National Football League

Eli Manning struggled with the deep ball in 2014

Published May. 31, 2015 8:25 p.m. ET

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Last week, we took a look at how well Eli Manning performed in the New York Giants' new offensive scheme under first year coordinator Ben McAdoo in 2014. For as good as Manning was in the 11-20-yard range, he struggled to stay consistent and productive in the 21-30 and 31-40-yard ranges, according to research compiled by Pro Football Focus.

Manning threw 7.5 percent of his passes in the 21-30-yard range, good for fifth-most among quarterbacks who started all 16 games, but his success didn't match the high frequency of attempts. Manning finished fifth-worst in Pro Football Focus' overall passing grade among quarterbacks who started all 16 games.

Things didn't get much better for Manning in the 31-40 yard range. Although Manning only threw 2.8 percent of his passes in this range, a much lower percentage relative to the rest of the league, he was even worse on a per attempt basis. Manning finished with the third-worst grade among quarterbacks who started all 16 games.

Manning did improve his deep passing in the final stretch of the 2014 season, after admitting that it took him until December to feel comfortable in McAdoo's offense. Over the final stretch, Manning connected with Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr. on several passes that placed in the two above ranges. However, he may not need to be as productive in the deep passing game as he was during that final stretch to be successful within the Giants' offense. The offensive focus may shift more horizontally with Shane Vereen added to the mix, and this will allow Manning to hide some of his eroding skills in the deep passing game. 

(h/t Pro Football Focus)

Photo Credit: Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

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