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So Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride put Manning in the shotgun with an empty backfield, piling the fate of the drive onto his quarterback's slim shoulders. Manning coolly delivered a 8-yard sideline throw to Mario Manningham for the first down, then wound up driving New York another 21 yards to set up Lawrence Tynes for a 35-yard field goal. None of it -- not Gilbride's gutsy call, nor Manning's crisp spiral to a tight spot on the sideline -- surprises the Giants' receiving corps anymore.
"He trusts the ball in Eli's hands," Cruz said, referring to Gilbride, "so any time we get that pass call on third-and-short, we understand what we have to do -- get open so we can get the ball."
In a fitting postscript, just as his running backs rediscovered their legs late in the game, Manning switched from driving the offense to getting behind the car and pushing. As Jacobs headed toward the right sideline on what would turn out to be a 14-yard TD run, Manning threw a block to buy his runner a few yards of space.
"It might not have been the best technique, but it got the job done. I'm sure I'll get some heat from the guys when we watch it on film tomorrow. Doesn't matter," he said. "I'm still saying I'm proud of my block."
Maybe so. But before Manning gets carried away, he should remember that the fat paycheck the Giants send him every week is for being an elite quarterback, not a pylon.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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