Al Bello/Getty
Mario Manningham has a little more pep in his step after a rocky start to the season.
He does not dance the salsa after each touchdown. He has not been offered a spot on "Dancing With the Stars." He does not have king-sized hands that make impossible catches, or a big frame to shrug of cornerbacks with ease.
It is no wonder Mario Manningham gets lost easily in the Giants wide receiving corps when so few things about the 25-year-old receiver stand out â€" especially when he is compared to Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks.
The oft-forgotten wideout â€" whose drop in the end zone in Week 10 helped sink the Giants against the Niners â€" could play a key role on in Sunday's NFC Championship Game. As Nicks and Cruz have drawn increased attention from opposing defenses, Manningham has quietly reemerged with three TD catches in the last five games. His four-yard TD catch with 6:48 left in last week helped seal the Giants' upset over the Packers.
"Mario has done a great job (lately)," says Giants wide receivers coach Sean Ryan. "He's made some huge plays on the outside."
That's partly because Manningham's more celebrated teammates are drawing consistent double-coverage, and partly because he is finally healthy and playing to his potential.
Now in his fourth year, Manningham opened the season as the starter opposite Hakeem Nicks, seeking to solidify his standing as one of the league's top deep threats, and possibly earn a big payday. His contract expires after this season, and while he rarely talks about his future, he understands that suitors are watching.
"I need to make plays," he said last month. "I know that."
But the gamebreaking plays that Manningham made last season â€" when he accumulated 944 receiving yards and nine TDs â€" have come sporadically during an injury-plagued 2011. In the second game of the season, a win over the Rams, he suffered a concussion, an injury that caused him to miss a pivotal win over the Eagles â€" and paved the way for Cruz's two-touchdown breakout in Philadelphia.
Manningham returned a week later against the Arizona Cardinals, but he has spent much of the rest of the year battling a painful right knee injury on his way to a disappointing, 39-catch, 523-yard regular season. The injury forced Manningham to miss four games as he slowly rehabbed and strengthened the knee; he finally returned and felt close to 100% in the season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.
His performance in November's 27-20 loss in San Francisco was a microcosm of all that inconsistency. Statistically, it was his finest afternoon of the year â€" six catches, 77 yards and a TD. But he wasn't even sure he could play until he tested his balky knee before the game.
No comments:
Post a Comment