Manning gains wisdom

Clarion Ledger
08/25/00 11:57 PM Central

Jackson, MS (AP) -- Shortly after Ole Miss held its first major scrimmage last Saturday, Eli Manning stood outside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and delayed his hamburger lunch to talk about how far he has come since the first preseason scrimmage of 1999.

"Last year, coming in, I had two weeks," Manning said. "I knew the plays, but I had no idea what I was doing out there. The difference is incredible."

What the Rebels have after Manning's redshirt year is a bigger, stronger, wiser quarterback with enormous potential and four years of eligibility. With Romaro Miller entrenched as the starter and Manning ascending to No. 2, the Rebels will now put their quarterback depth up against anybody's in the Southeastern Conference.

"Right now, I feel confident that before the snap, I have an idea what I'm doing with the football," Manning said. "Last year, I was just picking out a receiver and throwing to him. The redshirt year helped me establish a mindset and enabled me to start figuring out what it really takes to be a college quarterback."

Father Archie could only tell him so much. Brother Peyton could only tell him so much. What Eli Manning needed was the practice repetitions away from the spotlight and the weight room activity that has added 17 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-4 frame.

"I wanted to get bigger, especially in the legs," Manning said. "I'm still working on that."

Manning isn't sure when or how much he will play this year. The master plan calls for him to take the reins next year and follow up on his two years in the David Cutcliffe system with three more as the starting quarterback.

"I just look at it as I'm the backup quarterback," Manning said. "Every day at practice, I'm out there competing against the second team. I'm not really competing for the starting job, I'm just competing with myself to be the best I can be.

"I want to go out there in practice like I am the starter, because that's how I'm going to be able to get better. If I get thrown in there, I want to be able to get the job done."

Manning was 13-of-20 for 141 yards in Ole Miss' first scrimmage Saturday. He came back in Tuesday's scrimmage to complete 10 of 18 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.

"Eli has done everything we've asked of him and made great strides," Cutcliffe said. "We feel good about the quarterback position overall, and Eli is certainly a big part of that."

Whenever the time comes for Manning to take his first college snap, it will be a memorable occasion for longtime Ole Miss fans enamored with the Manning name. Nearly 30 years have passed since a Manning last played quarterback for the Rebels. Archie Manning finished his legendary college career on Jan. 2, 1971, against Auburn in the Gator Bowl.

"Getting in that first college play will definitely be exciting," Manning said with a smile. "I'll probably be a little nervous, so I don't see myself throwing the deep ball right away.

"Every opportunity I get this year, even if there's just a minute left in the game, I'm going to try and make it productive. Maybe get a first down, accomplish small goals, just build from there. We have a lot of backs and receivers who can do great things for this team with a football in their hands. Our job as quarterbacks is to get them the ball and let them do the rest. I'm looking forward to being a part of that."