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Favre owns countless records, but only one number seems to matter
By Andy Staples
December 29, 2009
He broke the Mississippi state record for career touchdown passes. By 40. He accounted for 81 touchdowns (63 throwing, 18 rushing) as a senior. In the Class 4A state title game earlier this month, he led his team to victory by passing for 369 yards and three touchdowns as a quarterback and recording 16 tackles and one interception as a safety. He even averaged 41.4 yards per punt this past season, though he always punted out of the shotgun and jokes that all he did was "kick line drives and let it roll for days."
But for all the numbers Dylan Favre posted this season at St. Stanislaus High in Bay St. Louis, Miss., the only one college coaches seem to care about is 71. Favre is 71 inches tall. Five-foot-11.
Favre is living proof that when seeking quarterbacks, FBS coaches value their precious measurables more than production -- aside from the aforementioned 81 touchdowns, Favre threw for 5,589 yards and rushed for 1,265 in 2009 -- or bloodlines. It's no coincidence this Favre lives in a small town in southwest Mississippi. He's Brett Favre's nephew.
So far, Southern Miss, Tulane and FCS school Northwestern State have been the only schools willing to offer Mississippi's reigning Mr. Football a scholarship to play quarterback. Favre hopes that will change after Saturday, when he will join dozens of players holding multiple FBS offers at the Offense-Defense Bowl in Myrtle Beach, S.C. There, Favre will throw passes against the likes of USC-bound safety Dion Bailey and LSU-bound defensive back Ronnie Vinson. Favre hopes a good showing will convince more college coaches he deserves a closer look.
Favre has heard throughout the recruiting process that he's too short to play quarterback in college. Frankly, he's sick of it. "They say the reason why short quarterbacks don't get a chance is they can't see over the line," Favre said. "But they never really give anyone a chance to do it. You don't see guys 5-11 playing quarterback because they don't even get a shot. You can't prove yourself if you don't get a shot."
Saturday, Favre's linemen will range from 6-3 to 6-8. If he can see over behemoths such as Skyler Schofner (a 6-7, 300-pounder committed to Michigan State), then Favre can see over anyone. Favre knows it can be done. He watched Chase Daniel (6-foot) do it at Missouri. He watched Todd Reesing (5-11) do it at Kansas. He watched Doug Flutie (5-10) do it in the NFL.
Favre thought he had already proven himself, but as his senior season wore on without any offers, the best Rockachaws player since class of 1942 grad Doc "Mr. Inside" Blanchard -- who won the 1945 Heisman Trophy at Army -- realized nothing he did in his cleats was as important as how he measured in his socks. That fact has also frustrated St. Stanislaus coach Forrest Williams. In most of his conversations with college coaches, Williams finds himself explaining first that while the Rockachaws run a pass-heavy spread scheme, Favre's numbers aren't simply the product of a system. Then he tackles the height issue. "He's got the heart of a lion. The intangibles he's got far out-measure 5-11," said Williams, a former walk-on receiver at Mississippi State. "If you measured Dylan for the type of football player he is, he'd be 6-5, 235."
Southern Miss coach Larry Fedora is one of the few who looked past Favre's height. Fedora offered Favre the day before St. Stanislaus beat Lafayette County for the state title. In that department, Favre already has a leg up on his famous uncle. Brett Favre, whose younger brother, Jeff, is Dylan's father, received only one scholarship offer -- also from Southern Miss. But Brett didn't get his offer until the night before Signing Day, after a Golden Eagles target chose another school. On top of that, Brett's offer was to play defensive back.
Dylan explained that his grandfather, Irvin, who coached his boys at Hancock North Central, wasn't about to change his Wing-T scheme for anyone, not even to showcase his rocket-armed son. Asked how his late grandfather might appraise the offense Dylan piloted, Dylan laughed. "He'd be pulling his hair out," Dylan said.
In a way, Dylan is glad he's had to fight so hard for every scholarship offer. "I don't want them to give me a shot because of my last name," he said. "I don't think that has anything to do with it. I think I've done enough getting the grades and the ACT score, winning championships and breaking records. I've done enough that if my last name was Johnson, at least I deserve a shot. That's all I want."
