Eli Manning has been retired for nearly three years, but the two-time Super Bowl champion still keeps close tabs on former teammate and current New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones.
In a particularly candid Q&A with Dan Duggan of The Athletic, Manning opened up about his current relationship with Jones and his thoughts on the young quarterback’s future. At one point in the interview, Manning revealed some advice he gave Jones after New York’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football in Week 3.
Here’s an excerpt of the Q&A, via The Athletic:
DUGGAN: I know you guys have a good relationship. Can you give an example of advice you feel like he’s taken to heart of he’s come to you looking for advice on?
MANNING: I’ve told Daniel, “I’m here for you.” I see him around the facility some. I pop in there. I try to keep things pretty loose. I always say, “If you need anything — if you need someone to chat with, someone to vent with.” I had that with my brother. I had someone who could talk the game of football and talk about circumstances and different things.
I try to be there for him if he needs anything, but I did reach out after the Cowboys game and just talked to him a little bit about that: “Don’t change things, because you were in a lot of bad situations during that game and you didn’t make a bad decision.” That’s the hardest part, I think, about playing quarterback. So I said, “Just keep making good decisions because you’re keeping yourself in games, and that’s going to help you win more games.”
Manning specified in the interview that improved “decision-making” is the biggest reason why Jones has made a leap this season. He also admitted that Jones has come to him at times to vent about frustrations, but refused to share any details about that.
“On that part,” Manning told The Athletic, “I feel like I have the doctor-(patient) relationship. You can’t talk about that.”
Outside of Jones’ venting, Manning was pretty open and honest in the interview. He even answered a question about Jones establishing himself as New York’s franchise quarterback beyond the 2022 season.
“I think just keep playing the way he’s playing right now,” Manning said in the Q&A . “Making great decisions, he’s running the ball when he has to, he’s throwing it accurately, he’s just keeping the game tight and making plays when the team needs him. So I think just keep playing the way he’s been playing these first five games, and everything will work out.”
Jones, a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, is currently slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
Daniel Jones Has Drastically Cut Down on Turnovers in 2022
The biggest knock on Daniel Jones since joining the Giants has been his turnovers. But as Eli Manning mentioned, Jones’ decision-making is improving. The turnover stats back up that notion.
Jordan Raanan of ESPN recently pointed out Jones’ shrinking turnover rate:
Might be time to ditch the Daniel Jones is a turnover machine narrative:
Turnovers per game
2019 – 1.8
2020 – 1.5
2021 – 0.9
2022 – 0.6
(Jones has one fumble this year. Only lost 3 last year.)
The Giants’ offense, which currently ranks 23rd in the NFL with 333.2 yards per game, could use more explosive plays. But at least Jones is doing his job when it comes to protecting the football. That is a big reason why the Giants are 4-1 heading into Week 6 at home against the Baltimore Ravens.
Daniel Jones is Tied For NFL Lead in Game-Winning Drives
In addition to making solid decisions, Daniel Jones has been pretty clutch this season. He has led a game-winning drive in three out of five games, which ties him with Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins for the most in the NFL.
The improbable second-half comebacks Jones orchestrated against the Tennessee Titans on the road and against the Green Bay Packers in London have helped him gain legitimacy as a competent starting quarterback this season.
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Eli Manning Reveals Advice He Gave to Daniel Jones This Season