Will Eli Manning Play?

It’s a big secret. Will Eli Manning start for the NY Giants today or will he be deactivated? Initial reports indicated Manning will be out a month due to a shoulder injury suffered in last week’s game against the Cowboys. Just as soon as those reports hit the newswires, the Giants denied the reports and claimed Manning was merely day-to-day. The 0-1 Giants are favored by 2 1/2 points at home against the 1-0 Green Bay Packers. The total is set at 38 points. If Eli Manning does not play this game for NY, there is virtually no chance of Big Blue winning this game. The Giants backup, Jared Lorenzen, aptly nicknamed the “Hefty Lefty,” has attempted less than 5 passes in his NFL career. He is quite large and immobile - probably a sack waiting to happen. The Giants will also play without starting running back Brandon Jacobs. Instead, Jets reject, Derrick Ward will get the start this afternoon. The Giants defense was atrocious against Dallas last week. The secondary was burned on every big play and the linebackers non-existent. Tony Romo passed for more yards per completion against the Giants tissue-paper defense than any other quarterback in over 30 years. The 38 points is a gift. Due to the uncertain nature of Eli’s status and the inherent risk of a 2 1/2 point line, I would tease this game to Green Bay +8 1/2 and over 32, with the juice at the standard -110. Good luck!

Written by Jon on September 16th, 2007 with 3 comments.
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