Eli Manning had another ho hum regular season before transforming into one of the best QBs in the league during the post season.  He helped lead the Giants to an amazing Super Bowl win last season and it will be interesting to see if this jump starts his regular season in 2008.  Manning has a good arm but he oftens throws the ball where he shouldn’t resulting in a lot of interceptions (20 last year).  He also is not the most mobile QB in the league and he sometimes gets rattled in games when he takes punishment from defensive players.  Manning started all 16 games for the Giants last season and he completed 297 of 529 passes (56.1%) for 3,336 yards with 23 TD passes and 20 interceptions (73.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 29 times for 69 yards (2.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  I just have a gut feeling that Manning is going to have his best season in the NFL due to improved confidence.  He has now played in 57 games (55 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 987 of 1,805 passes (54.7%) for 11,385 yards with 77 TD passes and 64 interceptions (73.4 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 89 times for 205 yards (2.3 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

The Giants signed David Carr in the off-season and he will likely be able to beat out Anthony Wright and Jared Lorenzen for the backup job at QB.  Carr got beat up last season in Carolina and that’s because he continues to hold onto the football too long.  He still has a good arm and he is good at running the ball so maybe the Giants can break him of his bad habits.  Carr played in 6 games (4 starts) for the Panthers last season and he completed 73 of 136 passes (53.7%) for 635 yards with 3 TD passes and 5 interceptions (58.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 17 times for 59 yards (3.5 ypc).  Carr’s career to this point has been a huge disappointment and this might very well be his last NFL stop if he doesn’t play well this season.  Carr has now played in 82 games (79 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 1,316 of 2,206 passes (59.7%) for 14,026 yards with 62 TD passes and 70 interceptions (74.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 285 times for 1,294 yards (4.5 ypc) with 8 TD runs.

Anthony Wright will battle David Carr for the #2 job and he has some experience to draw on.  Wright has a strong arm and good mobility but he’s never really improved since he’s been in the NFL as he often appears to throw balls up for grabs when under duress.  Wright played in 3 games (0 starts) last season for the Giants and he completed 1 of 7 passes (14.3%) for 12 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 interceptions (39.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 1 time for a loss of 1 yard.  If Wright plays at all for the Giants this season they are in deep trouble.  Wright has now played in 31 games (19 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 332 of 605 passes (54.9%) for 3,590 yards with 20 TD passes and 25 interceptions (66.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 80 times for 221 yards (2.8 ypc).

Jared Lorenzen’s biggest asset is his size as they like to use him on short yardage situations.  The “Pillsbury Throwboy” has a good enough arm to make most of the throws in the NFL but he lacks the mobility to buy time in the pocket because of his size.  Lorenzen played in 2 games (0 starts) last season for the Giants and he completed 4 of 8 passes (50%) for 28 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 interceptions (58.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 1 time for 2 yards.  Lorenzen will have a hard time making the Giants with David Carr and Andre Woodson added to the roster.  Lorenzen has now played in 4 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 4 of 8 passes (50%) for 28 yards (58.3 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards. (2.0 ypc).

Andre Woodson might wind up on the practice squad this season but he has a nice upside.  He can make all of the throws needed in the NFL and he has good mobility.  He also was a winner at Kentucky despite often having inferior help on offense.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B