“Answers to the Test Before He..”: Eli Manning’s Backup QB Maps the Future for Number One and Two Picks

The 2023 NFL Draft has been extremely quarterback centric and for good reason. The past couple of seasons have proved time and again that a team with a phenomenal quarterback has a chance to win. And the notion does make sense, the QB has the most freedom on the field, calling plays and having the ball in his hands. And, one ex-NFLer predicted the future for the top two picks of this year’s draft.

However, not every QB in the game turns out to be a Tom Brady or an Aaron Rodgers, so what separates the best from the rest? It is often the foundation they lay early on. With two highly touted QB prospects taking center stage in NFL Draft, one NFL veteran emphasized the groundwork.

A piece of advice for the ages

Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud were the top two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, and both of these young phenoms are quarterbacks. While much is expected of both of these prospects, the organizations have to step up and focus extensively on their development, whether it’s letting them go out and earn their stripes or making them play behind a veteran.

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Amidst all the anticipation, former New York Giants and Eli Manning’s backup QB, David Carr had a few words of wisdom to share, not for the players but for the coaching staff.

“You’re on the job for the next 10 or 15 years do this. Right. Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, and originally well, whoever it is, right? I think we just got to surround him with answers. Give him answers to the test before he goes out on the field. But that’s both physically and mentally. Give him answers so he knows what to do and where to go with the football test,” expressed Carr.

Carr believes that if their initiation is done right, these guys would be the best QBs on the field for their respective franchises. However, Carr made it a point to emphasize the requirements that each team and coach have for their players and the manner in which they keep building up confidence.

The three Ps

When it comes to the greatness of a quarterback, there are three set aspects one should look at Playcalling, Playmaker, and Protection. A lot of these terms culminate into something the average NFL fan would call anticipation.

Let’s use Carr and his former teammate Eli Manning as prime examples. Speaking on Eli’s greatness, Carr once said, “When it came to his anticipation, he was on a different level. There were so many times when Manning made a throw and fans and commentators would say, “What was he thinking on that pass?” They didn’t understand that Manning knew where the soft spot of the defense was and expected his receiver to be in that spot (or close to it)”

But Manning wasn’t able to achieve this level of awareness on his first day, instead, it was hundreds of hours spent in the film room, studying the game and eventually figuring out the loopholes. Something similar is expected of both Young and Stroud and again the organizations have to step up and take responsibility.

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