Giants news: Giants players stick behind Eli Manning

Good morning, New York Giants fans! Here are some headlines for your Thursday morning.

Player voice support for Eli Manning

After the Giants' stunning 27-26 loss at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, players from Big Blue talked to the media extensively for the first time on Wednesday. While quarterback Eli Manning has taken a lot of heat for poor decision-making and not being aware how many timeouts Dallas had in the waning moments of the contest, star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was one of many players to give his quarterback a vote of confidence.

"Through thick and thin, we’re going to be behind Eli," Beckham Jr. said. "He’s going to lead us, and we’re all going to follow. You know it’s just unfortunate the way the game ended, but it is what it is. There’s nothing we can do to change it now. Nor can you put the blame on one person in an 11-man game."

Beckham also pointed out that Manning, as the quarterback, will always be the first to be pointed at, in both good or bad situations. Some of the reactions stemmed from comments that running back Rashad Jennings had made, when he said that Manning told him not to score on the final drive that would have given the Giants a two-possession lead. However, the locker room knows it was a mistake on Jennings' part, as he apologized for it, and the team has moved on to preparation for Julio Jones and the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, according to offensive guard Geoff Schwartz.

"We have full faith and trust in (Manning)," Schwartz said. "I don’t think we thought anything more than what it was. I don’t think Rashad kind of meant to say what he did. It came out, obviously, he said it, but I think he erred. It happens. I know he talked to coach (Coughlin), and he probably talked to Eli about it. We know that Rashad is not the type of guy to throw guys under the bus. I’m sure that it won’t happen again, it was just a mistake of his. He owned it, too. It’s the same thing as Eli. That’s kind of the end of that."

Justin Pugh also fired back at critics of Manning:

"Yeah. I mean, that's my quarterback. He put it on his back because he wants to get it off everyone else. I feel bad that he's taken the heat for it. He's our leader, and he made so many good plays to put us in that position in the game in the first place. So to see a picture like that, that's disrespectful. Everyone in this locker room has got his back."

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