Bears Blitz

QUOTE: “There are two sorts of happiness: the happiness of the virtuous and the happiness of the vain…Happiness based on vanity is destroyed by it: fame by slander, wealth by fraud. But happiness based on virtue cannot be destroyed by anything.” — Leo Tolstoy

WHY THE GIANTS MADE THE DEAL

When you look over the landscape of the NFL to decide what teams are going to make it to the playoffs—and what teams might struggle—the common denominator is stability at quarterback. If the Bills had stability (and they may still get it with Trent Edwards), they would be strong contenders to make the playoffs.

But they don’t, so they have questions. The Giants signed Eli Manning because he gives them stability at quarterback; he allows them to build around a player they know, both his strong and weak points.

AP Eli Manning

One of Frank Sinatra’s most beloved songs is “New York New York.” A classic line is “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere,” and Eli has made it there. He has been able to withstand the media onslaught and handle the positive and negative attention, and his overall demeanor fits the town well.

Eli does not overreact or under-react; he is steady, calm and unwavering. He does not have rabbit ears, because if he did, he would go nuts. In fact, Eli embraces the town and the fans. Instead of running as far away as he can from them, he settles down in lovely Hoboken, N.J. (hometown of Sinatra – do you see the connection?), in the heart of the Giants’ fans base without any possible escape. He doesn’t run from the fame, he takes pleasure in it—which is critical in New York.

Does this personality justify the heavy coin? In part, it’s an essential component. If his character was not this way, he might not be able to handle the highs and lows that come with sports, not just New York sports, but all sports.

What I’d be excited about with this deal if I were a Giant fan is that there’s plenty of room in Eli’s game for improvement. The Giants’ wide receivers can help him improve; they can catch the ball with more consistency, they can run after the catch with more explosiveness and they can make plays in the clutch.

With or without Plaxico Burress, the G-Men have these problems at wide receiver. They drop too many balls, and what is most alarming for a size/speed team at wideout is that they’re in the bottom third in the NFL in yards after catch. The reason you have size at wideout is to gain yards after the catch (Bill Walsh never wanted small wide receivers), which is essential to any passing game. The Giants’ wideouts had better come back from Albany with better run skills.

Another area of improvement for Eli is being able to handle the stadium and play better at home than he does on the road. Right now, he’s a better quarterback when he leaves the Meadowlands. Let’s look at the numbers:

                          Home         Road

W-L                    21-15          21-14

Comp Pct:           54.3           57.5

Passing Yds:      195.9          204.6

TD-INT:               51-38         47-36

Passer Rating:    73.8           78.5

It’s not often that a quarterback’s rating increases when he plays on the road, but once again, this fits Eli’s personality. He’s not overwhelmed by the crowds, he likes the competitive nature on the road and he loves the challenge.

SHOULD THE GIANTS HAVE MADE THE DEAL?

What was their alternative? Eli won a Super Bowl, and he’s young and talented—and although far from perfect, he was their only alternative. You can dwell on his lack of accuracy with the football or his inability to deal with the wind at the Meadowlands, but they’re reasons to lower the deal, not reasons to look for a new player.

All players have strengths and weakness—identifying those areas is half the battle. Once you know what a player can and can’t do, you can attack the problems accordingly.

You can make a case that Eli doesn’t deserve to be the highest-paid player in the NFL, and you might win that argument, but you cannot win the argument that the Giants can find a better player for their team now. They need to make Eli better, but they won’t find a better player.

WHAT IS PHILIP RIVERS THINKING?

AP Philip Rivers

Leaving personalities out of this discussion, Rivers has better numbers, better home and road records and has not lost a game in December as a starter (14-0). Eli, on the other hand is 10-13 in December. Rivers is sitting in the catbird seat, with one big exception: He doesn’t have a Super Bowl trophy.

So will the Chargers pay as if they’re expecting to get one soon, or will they hold a firm line and bring in Rivers slightly under Manning?

My guess, based on the current market of quarterbacks and the rarity of teams having a good one, is that this deal will be huge and might even surpass the Manning deal. All the numbers support Rivers, but the trophy supports Manning. Trophies win.

WHAT IS JAY CUTLER THINKING?

Much like Rivers, Cutler is sitting in the catbird seat. He has the talent, he plays in a big market and, most important, he has the money due him that the Bears saved when they traded two No. 1 draft picks for his services. That money doesn’t just disappear, and it doesn’t go back into the owners’ pool. It’s destined for the players—and now it will go to Cutler.

Winning games and putting the playoffs on his resume is the next step. He’s in full control of his potential earning power. All he needs to do is focus on the task at hand—which is to win games for his new team.