Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said quarterback Eli Manning was a "huge difference" in the New York Giants making a Super Bowl run instead of the Cowboys.
Jones, speaking at the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Ala., did not criticize the play of his own quarterback, Tony Romo, but it's clear he's a fan of the way Manning and the Giants stepped up their play in the season's final weeks.
"I don't want to take anything away, but the big difference was Eli came up here and started what seemed like a pretty significantly — not improving is the word for it — but the quarterback play with Eli was the huge difference," Jones said in a video posted on DCFanatic.com.
Manning beat out Romo for a Pro Bowl spot this season. Romo had slightly better numbers, with a 102.5 quarterback rating to Manning's 92.9, but Romo made critical mistakes that cost the Cowboys in early season losses to the New York Jets and Detroit Lions.
Romo also fought through cracked ribs, which required pain-killing injections before games, much of the season and a severely bruised and swollen passing hand in the season-ending loss to the Giants. That game, a 31-14 domination by the Giants, determined the NFC East title and a playoff berth.
Jones was also impressed by how the Giants' defense has improved but mostly was envious of the way the Giants won three of their last four regular-season games to clinch the playoff berth. Two of those victories were over the Cowboys.
"They're a real inspiration and, frankly, what I hoped that we were going to be — and that is a team that had good days and bad days and really took off on a run," Jones said. "They did, and we didn't."
The Giants finished 9-7 to the Cowboys' 8-8, but the Cowboys lost four of their last five games.
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