And just as Dylan's uncle refused to go to the bench against Carolina earlier this month, Dylan refuses to accept a position switch. The younger Favre caught the eye of Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt at a camp earlier this year. Nutt asked Favre if he'd consider playing defense in college. "I told him just like I told everybody else," Favre said. "If I'm not playing quarterback, then I'm not playing."
Favre should have his chance to play quarterback. Recently, Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin requested video of Favre from Williams. If junior college standout Cam Newton turns down Mississippi State in favor of Auburn, Favre thinks he may have a chance at an offer from the Bulldogs. Truly, Dylan wouldn't care how many other quarterbacks came in with him. He would gladly compete with any number of blue-chippers.
"I just want a shot to prove myself," he said. "I think that's all I need."
Three schools already have offered that shot. If Favre plays well against some of the nation's best Saturday, then more offers could come.
Still, Williams knows most college coaches won't look past 71 inches. Too bad for them, he said. "There's no question in my mind, he's going to be successful for someone," Williams said. "There's going to be a lot of teams that regret passing on him."
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Texans draw out tease to final weekend
By Michael Silver
December29, 2009
It’s that bittersweet time of year again at 32 Questions Headquarters – or, as the beautiful people call it, 32QHQ.
Beginning Jan. 5, we’ll restrict our top-to-bottom trip around the NFL to the postseason participants and, sadly, bid a sentimental farewell to 20 of our favorite franchises until next season.
There is, however, a silver lining: Depending upon what happens Sunday, there’s a decent chance I won’t have to hazard any more ill-fated guesses about where the Texans reside in the league’s pecking order.
The Texans are the NFL’s ultimate tease, a team capable of putting together brilliant stretches of football, which are inevitably followed by maddening bursts of incompetence.
Before this season – and not for the first time – I thought the Texans were good enough to qualify for the playoffs, something they have yet to do in their eight-year history.
When Houston lost three of its first five games, I figured I’d been duped again. After the Texans rallied to win three in a row, including an impressive 28-17 road victory over the Bengals, then lost a close battle on the road to the undefeated Colts, my optimism returned.
As the Indy defeat degenerated into a four-game losing streak that dropped the Texans to 5-7, I pretty much wanted to disown them. And last Sunday, when Houston jumped all over Miami and won its third straight game to keep its postseason dream alive, I was right back on the bandwagon.
In fairness, I wasn’t the only person caught off guard by the way the Texans (8-7) turned it up on Sunday. The Dolphins (7-8), who fell behind 27-0 in the first half of a game they desperately needed to win, appeared pretty damned shell-shocked, too.
“I think we surprised them,” Texans cornerback Dunta Robinson(notes) said. “We knew coming into this game it was life or death. If we didn’t win, it would be over for us. And we played like it from the start.”
The real question is, why did Robinson and his teammates wait until they were on the brink of mathematical elimination before mounting their charge? It’s not an unfamiliar pattern, either: Last year the Texans started 0-4 and 3-7 before rallying to finish 8-8, which was enough to quiet talk about coach Gary Kubiak’s job security.
After Sunday’s triumph, Texans sources believe Kubiak (30-33 over four seasons) has likely saved his job again, rumors about the impending arrival of Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan notwithstanding. Of course, Kubiak’s return would be a slam dunk if the Texans can defeat the AFC East champion Patriots on Sunday and get the help they need to qualify for a wild-card berth.
If the Texans win, they’ll need some help from the Jets, Broncos or Ravens, at least two of whom would have to lose on Sunday for Houston to sneak into the playoffs.
Amid so much uncertainty, the Texans are wisely focusing their energies on the one thing they can control – trying to clinch the first winning season in franchise history.
“Our attitude is just to come out and play more sound,” middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans(notes) said Sunday. “We feel like we let a lot of games out of our hands that we should have had. If we can avoid mistakes, we can win games like that.”
Echoed Robinson: “Most of the games we lost this season were due to self-inflicted wounds. As long as we can avoid doing that, we’ll keep the faith. It’s possible that things could work out in our favor, so we’re just going to keep playing hard and see what happens.”
In the meantime, I have the Texans right where they belong in our final list of queries featuring all 32 teams: In the middle.
1. Indianapolis Colts: Does Bill Polian have the thinnest skin in America, or is he resting up for the playoffs, too?
2. San Diego Chargers: Even though Shawne Merriman(notes) has been a virtual nonentity this season, have you noticed how much better Shaun Phillips(notes) is when his bookend pass rusher is in the lineup?
