After the New York Giants defeated the New York Jets last Friday, Jets defensive tackle Richardson said a lot of un-complementary things about the Giants while talking to Steve Serby of the New York Post. Most of them, Giants fans should just shrug off because they are just meaningless chatter.
There is, however, one thing Richardson said that should get the attention of Giants fans -- and the Giants themselves. It has to do with quarterback Eli Manning.
" ... it’s to the point where he don’t trust his offensive lines that much, ’cause he’s watching the rush."
Why should that get your attention? Because if you watch the games, watch the way Manning back foots too many throws or the way he bails out of the pocket before he has to on too many plays you know that Richardson is right.
'Invictus' talked about this in his terrific breakdown of the Giants offensive line earlier this week. 'Invictus' referred to it as a matter of trust in analysis, and Richardson said the same thing. If the Jets saw it, you can bet the rest of the league sees it, too. The example, again from 'Invictus' post, is below.
via cdn1.vox-cdn.com
It's easy to see Manning panic long before he has to on this and turn an opportunity to throw into a disastrous play. This is a residual effect of the career-worst pounding Manning took last season.
The reality is if Manning if uncomfortable in the pocket and starts running around, bad things happen. If he is comfortable in the pocket and can make his throws with confidence great things can happen for the Giants.
That is why the Giants spent money and draft picks in an effort to fix the offensive line during the offseason. It is also why it is critical for that effort to pay off.