if he were a Jet, fans would be calling for J-Load. Eli has upside and a real arm, but I think he is way more eratic and crappy than Penny and if I have to watch him duck his head and heave the ball downfield off his back foot one more time I'll spew. He's lucky Plaxico can bail him out by catching those jump balls.

[lawngnome o-line]

I didn't say he was going to lose his job, I said it was the fault of management that he couldn't lose his job. No options. Although if he were a Jet, fans would be calling for J-Load.

I loved watching Jared Lorenzen play at UK. To see a backfield that had Lorenzen and Brandon Jacobs would be entertaining. They would run right over and cornerback that tries to arm tackle them.

[Garb]

They neglected to state that another reason Manning is facing more "pressure" than Noodles is because, in NFL terms, the Giants are King and the Jets play second fiddle. Think Yankees/Red Sox.

[faba]

They neglected to state that another reason Manning is facing more "pressure" than Noodles is because, in NFL terms, the Giants are King and the Jets play second fiddle. Think Yankees/Red Sox.

Says the person from Boston that "knows" the New York sports scene.

[Garb]

Says the person from Boston that "knows" the New York sports scene.

Nah...... but I have a lot of friends who reside in NY and NJ.

[124]

The Giants are hardly the kings of New York anymore.

[Garb]

I 'dunno....whenever I'm visiting NYC during football season, the Giants dominate the airwaves....even when they suck and it looks like Coughlin's hard-nose style is sinking the team for the season.....actually, they dominate MORE when they suck.

So, as a fan of the second fiddle NFL team in NY, do you feel like a clown? An azzclown? A loser? A warrior? A loyal soldier? Mentally challanged? Glum? What?

[Blackout]

They neglected to state that another reason Manning is facing more "pressure" than Noodles is because, in NFL terms, the Giants are King and the Jets play second fiddle. Think Yankees/Red Sox.

lol

[#27TheDominator]

I 'dunno....whenever I'm visiting NYC during football season, the Giants dominate the airwaves....even when they suck and it looks like Coughlin's hard-nose style is sinking the team for the season.....actually, they dominate MORE when they suck.

So, as a fan of the second fiddle NFL team in NY, do you feel like a clown? An azzclown? A loser? A warrior? A loyal soldier? Mentally challanged? Glum? What?

No we don't feel like assclowns. It's not like the Yanks/Red Sox. It's like the Yanks/Mets. Like the Mets, we aren't #1 to the NY publicity machine, but we aren't complete losers either. Besides, it's worse if you like the Nets who get less pub than the Knicks who traded a lottery pick while the Nets are in the Finals.

[SoFlaJets]

Who is Eli going to lose his job to? Anthony Wright?

You know, the same arguments some people have about Chad (when he is healthy, we make the playoffs!) could also be said about Eli (2 full seasons as starter, 2 playoff appearances).

They are both eratic, crappy QBs. The major difference is that Eli still has room for improvement and he has no one on the roster to push him out of his starting role.

somebody deleted my response to this post about fan quality or lack there-of

[joebabyny]

I 'dunno....whenever I'm visiting NYC during football season, the Giants dominate the airwaves....even when they suck and it looks like Coughlin's hard-nose style is sinking the team for the season.....actually, they dominate MORE when they suck.

So, as a fan of the second fiddle NFL team in NY, do you feel like a clown? An azzclown? A loser? A warrior? A loyal soldier? Mentally challanged? Glum? What?

HAHA, this from a boston fan. How does it feel to be in the yankees shadow no matter what the record is? The jets are not stuck behind the giants nearly as much as the sux are behind the yanks.

[Sperm Edwards]

Eli just got a 5-year contract extension exactly 3 months ago. The Giants' brass has decided that if the Giants suck or if they get poor production on offense, that Eli isn't the problem. He is in no danger of losing the starting job even if they win only 4 games.

Cap-wise, Pennington becomes cuttable after this season. Eli does not.

This article is dumb.

[joebabyny]

Eli just got a 5-year contract extension exactly 3 months ago. The Giants' brass has decided that if the Giants suck or if they get poor production on offense, that Eli isn't the problem. He is in no danger of losing the starting job even if they win only 4 games.