3. New Orleans Saints: If the Saints don’t win the Super Bowl, will Tom Benson figure it out by Mardi Gras?
4. Philadelphia Eagles: When Donovan McNabb(notes) busted that 27-yard run on third-and-25 late in Sunday’s victory over the Broncos, was J. Whyatt Mondesire suitably satisfied?
5. Arizona Cardinals: After punter Ben Graham(notes) forced Rams returner Danny Amendola to fumble Sunday, did he receive a celebratory phone call and hearty cheer from former Chargers punter Darren Bennett?
6. Cincinnati Bengals: In the wake of coach Marvin Lewis’ decree against premature celebrations, should this be the Bengals’ new theme song?
7. Dallas Cowboys: Is Wade Phillips’ defensive coordinator saving his job – and how wild is it that they are, in fact, the same person?
8. Minnesota Vikings: Are the wheels coming off – or was Brett Favre’s(notes) brilliant comeback in Monday night’s overtime defeat to the Bears enough to shock the Vikes’ offense back into formidable form?
9. New England Patriots: Now that Randy Moss(notes) has admitted he sucked against the Panthers, can Merril Hoge and his minions please stop pretending how awesome the wideout was?
10. Green Bay Packers: By knocking down passes with impressive regularity, has defensive end Johnny Jolly(notes) successfully deflected the criticism he was getting in early November?
11. Denver Broncos: If I’d predicted before Sunday’s game that a Broncos receiver would be ejected for making contact with an official, how many of you would have guessed the culprit wouldn’t be Brandon Marshall(notes)?
12. Baltimore Ravens: Yo, Troy Smith(notes) – is there any way you could have waited to make your urgent trade request until, you know, the Ravens had finished playing the game that will decide their postseason fate?
13. Atlanta Falcons: How cool (and fitting) was it to see The Beerman boot?
14. Pittsburgh Steelers: If the defending champs sneak into the postseason, will Derrick Mason get a playoff share (and will the Ravens wideout be able to hold onto that)?
15. New York Jets: Will Marvin Lewis join Jim Caldwell in playing Santa Claus to Rex Ryan’s wide-eyed kid?
16. Houston Texans: If Brian Cushing(notes) is honored as the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year, will last Sunday’s gritty effort be a big reason?
17. Miami Dolphins: Based on Jason Taylor’s(notes) grisly assessment of the Dolphins’ mindset against the Texans, shouldn’t he and his teammates have showered at halftime?
18. Carolina Panthers: Has Bill Cowher already told Jerry Richardson “no,” or is the owner laying low in anticipation of a lockout?
19. Tennessee Titans: Can Chris Johnson get the 234 rushing yards he needs to break Eric Dickerson’s all-time single-season record against the Seahawks – and is there any doubt coach Jeff Fisher will give him every opportunity to do so?
20. New York Giants: Besides being wildly entertaining to young audiences, what do Tom Coughlin and Pee-wee Herman have in common?
21. San Francisco 49ers: Would it kill Mike Singletary to let Isaac Bruce(notes), one of the best receivers of his era, play in what could be the final game of his career in front of the fans who adore him most?
22. Chicago Bears: When Jay Cutler(notes) plays like he did Monday night, is there any question as to why this franchise gave up so much to get him?
23. Jacksonville Jaguars: Who treats Tom Brady(notes) more tenderly: his mother, his wife or Jack Del Rio’s defense?
24. Cleveland Browns: After being doused with Gatorade by his players following Sunday’s victory over his former team, did defensive coordinator Rob Ryan look something like this upon entering the locker room?
25. Oakland Raiders: Who’s more persecuted: zebras by poachers and lions, or the Raiders by zebras?
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: How spooky was it that Michael Spurlock, one of Jim Haslett’s former Florida Tuskers, helped doom the Saints on Sunday?
27. Buffalo Bills: Is it fair to say that Terrell Owens(notes) puts the man in manicure – and is there any danger Ralph Wilson will mistake his well-groomed wideout for Bud Adams?
28. Washington Redskins: Isn’t it tragic the way that poor Albert Haynesworth(notes) got duped into signing with the ‘Skins – and how can the franchise possibly make it up to him?
