Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning is expecting big things from the Jets this season and even shed a bit of optimism for the Giants, as well.
In front of a packed theater at Fanatics Fest in Manhattan, Stephen A. Smith sat down with the former Colts and Broncos legend, covering just about everything football fans are looking forward to this season, including the states of the Giants and Jets.
The two New York teams are in very different positions. The Jets are poised to win big this season and the Giants are in the process of a rebuild.
As expected, the Javits Center crowd wanted some insight from a Hall of Fame quarterback into Aaron Rodgers’ upcoming season under center for the Jets. Manning was optimistic.
“I think he’s gonna have a great year, I think he’s motivated,” he said. “He looked healthy out there, it will be a great first test for him against the [San Francisco] 49ers in [Week 1].”
Rodgers famously played a lot of big games with the Packers against San Francisco. Manning noted that he may have some extra will to win in Week 1 due to his everlasting link to the Niners: “He’s always been motivated against the 49ers because they passed on him in the draft.”
Manning believes the Jets putting all their eggs in the Rodgers basket at least one more time is worth the risk because he does things that so few quarterbacks in the history of football have done.
“His arm is just so unique,” Manning said. “It’s unlike any other quarterback. It’s elastic.”
With all kinds of questions surrounding Rodgers after his torn Achilles, Manning shed some light on the mindset of a veteran star quarterback coming off an injury, having gone through the process in 2011.
“I’ve had an injury,” Manning said. “When you miss an entire year there’s a lot you miss about the game. You want to come back and be the player people think you’re going to be. When I signed with Denver I was injured, but Von Miller didn’t want to hear that…I know Aaron feels that way. They signed him to be a great player…I think he’ll answer the bell this year.”
In front of a New York crowd that has seen such little NFL success in the past decade, Manning gave both Giants and Jets fans reasons to be excited for the upcoming season. For the Jets, Manning said, “This Rodgers to [Garrett] Wilson [connection] could be a lethal combination… Wilson is elastic as a route runner, one-on-one I’m not sure bump and run is a good idea for any defense.”
While Smith was incredulous at the notion that the Giants could have a decent season, Manning stood firm on his optimism, citing that the quarterback and coach for Big Blue have been out of sync.
“I like [Brian] Daboll,” Manning said. “He’s been around, he’s a good playcaller. He and [Daniel] Jones need some games together… get a little continuity going. I think that division is still open.”