Way to light a fire under the @ss of an underperforming #1 draft pick after a few years of mediocrity at best.

Interesting thing, Eli is losing weapons, like Chad but to a far lesser extent of course. I wonder if he can get them 10 wins this year in the weaker nfc.

[AVM]

Last time i checked, crappy, noodle armed quarterbacks arent expected to produce much...whereas first pick of the draft guys named Manning are supposed to single handedly take a team to the Super Bowl in the JV Conference of the NFL.

According to most everyone it seems, Chad is SUPPOSED to lose his job halfway through the season. Chad is SUPPOSED to fail miserably at everything, b/c he is inept and a joke of a pro qb. Chad is SUPPOSED to be a side note in Jets history after this year...

Whereas Eli is supposed to somehow take that garbage team to and through the playoffs.

But yeah, you guys are right...Chad sucks, he's got all the pressure on him to succeed, and he's going to crack like humpty dumpty during the season!(haha, get it! i made a Chad is fragile joke!!!)

[Ghost]

Tiki had 50% of the touches. To make up for his loss they will rely on Eli to step up. In Tom Coughlin's last season. I mean his contract year.

The Giants are going to be fun to watch this season. For all the wrong reasons!

I really think Jacobs could carry the load for them.

[SoFlaJets]

Last time i checked, crappy, noodle armed quarterbacks arent expected to produce much...whereas first pick of the draft guys named Manning are supposed to single handedly take a team to the Super Bowl in the JV Conference of the NFL.

According to most everyone it seems, Chad is SUPPOSED to lose his job halfway through the season. Chad is SUPPOSED to fail miserably at everything, b/c he is inept and a joke of a pro qb. Chad is SUPPOSED to be a side note in Jets history after this year...

Whereas Eli is supposed to somehow take that garbage team to and through the playoffs.

But yeah, you guys are right...Chad sucks, he's got all the pressure on him to succeed, and he's going to crack like humpty dumpty during the season!(haha, get it! i made a Chad is fragile joke!!!)

Chad Pennington has that Tiger Woods thing where he can shut out what just happened and concentrate on what next to do-Manning doesn't.I keep thinking back to the Cleveland loss,where he stunk it up all day and still came back and made a great throw to Baker that could have (SHOULD have) won the game...

[Garb]

Chad Pennington has that Tiger Woods thing where he can shut out what just happened and concentrate on what next to do-Manning doesn't.I keep thinking back to the Cleveland loss,where he stunk it up all day and still came back and made a great throw to Baker that could have (SHOULD have) won the game...

Please do not compare the, arguably, greatest golfer of all time to Chad Pennington. That's just not right.

[Sperm Edwards]

Way to light a fire under the @ss of an underperforming #1 draft pick after a few years of mediocrity at best.

Interesting thing, Eli is losing weapons, like Chad but to a far lesser extent of course. I wonder if he can get them 10 wins this year in the weaker nfc.

They had no choice. Accorsi let Eli have a buy-out clause after 4 years when they drafted him. Meaning if they didn't extend him going into this year, he'd be a UFA after the season.

He's a strange QB. One minute he looks like the #1 pick, and then in the next he looks like he couldn't hit an elephant from 5 feet away.

Only thing is that he is still young, so the upside is there. But the current GM really had little choice. If Eli put a decent season together, they would either have paid 50% more from a bidding war or would have lost him altogether after paying him so much from his rookie season to only get him ready for another team in his prime.

Really it was just a bad situation that Accorsi created. You don't give up so much for one player and then give him the ability to void his contract after 4 seasons when all other top-3 picks get 7-year deals they're locked into.

[SoFlaJets]

I really think Jacobs could carry the load for them.

Brandon Jacobs is going to get friggin CREAMED the way he carries the football so high...it might work out OK carrying it only 4 times a game put it in there 20 and these defenders are going to figure it out

[SoFlaJets]

Please do not compare the, arguably, greatest golfer of all time to Chad Pennington. That's just not right.