29. Kansas City Chiefs: Will Mike Vrabel(notes) get his revenge on Josh McDaniels on Sunday or, counterintuitive as it may seem, will he go all Artie Fufkin?
30. Seattle Seahawks: Could Sunday be Matt Hasselbeck’s(notes) last game as the Seahawks’ starting quarterback – or was last Sunday just a debacle at Lambeau?
31. Detroit Lions: Yo, Mr. Grinch, what do you mean the Lions can’t blame Matt Millen for their continued misery?
32. St. Louis Rams: Using the logic employed by Keith Null(notes), can we surmise that the Rams’ next franchise quarterback might be found somewhere in this video?
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Decision shouldn’t tarnish Caldwell’s season
By Jason Cole
December 29, 2009
Here’s the really sad part about the Indianapolis Colts’ decision to pull several starters, including quarterback Peyton Manning, in the second half of Sunday’s 29-15 loss to the New York Jets: The event has caused people to talk about coach Jim Caldwell more than at any time during his 14-0 start.
Ultimately, you have to wonder if that’s going to hurt Caldwell’s chances of winning coach-of-the-year honors.
OK, some of you are scoffing, thinking that Caldwell inherited one of the cake jobs of the NFL. With Peyton Manning at quarterback and Bill Polian at general manager, any “coaching” by Caldwell wasn’t exactly difficult. It’s not like he was installing a new offensive system or trying to rebuild the foundation of the team. He was handed the keys to a Mercedes McLaren and essentially told, “Just don’t get into an accident; everything else is cool.”
That said, give Caldwell credit for not trying to overtly put his stamp on the team. The tendency of human ego is to pull the classic Al Haig moment and declare, “I’m in charge.” Caldwell has the kind of quiet self-confidence to resist that temptation. That’s rare.
Furthermore, Caldwell guided the Colts through a much tougher season than it appears based on their record. Seven of their 14 wins came on fourth-quarter comebacks. On defense, Indy lost four defensive starters, including previously irreplaceable safety Bob Sanders, for the season with injuries. The defensive tackle and linebacker positions have been a parade of no-namers. (Gary Brackett is probably the only one the average fan could name, and even he is a stretch.)
Caldwell also changed defensive coordinators, putting in Larry Coyer for Ron Meeks. The result was a much more cohesive group that has been exceptional at times, particularly given the injury situation.
Now, look at the rest of the field for coach of the year. Sean Payton in New Orleans has been close, but two recent losses (the Saints were trying) have dropped him below Caldwell. Minnesota coach Brad Childress was doing fine until the last month, when apparent cracks in his and his team’s psyche have began to show. Philadelphia, Dallas, Green Bay, Arizona, New England, Baltimore, San Diego, Denver are doing roughly what was expected.
The only team doing markedly better than expected is Cincinnati with coach Marvin Lewis, who has the usually moribund Bengals in the playoffs for the second time in his tenure. That means the award basically boils down to Lewis against Caldwell. Until last Sunday, there were no blemishes on Caldwell’s record. No missteps, no controversy, nothing but a smooth transition in a business where that rarely happens.
Basically, Caldwell’s performance was so good, there was nothing to say. He inherited a great job and did a great job.
Now, he and the organization are getting ripped for not making a run at history. It’s a fair point on multiple levels that have been spelled out by plenty of others. My biggest beef with the decision by Caldwell (and Polian, really) is that you have very few chances in life to do something that truly special. Going 16-0 has happened once in NFL history and nobody was going to rip the Colts for trying to match the feat. Yeah, if Manning had gotten hurt, there would have been some sniping, but that would have been dismissed by most reasonable critics.
Fact is, the Colts had a chance to do something that would have never been forgotten by their fans and by the sports world, generally. Sure, the primary goal is to win a Super Bowl, but when an undefeated season is in sight, it’s worth taking a run at it. Sports is about indelible moments, such as Carlton Fisk’s home run in the 1975 World Series, Johnny Unitas’ performance in the ’58 NFL championship game, Magic Johnson’s performance in the ’80 NBA finals as a rookie, Kirk Gibson’s home run in the ’88 World Series and the Stanford-Cal game in ’82 (even if you were on the wrong side of it).
