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Giants quarterback Eli Manning underwent a successful arthroscopic procedure on his left ankle on Thursday.

The procedure, a debridement of the ankle, was performed by foot and ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C.

Manning suffered a high left ankle sprain in the Giants’ 2013 season finale against Washington and had been rehabbing the injury since.

“I went through the recovery and rehab after suffering the sprain,” said Manning. “I was still experiencing some discomfort as I began my normal offseason preparation, and after consultation, we felt the right thing was to have Dr. Anderson clean out the ankle. The doc tells me I should be running in about six weeks. I’m looking forward to the start of the offseason program on the 21st. I will be in the weight room and in the meeting rooms so we can all learn the new offense. I got some good work in this week at Duke, and I think it’s smart to get this procedure done now so the ankle isn’t an ongoing issue. I’m eager to get to work with our new offensive coaches and system.”

Quote (Madmartigan @ Apr 11 2014 03:37pm)

That explains his high interception totals last season. I knew there was an injury slowing him down. He'll probably win his third Super Bowl ring next year.

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Manning suffered a high left ankle sprain in the Giants’ 2013 season finale against Washington and had been rehabbing the injury since.

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The way it has all unfolded after the NFL Combine and free agency, Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald and North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron have become the most popular names in mock drafts for the Giants just about a month before the actual event unfolds.

Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan also remains in the mix. ESPN's Todd McShay is among those sticking with Lewan as the Giants' No. 12 overall pick in his latest mock draft. So did two others in the samples below.

Ebron and Donald were the Giants' pick in three of the mocks. There were 12 mock drafts used in this week's draft appraisal, which begins with an NFC East flavor. The first three mock drafts were from Cowboys, Redskins and Eagles sites, respectively. See who NFC East writers think the Giants will select.

Chareen Williams, Forth Worth Star Telegram
Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
"The Giants lost starter Linval Joseph, and although they re-signed Mike Patterson, the position still needs help."

Ben Strandig, CSNWashington.com
Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
"Suspect offensive line not helping Eli Manning's cause, but the top options are gone. Instead, some pass catching help. Ebron had 62 receptions for 973 yards last season."

Mike Kaye, BleedingGreenNation.com
Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
"Martin's versatility will allow the Giants to plug and play him at literally any spot on the offensive line and New York could use competition at all spots."

Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com
Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
"Ebron would be a perfect compliment to Victor Cruz and hopefully help Eli Manning return to form."

Mike Huguenin, College Football 24/7
Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
"The Giants' O-line too often resembled a subway turnstile in 2013, and Lewan should help in that regard."

Chase Goodbreak, College Football 24/7
Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
"Best cover man in the draft is a good value at pick No. 12, plus a need filled for Giants."

Don Banks, SI.com
Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
"With good fits for New York like Evans, Lewan and Donald already off this board, I'm sticking with Ebron, the Tar Heels' tight end who would add an element of explosiveness to the Giants offense. The defensive needs are many, but as the new guy, offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo probably gets the jump ball in this, his first draft with the G-Men, and that spells finding another weapon to help Eli Manning en route to a rebound season."

Rob Rang, CBS Sports
Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
"To get back into Super Bowl contention the Giants must protect Eli Manning, whether that come in the form of additional blockers or pass-catchers. The 6-5, 231-pound Evans plays with the physicality and speed to feast on the relatively short corners of the NFC East division and is an excellent value at this point in the draft."

Dane Brugler, CBS Sports
Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
"The defensive line has been the bread and butter of the Giants winning seasons over the past decade, but the interior positions need some help. Donald is a quick penetrator who can step in from day one and be an impact player."

Pat Kirwin, CBS Sports
Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
"The Giants win when they protect Eli Manning and run the ball. Lewan gives them a better chance to do both things right away."

Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
"He would be a nice big target to add outside with Hakeem Nicks moving on."

Will Brinson, CBS Sports
Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
"The Giants need to rebuild the interior of their defensive line. Donald is undersized but he's a highly productive player out of college and will help replace Linval Joseph while boosting the Giants' pass rush from the interior."

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Football Scientist KC Joyner breaks down the data and predicts the Giants will be a playoff team in 2014.



Good news, New York Giants' fans! Your Giants are going to the playoffs in 2014. At least they are if KC Joyner, known as 'The Football Scientist,' is correct. Joyner recently penned (typed?) an article for ESPN Insider detailing the six reasons he believes the Giants will be a playoff team in 2014.