I'm comparing a certain (and specific) APPROACH to their game that is similar IMO

[AVM]

I'm comparing a certain (and specific) APPROACH to their game that is similar IMO

I understood what you were saying SoFla, and i agree. However, some people probably think if you compare Chad to Tiger, you must be saying Chad is the greatest of all time, which you did not. If Chad let things get to him, he would have been done before last year. If Eli Manning were in his shoes, coming off 2 rotator cuff surgeries and being told there was no way he'd come back--he wouldn't have come back, plain and simple. He's weak, and he doesn't have the insane talent of his older brother in my opinion, to offset it.

[SoFlaJets]

I understood what you were saying SoFla, and i agree. However, some people probably think if you compare Chad to Tiger, you must be saying Chad is the greatest of all time, which you did not. If Chad let things get to him, he would have been done before last year. If Eli Manning were in his shoes, coming off 2 rotator cuff surgeries and being told there was no way he'd come back--he wouldn't have come back, plain and simple. He's weak, and he doesn't have the insane talent of his older brother in my opinion, to offset it.

Yea thanks AVM....I sometimes forget Tex isn't here but some of his minions still are...it's a very delicate thing to try and say something good about your favorite team around the MB communities

[Sperm Edwards]

Chad Pennington has that Tiger Woods thing where he can shut out what just happened and concentrate on what next to do-Manning doesn't.I keep thinking back to the Cleveland loss,where he stunk it up all day and still came back and made a great throw to Baker that could have (SHOULD have) won the game...

Making comebacks after stinking all day is not something that Pennington is known for. He's more likely to stink all day & let a bad play affect the next series. He has a BIG-time memory when it comes to bad plays. And games are more likely to end up like the Jax & Chicago games & NE in the playoffs. One awful play & the game is over & Jets fans just cry that "oh well I guess the whole team isn't good enough" as a result. The Cleveland game was just dumb luck that the game wasn't already totally out of hand in the 4th quarter b/c of one of Justin Miller's 100 yd KO returns & Graham netting like 70 yds on a late 4th-Q punt after Chad couldn't move us 2 feet on the prior series.

And that pass to Baker would have tied the game, not won the game. Chad put us in quite a hole against an otherwise 3-12 team. For 58 minutes vs an awful Browns team, he didn't look like he even belonged in the NFL.

[Barton]

Making comebacks after stinking all day is not something that Pennington is known for. He's more likely to stink all day & let a bad play affect the next series. He has a BIG-time memory when it comes to bad plays. And games are more likely to end up like the Jax & Chicago games & NE in the playoffs. One awful play & the game is over & Jets fans just cry that "oh well I guess the whole team isn't good enough" as a result. The Cleveland game was just dumb luck that the game wasn't already totally out of hand in the 4th quarter.

And that pass to Baker would have tied the game, not won the game. Chad put us in quite a hole against an otherwise 3-12 team. For over 3 quarters vs an awful Browns team, he didn't look like he even belonged in the NFL.

To just sum this up: Chad gets the deer in the headlights look when he throws an INT early in a game. He goes into a shell and the offense does nothing. Its his M.O.

[jetophile]

He's lucky Plaxico can bail him out by catching those jump balls.

You mean when Plastico isn't quitting. Wait, what am I saying?! I meant .

[raffyD]

I understood what you were saying SoFla, and i agree. However, some people probably think if you compare Chad to Tiger, you must be saying Chad is the greatest of all time, which you did not. If Chad let things get to him, he would have been done before last year. If Eli Manning were in his shoes, coming off 2 rotator cuff surgeries and being told there was no way he'd come back--he wouldn't have come back, plain and simple. He's weak, and he doesn't have the insane talent of his older brother in my opinion, to offset it.

potw nom.

[raffyD]

To just sum this up: Chad gets the deer in the headlights look when he throws an INT early in a game. He goes into a shell and the offense does nothing. Its his M.O.

You just quoted TX.

You have officially gone over to the dark side.

[Barton]

You just quoted TX.

You have officially gone over to the dark side.

Believe it or not, I have been tx all along.

Dumbass.