BigViewBlue.com. The cohesion just wasn’t there, and it was clear that Manning was never comfortable in the pocket.
So was 2013 an anomaly or is Manning legitimately in decline? Let's take a look at the numbers:
| Year | Passing NEP | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 42.89 | 10th |
| 2006 | 2.01 | 15th |
| 2007 | -46.01 | 25th |
| 2008 | 55.56 | 12th |
| 2009 | 96.26 | 9th |
| 2010 | 50.64 | 12th |
| 2011 | 95.65 | 8th |
| 2012 | 72.71 | 11th |
| 2013 | -43.56 | 28th |
Though Manning's seen a decline in Passing NEP over the last three seasons, It should also be noted that Manning’s numbers have been up and down his entire career. He’s never been a top seven quarterback. He’s finished as high as eigth in Passing NEP, and as low as 28th. The year the Giants won the Super Bowl in 2007, he was the league leader in interceptions.
He followed up an impressive second season in 2005 with two mediocre ones in 2006 and 2007. Each time his production dips, he eventually pulls it back up. His career is just funny, man.
He looks incredibly average sometimes, and other times he plays lights out football.
At age 33, it’s fair to wonder how many “good†years Manning has left. Does he have another career revival up his sleeve? The truth is, we honestly just don’t know what he may bring to the table on a weekly basis, as the numbers illustrate.
One thing is for certain - fantasy football owners aren’t betting on Manning in 2014. In fact, they view him as nothing more than a possible backup.
In a standard 12-team league with a 15-round draft, Manning is being selected in the 13th round (on average), which makes him the 20th quarterback off the board (ADP numbers courtesy of FantasyFootballCalculator.com). Funny enough, numberFire's fantasy football rankings also place him 20th among quarterbacks. You can read our full rankings Ben McAdoo, who previously coached some guy named Aaron Rodgers to a Super Bowl victory with the Green Bay Packers.
This style of play will really cater to Manning’s strengths, as he’s always been a master of the two-minute drill and the hurry-up offense late in games.
With all of that said, it still remains a mystery as to which Manning will actually show up in 2014: good Eli or bad Eli? Manning’s Passing NEP suggests he's due for another bounce-back season after two straight down years. The Giants solid off-season additions on offense are certainly encouraging. Still, it will ultimately be up to Eli to prove that he can be a high-level passer at this stage in his career.