Former New York Giants center Shaun O’Hara discusses both Eli Manning and Daniel Jones at Landon Collins’ softball event.
Former New York Giants center Shaun O’Hara was present at the Landon Collins celebrity softball game this past weekend. While there, O’Hara discussed both Eli Manning and rookie Giants quarterback Daniel Jones with the media. The retired NFL player was Manning’s center from 2004-2010 and was selected to three Pro Bowls during that tenure.
All-in-all, O’Hara is confident about both quarterbacks on the roster and believes Manning can still play.
“I chuckle at the reports you hear weekly about how Eli can’t play quarterback and he’s washed up,” O’Hara said, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. “Nothing could be further from the truth. The Giants have lost a lot of games the last few years, but they’re not all Eli’s fault — and none of them are because Eli can’t throw the ball.”
When O’Hara played in New York, the offensive line really helped Manning develop into a pro quarterback early on. O’Hara had guys such as Chris Snee, David Diehl and Rich Seubert on the offensive line with him, which was essentially one of the last great groups for the Giants in that part of the offense.
Manning over the past few years hasn’t had the greatest offensive line. The Giants tied for 22nd in the NFL last season in sacks allowed with 47. This was the most amount of sacks Manning has ever had to take in a single season.
O’Hara believes the front-five is the main issue for the Giants, not the quarterback position.
“Try to hit a home run with someone charging at your legs or falling at your ankles,” O’Hara said. “It’s hard. But Eli’s arm – there’s nothing wrong with his arm. I think his arm is just as good, if not better now.”
For the first time in Manning’s career, he’ll have his absolute successor on the roster. The Giants selected Jones No. 6 overall in this year’s draft, so the organization has full confidence he’ll take the reigns when Eli calls it quits.
And as far as the rookie quarterback, O’Hara is very optimistic, saying he’s a mixture of both Eli and Peyton Manning.
Former Giants C Shaun O’Hara on new Giants QB Daniel Jones: “If you put Peyton Manning and Eli Manning in a blender, he’s what you’d get.”
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) June 8, 2019
It’s still undecided how long Jones will sit behind Manning for. The Giants just need to develop him correctly. If they do that, he could be a great quarterback in New York for years to come.