Let's go through Joyner's reasoning.

1. Eli Manning can't be that bad again.

With the Giants it always starts -- and often ends -- right here. Manning had the worst season of his career in 2013 -- a ridiculous 27 interceptions, a 57.5 completion percentage, a 69.4 passer rating and a 36.5 QBR.

The good news? Joyner uses a stat he calls Bad Decision Rate (BDR) to show that Manning actually fewer poor decisions that led to turnover opportunities for the opposing team during 2013 (2.4 percent) than he had in 2012 (2.8 percent). He points to the miscommunications with receivers, wrong routes and bad luck and says that "to see a significant drop in his interceptions total would not be a surprise."

2. The Giants have to be healthier. Don't they?

Joyner uses Football Outsiders' Adjusted Games Lost (AGL) and shows that the Giants' 144.6 AGL is the highest recorded since Football Outsiders began tracking the data in 2006. Joyners says teams who have led the league in AGL one year have averaged placing 17th the next. Part of injuries, of course, is luck. The Giants, though, have spent much of the offseason trying to get younger and, theoretically, healthier.

3. The offensive line has to be better.

Well, I'm not sure how it could be worse than the sieve the Giants trotted out there in 2013. We know all of the moves the Giants have made already, adding Geoff Schwartz, J.D. Walton, John Jerry and Charles Brown and re-signing Chris Snee. We know there is plenty of speculation the Giants will add more linemen in the draft like, oh, maybe Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan or Notre Dame's Zack Martin. Here is quick set of numbers from Joyner showing how bad the line was in 2013, and why the changes are necessary:

    ... percentage of sacks that occurred with four or fewer pass rushers (65 percent, ranked tied for 25th) and number of rushing plays that gained zero or fewer yards (105, ranked 27th).

4. The running backs should be better.

I have to be honest. I'm not sure what Adrian Peterson could have accomplished in front of the Giants' offensive line in 2013. That said, Rashad Jennings should turn out to be a massive upgrade over Andre Brown. Joyner calls Jennings "one of the most significant free-agent signings in the NFL this offseason." He explains:

    Last year he ranked 14th in yards per carry (4.5), second in yards per rush after contact (2.2) and tied for first in fumbles on rushing plays (zero), but his biggest impact may come in the passing game.

    Jennings placed 18th among running backs in yards per reception (8.11), 11th in receiving yards after contact (94), tied for first in drop percentage (zero percent) and third in receiving percentage (85.7 percent). The Giants ranked next-to-last in receiving yards by running backs (370), so Jennings' addition should go a long way toward turning that weakness around.

5. Better 'sequential' offense.

Whew, now we're getting into heavy-duty analytical stuff -- the kind that makes my brain hurt. Basically, Joyner says the Giants were last in the league in 2013 in something called Down Set Conversion Rate (DSCR) at 60.6 percent. Basically, it's a fancy way of saying the Giants didn't string together first downs very often.

There's a reason why the Giants have basically an entirely new offensive coaching staff, and will implement a different scheme. Better blocking, better running and better quarterbacking should help that fancy DSCR number.

6. The pass coverage will be better.

Hmm, didn't need a fancy set of stats to tell me that Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Walter Thurmond are an upgrade over Aaron Ross, Terrell Thomas and Corey Webster at cornerback. There should not be any Antrel Rolle playing nickel cornerback sightings this season.

Joyner's bottom line is this:

    That the Giants were able to win seven games last season despite horrible luck and a slew of injuries unprecedented in the past decade speaks to just how incredibly effective their coaching staff is at working around problems. Given the wide variety of upgrades listed above and the talent this team can bring home in the draft, Tom Coughlin and company likely won't have to perform any miracles in 2014. Barring another disaster, the Giants will have all of the tools necessary to record a double-digit win total and earn a spot in the NFC playoffs.

Valentine's View

You have to play the games, of course, but the Giants have already put themselves in much better position to succeed in 2014 -- something we have discussed before. Getting Manning healthy, keeping him that way, and giving him a better chance to engineer a consistent offense should be a huge help.

I have said before that in retrospect it is a miracle the Giants won nine games a season ago. Their aggressive offseason shows they are determined not to need miracles this time around. Only time will tell if Joyner ends up being right, but the roster the Giants have today is far better than the one they ended 2013 with.

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Per source, Seahawks, Giants, Saints, and Panthers have interest of some degree in Sidney Rice.