Is This Eli Manning’s Year? Osi Umenyiora: ‘He Has No Choice; It Has to Be’
Filed under: NY Giants, NFL Gossip, NFL Rumors, New York
In an interview with NFL Network, Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora became the latest person to say that it’s time for quarterback Eli Manning to deliver on the promise the Giants thought he had when they acquired him on draft day 2004.
When Rich Eisen asked Umenyiora whether Manning is the leader of the team, Umenyiora initially said “absolutely,” but he hedged a little bit:
“He’s the quarterback. I’m not going to say he’s the leader of the team, but he’s the quarterback. We follow him and as he goes that’s how far we’re going to go.”
Eisen asked how far Manning would go, and Umenyiora said, “I mean, this is his fourth year, and I think this is his year. He has no choice. It has to be his year.”
Umenyiora said Manning is becoming more of a vocal leader. That’s fine, but the reason not everyone in New York is sold on Manning as the quarterback of the future has much more to do with the accuracy of his passes than it does with the inspirational quality of his locker room speeches. If Manning continues to improve as a passer, everyone will say he also improved as a leader — whether that’s true or not.