The Colts had a chance for something like that. Caldwell (and Polian) said, “No thanks.” Not a great decision, in my opinion. But in the grand scheme of a great season so far, it’s really the only decision where you can say Caldwell might have been wrong.
All things considered, that’s a great year and worthy of strong consideration for coach of the year. The organization’s decision Sunday shouldn’t overshadow the masterful job he has done all season.
Speaking of sitting starters... I hate to throw a wet blanket on NBC’s promotion of the Sunday night game between Cincinnati and the Jets, but if I was the Bengals’ Lewis, I wouldn’t even try to win this game. Yeah, Cincinnati still has a chance for the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs if the New England Patriots lose earlier in the day. That’s not that big a deal. What is a big deal is that if the Bengals lose, they will face the Jets again in the first round of the playoffs. Given a choice of facing a team led by a rookie quarterback (Mark Sanchez) or Baltimore’s Joe Flacco, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Houston’s Matt Schaub or even Denver’s Kyle Orton, I’ll take Sanchez and the Jets. That is Cincinnati’s best chance to get to the second round of the playoffs. Further, there’s no significant difference between facing San Diego or Indianapolis in the second round. The only slight advantage for being the No. 3 is if the No. 1 and 2 both lose in the second round and the No. 3 gets to host the conference title game. However, the NFC’s top three seeds lost year, meaning No. 4 Arizona played host to the NFC title game.
Top five
1. Indianapolis Colts (14-1): A disappointing way to lose perfection.
2. San Diego Chargers (12-3): Win over Tennessee was thorough and dominating
3. New Orleans Saints (13-2): This is not the type of team that can afford to lose its mojo.
4. Philadelphia Eagles (11-4): A little more running in the second half would be nice.
5. Minnesota Vikings (11-4): Man, did Brett Favre sound depressed after Monday night’s game.
Bottom five
28. Washington Redskins (4-11): Wow, it’s really ugly when teams completely give up.
29. Kansas City Chiefs (3-12): Gave the Bengals a run, but that offense is really limited.
30. Detroit Lions (2-13): Fans, be patient: Jim Schwartz is a smart guy.
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-12): Dalliance with Bill Cowher is pretty stupid for cash-strapped team.
32. St. Louis Rams (1-14): One of the worst offensive teams you will ever see.
This and that
» Having mentioned that it’s misguided for Tampa Bay to inquire about Bill Cowher, here’s an explanation: Blaming coach Raheem Morris for what has happened to this team is completely unfair. Yes, Morris has made mistakes. Firing both his offensive and defensive coordinators this season borders on incompetence. However, the Bucs had to understand that Morris, who had never even been a coordinator himself, would be doing some learning on the fly when they promoted him to replace Jon Gruden. Further, the point of Morris taking over was to rebuild the team from the floor up. To expect that to happen in one year is unrealistic. To penalize Morris when the Bucs knew this was going to be a rough year is unfair. What the Bucs need to do is stick with their plan, not panic.
» Along those lines, the Bucs need Morris to stay so cornerback Ronde Barber will return. Not so much for his playing ability (the Bucs have talked to him about moving to safety next season), but for his leadership in a very young, talented and sometimes immature secondary. With cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Elbert Mack and safeties Tanard Jackson and Sabby Piscitelli, the Bucs have a chance for a really good secondary. However, all of those guys need veteran guidance. Or at least that’s what the Bucs have told Barber in trying to get him to return for his 14th season.
» Those expecting a busy coaching carousel might be sorely disappointed. Yeah, Washington is expected to fire Jim Zorn, Buffalo will likely dump interim coach Perry Fewell, Cleveland will probably get rid of Eric Mangini and there will be one or two others. However, look for what happened in Carolina (where coach John Fox and GM Marty Hurney have been told they can come back) to play out in other cities, mostly because of economics. Like owner Jerry Richardson in Carolina, ownership in Jacksonville doesn’t really want to pay off coach Jack Del Rio to go and Chicago doesn’t want to pay off coach Lovie Smith. That’s particularly the case with a possible lockout of players in 2011.
