Giants co-owner unmoved by Eli Manning criticism

With the New York Giants off to an 0-2 start, Eli Manning has come under a lot of criticism for his poor play, with some even feeling that his insistence on returning forced the team’s hand and moved them away from drafting his heir apparent.

Giants co-owner John Mara isn’t having any of the criticism, and while he’s hoping for improvement, he’s also not pinning the blame on Manning at this point.

“So what else is new?” Mara said Friday of the criticism directed at Manning, via Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “Listen: we’re 0-2 for a reason. There’s nothing I can say to defend that. Obviously we’re hoping to be a little better. We’ll see. It’s a long season.”

The Giants told Manning he’d be their starter even before the draft, and he was grateful for the faith. It’s fair to say he hasn’t repaid it so far. After struggling in 2017, he’s thrown one touchdown pass in two games to start 2018, and while he’s not totally to blame, he doesn’t look like he’s going to be significantly better going forward.