A Season Of Change: The Eli Manning Story

"Pitch and catch." 

As No. 17 broke free over the middle and left St. Louis Rams' safety Oshiomogho Atogwe in his wake Eli Manning's pass was already in the air.  Radio announcer Carl Banks summed up the Week Two touchdown catch as simply, "pitch and catch."

Plaxico Burress always made it look so much easier.  His long, nonchalant looking strides made it seem like he was gliding rather than running. 

His 6'5" frame made his leaps look effortless and his ability to make defensive backs like Atogwe stumble over their own feet made Burress one of the league's most feared receivers and not too mention, Eli Manning's best friend.

The New York Giants have a few very noticeable changes as they enter this season, but none more important than the absence of Plaxico Burress.

Former defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is now head man in St. Louis but leaves his successor, Bill Sheridan, with one of the most talented defenses in the league.  While Spags' innovation, intensity, and excitement on the sideline will be missed, his system is now the Giants' system, and Sheridan will play it the same way. 

Running back Derrick Ward found a new contract awaiting him in Tampa Bay and leaves his role in the running game to Ahmad Bradshaw, Danny Ware, and rookie Andre Brown.

While Ward rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and averaged 5.6 yards per carry; the Giants still boast the same dominant offensive line and should be able to find a more than suitable replacement from their stable of backs.

This brings us back to the gaping hole left by Burress.  The Giants offense is based off their power running game.  They averaged 157.4 yards per game on the ground and 5 yards per carry; both numbers led the league.

They also averaged 31.4 rushing attempts per game, seventh in the league and used this run happy offense to set up their "vertical" passing game.  It is widely known that sucking the eighth and possibly even ninth defender into the box is exactly what the Giants want to do and Eli excels in play action passing.

The Giants vertical game though, is almost nonexistent in terms of numbers.  Even with a healthy Burress in 2007, the Giants were 27th in the league in yards per pass and only had 42 passes completed over 20 yards, 25th in the league. 

In 2008, they were 18th in yards per pass and only had 38 passes completed over 20 yards, good enough for 28th in the league. 

What was widely considered one of the strongest parts of his game when entering the league, Eli's long ball in the NFL has been less than stellar at best.  

What this really shows though, is when Burress was on the field teams could not afford to bring the extra man into the box to stop the run. While Eli and company benefit from play actions passes off the run game, the run game almost benefits more from the mere threat of Burress down field. 

This effect, which has been shown even more prominently in players like Terrell Owens and Randy Moss, more commonly known as the "T.O. Effect", is the one thing the Giants will miss the most this season.

The biggest problem the Giants have had with the deep ball has been the timing, in multiple senses.  Outside of Burress and Toomer, Eli's timing with other players down field has never truly fallen into place.  Ironically enough, neither player will be wearing blue this season.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride also has trouble finding the right time to actually call the right play and often wastes down field opportunities on inside draws or play action bombs on first down. 

There is nothing wrong with attempting the play action on first down, but doing so almost every third series after opening the previous two with powers or counters to Jacobs is hardly surprising anyone. 

So what changes should the Giants make to improve the passing game that has lost its two most reliable targets heading into the season? 

First, and most importantly, get to know the talent around you. The Giants' wide receiving corps now boasts only three players with more than four years of experience (Sinorice Moss, Domenik Hixon, and David Tyree).

The other four expected to see passes their way (Mario Manningham, Steve Smith, and rookies Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden) all have three or less years of experience. 

None of these receivers excel at everything the way Burress did, but they all do a lot of things well and even excel in certain areas and it will be Gilbride's job to put these players in position to make plays. 

It is still unknown who will start the season as the "No. 1" receiver for the Giants, but Steve Smith will undoubtedly be Manning's first and foremost go-to-guy. 

Whether working in the slot or getting a chance to move outside, Smith has the route running savvy and ability to make catches all over the field.  He excels at settling inside of zones, finding the open crease, and making himself visible for Eli even on the toughest downs.

The other players who will get a shot to make catches that do not play receiver include tight end Kevin Boss, rookie h-back Travis Beckum, and the stable of running backs. 

Boss makes catches when called upon and often surprises defenders with his athletic ability after the catch.  He is another big target that Eli can find easily.

Beckum is the most interesting.  He will have opportunity to line up in the backfield, on the weakside of the formation, in the slot, and often be moved in motion prior to the snap.  His range and athletic ability could become a key component to this new Giants aerial attack. 

ENTER ELI.

Eli's best throws are often made out of medium yardage (7-15 yards). The deep ball was talked about earlier, but he also struggles at times with his check downs.

Brandon Jacobs, Madison Hedgecock, and other running backs have had trouble handling a few of Eli's wayward dump offs where he often rushes the throw and ends up putting the ball in the ground. 

Jacobs and Hedgecock are far from sure handed and often need the ball put on them to have a shot at catching it, but those are throws Eli has to make. This is where Beckum can become increasingly valuable.

If Eli and Beckum can get on the same page early things could take off for them.  More often than not Beckum will be leaked out the back, or trailing along between the linebackers around 5-10 yards down field. 

If a play breaks down or Eli has nowhere to throw, Beckum should be in just the right place with a better set of hands than any of the running backs.

Gilbride needs to take notice of this early and not live off the "go big or go home" play action ball. The weapons around Eli are better suited for living within the 15-yard range and with more suitable routes tailored to the receivers strengths, Eli will not have to force as many balls as he has in the past. 

With Burress out or doubled up all game (he only caught five or more balls twice last season and those were Weeks One and 2) Eli had his best statistical season to date by completing more passes inside to Smith and Hixon with better accuracy.

This upcoming season's game plan should do just that; allow time for Eli to make more accurate throws to a plethora of receivers running a variety of routes.

The Giants will still run the ball heavy and rely on the power of the offensive line to keep the chains moving. Without Burress this season though, the passing game has to change.

When the Giants see the opportunity for the play action pass they have to capitalize on it and because these receivers will not get respect until they earn respect, they need to establish this early.

Shorter, quicker routes being run by a number of guys should keep teams guessing with all the receiver the Giants have. If developed correctly, eventually Manningham and Hixon will be able to set up outside and stretch the field while Smith and Nicks work inside with Beckum and Boss to find open lanes.

All in all, it will come down to what Eli sees and where his arm goes.  When the time comes to capitalize on eight men in the box, Eli's throws must make them pay and if they do, the Giants offense will quickly become a duel-threat offense with a ton of weapons.

If Eli keeps it simple, makes his reads and stays sharp, the Giants passing game will have a new monster. 

He won't be running down the sideline.  He won't be making people miss.  He won't be jumping over people and he won't be creating problems.  He'll simply be lined up under center every snap slinging balls to his new targets. 

He won't need No. 17 anymore.  He's got 12, 82, 18, 87, and 89.  Now, it is just a matter of time before it's all pitch and catch.