LISTEN: Eli Manning Says Giants Need To Believe They're Still In The Hunt
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- The Super Bowl talk is dead now. But Eli Manning says the Giants cannot afford to think their season is lost after their 0-4 start.
"That won't be an option, and we can't allow that to happen," the quarterback told WFAN's Mike Francesa on Monday, a day after the Giants lost to Tampa Bay 25-23. "We've got to get that first win, and you go from there. You never know what can happen. We still feel like we're a good team, that we can win a lot of games. And the way the league has gotten, there's not as many dominant teams. (We) still feel it's open, and we can get on a hot streak."
'Shouldn't Be Allowed'
Odell Beckham Jr. had a two-point conversion taken away in the fourth quarter when he was flagged for illegal touching after going out of bounds and then being the first one to touch it inbounds.
Manning said the Buccaneers defender shouldn't have been able to get away with pushing Beckham out of the back of the end zone.
"The guy shouldn't be allowed to make contact like that when you're running a route," Manning said. "If you're out of the pocket, I know they can get their hands on you and push you out of bounds. But I'm in the pocket. They shouldn't be able to just push you out of bounds like that."
The conversion would have given the Giants a three-point lead, which means Buccaneers kicker Nick Folk's game-winning field goal would have only tied the game instead.
But Giants guard D.J. Fluker was called for a hold, too, on the two-point conversion, meaning the Giants would have had to retry anyway from 10 yards back.
Too Many Drops
Manning put some of the blame for dropped passes by his receivers this season on the rain early in the game Sunday. But he also said his teammates need to do a better job of holding on to the ball.
"When things are going tough and you're playing in tight games and you're down and every possession's important, you've got to make plays," he said. "You've got to make the plays that are there. And every now and then you need guys to make those outstanding catches, and everybody's done that, but there's also the easy catches and easy plays that we're not making that can come back to haunt you."
Praise For Gallman
Rookie running back Wayne Gallman made his debut Sunday, rushing for 42 yards on 11 carries and scoring on a 4-yard pass from Manning in the third quarter.
With Gallman in the mix, the Giants had their best rushing performance as a team this season -- albeit just 91 yards.
"I think Wayne's got some talent," Manning said. "Just getting him in the mix a little bit, getting him comfortable hearing the plays, hearing the adjustments. And so I thought he did a good job. I think we've got a number of backs who can do some good things for us, and we've got to get the running game going."
To listen to the interview, click on the audio player above.