Spread Love, It's the New York Giants Way

Some quarterbacks take their teammates out to dinner; others shout out their guys in the media; but the good quarterbacks, the ones who everyone looks to for leadership, spread the love where it counts the most, on the field.

Sunday afternoon, Eli Manning showed the football world that the Giants have more than enough firepower without Plaxico Burress.

Manning completed 20 of 29 passes for 256 yards and one touchdown; but the more impressive stat was the number of receivers he found. He hit seven different targets, including Steve Smith, who caught six passes for 80 yards.

Smith picked up where he left off last year, proving he is a reliable target no matter where he is on the field. With a combination of clutch catches and highlight reel moments, Smith emerged as Eli’s favorite target of the day, and possibly could be from here on out.

As impressive as Smith was, incredibly enough, he was outdone by teammate Mario Manningham.

The former Michigan problem child was a flat out stud against the Redskins secondary. Although he only caught three passes for 58 yards, Manningham had what was the play of the game when he took a short pass from Manning and turned it into a 30 yard touchdown. Some players have big play potential in them, and in that short glimpse, Manningham proved he is one of those guys.

The one and only possible drawback of the day, was the injury to rookie Hakeem Nicks.

Nicks, who had two catches of his own, seemed to seriously hurt his ankle on a pass play in the second half. Currently, it is being called a severe left foot sprain.  

While the cast of characters has changed around Manning, the production has not. With no Toomer, Burress, or Ward, the Giants executed better than most expected. New York racked up 351 total yards of offense behind Manning’s crisp passes and excellent coverage reads.

Because the offense was clicking on all cylinders, it got to the point where fans didn’t know if Jeff Feagles would even make it onto the field Sunday afternoon.

The best quarterbacks are the ones who can incorporate everyone on the field. Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees all complete passes to almost every eligible receiver on their roster. If the departure of Plaxico has simultaneously opened up the playbook as well as Manning's eyes, the Burress blunder could very well be a blessing in disguise.

Well, not for him.