» With the Monday night portion of the season now over, it’s worth noting that the crew of Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden was the best in recent years. Gruden brought great energy to the booth, even if he and Jaws sometimes got a little technical at times. However, my biggest criticism of Gruden is that he uses way too much hyperbole. During one stretch of the Minnesota-Chicago game, Gruden used some variation of the word “great,” if not the word itself, 27 times. That’s during a span of two quarters. It ranged from saying that Vikings wide receiver Sidney Rice should be a Pro Bowler to Brett Favre being a “legend” to “unbelievable” to “impressive” to “big time.” Look, the NFL is fun and entertaining and all those wonderful things. There’s no reason to dress it up any more than that.
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As Giants Sift Wreckage, Coughlin Backs Umenyiora
December 29, 2009
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Next to the locker of Osi Umenyiora at the Giants’ training center is an empty locker, the wide berth usually a status symbol for a veteran star. Above Umenyiora’s locker, in a curious coincidence, is the word “Coach.” The “Coach” is part of a decorative display that salutes franchise history, in this case referring to Steve Owen, the coach from 1930 to 1953.
But it seemed appropriate Monday to ask the current coach, Tom Coughlin, if Umenyiora’s locker might soon be cleaned out. Coughlin voiced support for his troubled defensive end.
“He’s very much in our plans,” Coughlin said. “He’s a very important asset to our team.”
Umenyiora did not make himself available for interviews Monday after the Giants met to review films and discuss their 41-9 loss to Carolina on Sunday, which left them at 8-7 and out of the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
Immediately after the game, Umenyiora complained that he had played only about five downs — Coughlin said it was more — and said he wondered if the game, the team’s last at Giants Stadium, might be his last in a Giants uniform. As he left the field, a television reporter tried to interview Umenyiora, who quickly ended the conversation by saying: “Not a good time. I’m going to probably say something crazy.”
Coughlin said that he did not speak with Umenyiora on Monday but that Umenyiora was part of a leadership council meeting that Coughlin convened with team elders to try to discover the cause of the Giants’ inconsistent play this season. Although Coughlin would not be specific about what had been said in the group, he said he would meet with him one on one. Coughlin seemed intent on stressing how much he respected Umenyiora, who missed last season after knee surgery.
“He is a very, very good football player,” Coughlin said. “Always has been. Great pride. Certainly he does an exceptional job of getting after the passer.”
Coughlin also said Umenyiora should probably have been used more than he was against Carolina. Without a mention of anyone else by name, this could be understood as an oblique reference to the judgment of Bill Sheridan, the first-year defensive coordinator.
It has been clear since summer that Umenyiora and Sheridan have not been in agreement about everything. Before the first game, Umenyiora left practice after a dispute with Sheridan and then returned to apologize. A month ago, Sheridan demoted Umenyiora from the first string on plays when the opposition is more likely to pass.
Among the many problems the Giants have had this season is the fluctuating performance of Sheridan’s defense, which has often followed good games with lesser efforts. Against the Panthers, the Giants gave up 416 yards, including 247 rushing. In the previous game, a 45-12 victory at Washington six days before, they made five quarterback sacks and intercepted three passes.
Sheridan was not available for interviews Monday. Coughlin’s coordinators generally speak with the news media on Thursdays.
There were other issues to discuss Monday, including sharp criticism from prestigious former players like Harry Carson, a former Giants defender, and Troy Aikman, a former Dallas quarterback.
Carson, on hand for the stadium festivities, said Sunday the Giants played with a lack of pride. Michael Boley, the linebacker who calls the signals for the defense, seemed to reject that opinion.
“It doesn’t mean anything to me; any kind of words coming from outside the team fall on deaf ears,” Boley said, adding that the players would “drive ourselves crazy” if they took such words to heart.
Aikman, part of the announcing team on Fox, questioned Coughlin’s use of quarterback Eli Manning late in the game when the outcome was decided. Coughlin did not care to defend his decision or to discuss the risk/reward calculation of leaving a talented and highly paid leader in a game in which athletes sometimes are injured.
“He must have had very little to talk about,” Coughlin said of Aikman.
Although the Giants have the same record as the Jets, the Giants’ season seems like a failure after a 5-0 start, and the Jets’ season seems successful because they can reach the playoffs by beating Cincinnati on Sunday night in their final regular-season game.
The Giants must play one more, too, at Minnesota against the playoff-bound Vikings.
Manning said missing the playoffs “kind of opens your eyes” as to how difficult it is for 12 of 32 teams to qualify.
To the fans, Manning said: “I apologize. I’m sorry. I wish I had an answer.”
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