Eli Manning called into **The Michael Kay Show on ESPN 1050** for his weekly spot on Tuesday night. Kay, who had Mark Sanchez on earlier, asked Manning if he could sympathize with the Jets' quarterback missing the playoffs this season.
"I think every year you realize this is a tough game. It's a tough sport, and I think, like Mark, my first couple years you made the playoffs and you think that's common. You think that's the easy thing. And you realize, like I've realized over the past two years, it is tough. It is tough every year to make the playoffs. It's tough to play a complete season and be consistent and there are a lot of things that go on – you get injuries, you get in little funks, you can lose some tough games, you can get some weird bounces.
"So a lot of things go on during the season, and he's a young guy. He's got a great talent and he'll be fine. That's just part of football and learning. Especially in New York, everybody expects every year a chance to win a championship. That's always the goal, but it doesn't always work that way."
Manning then broke down the Falcons defense.
"Watching them today, obviously John Abraham is a terrific pass rusher and a couple other guys do a good job of getting some pressure on the quarterback, but they are very sound. They're just a good defense. They don't make mistakes. They have a good little third down blitz package. They are a team where everybody is going to be doing the right thing. Everybody had good technique. It's very sound. It's a matter of you're going to have to out-execute them. You're not going to trick them. You're not going to get them to make a mistake. You're going to have to get in there and everybody is going to have to know their assignments and be perfect in their execution."
Justin Tuck joined WFAN's Mike Francesa, talking about his increased production the past two weeks."
I think it had a lot to do with the atmosphere (against the Jets). I think just coming into that week, we had a great week of practice, I had a great week of practice. My body felt better and just how that game went, there was a lot of momentum taken out of that game and brought into this week as well. I think it was just a combination of a lot of things."
Francesa asked Tuck about playing an unfamiliar opponent like the Atlanta Falcons.
"They're a very talented football team. Obviously it starts with that running game, with Michael Turner, and a young – but plays like a veteran – quarterback in Matt Ryan and the weapons he has…I'm impressed with his accuracy, just his poise in the pocket. I wouldn't consider him a fast guy or a runner, but he does a great job of avoiding sacks. He has a lot of moxie in the pocket, as I like to call it, just stepping up, stepping forward, or sidestepping the rush and being able to step forward and get the ball down the field."
Hit the follow botton to join the Giants community! Follow @Giants
