Eli Manning On WFAN: Through 7 Games, Giants Have Proven They're 'Mentally Strong'
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Sure, Eli Manning wishes the Giants' record was better than 4-3 heading into their bye week, but all in all, he's proud of how the team is fighting.
"It's never as good as it could be," the quarterback told WFAN's Mike Francesa a day after the Giants beat the Rams 17-10 in London. "I think that's always the mindset. From the offensive standpoint, I know we can play better, and we will play better. But I am proud of the way that we found ways to win ... and I think that's the most important quality a team can have is, do they have that mindset that, hey, whatever happens, things are going bad, things are going great, are you going to win the game? Can you stay mentally strong for four quarters and do whatever it takes in those last moments to seal the win?
"We haven't gotten discouraged," Manning added. "We haven't gotten down when things haven't gone as well. We went through a losing streak. We came out and hopped on a winning streak. So that's what you have to do in this league. I'm proud of that. I think we're figuring out how to win football games."
Manning said the players are still very much buying into first-year head coach Ben McAdoo and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
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"I think Coach McAdoo's done a great job, just leading the team, challenging us each and every week and putting us in position to win football games," Manning said. "I think guys have a great respect for him and listen to him and Coach Spagnuolo. I think having the same offensive and defensive coordinators ... has been beneficial for the guys. Guys are playing fast. You see the difference on defense."
Not Talking Politics
One of Manning's audible calls Sunday sounded a lot like "Trump." But the QB insisted the team is not paying homage to the GOP presidential nominee.
"We do have kind of a play, it does sound similar to 'Trump,' but I promise you it is not 'Trump,'" Manning said. "I don't want to give away what our call is and have opposing teams know what might be coming -- we might have to change it anway. But I promise you, it was not a 'Trump' call, but I could see where it could sound somewhat similar."
To listen to the full interview, click on the audio player above.