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Sporting News, The, Nov 29, 2004 by Neil Best

In the present, the Giants' season continues to crumble. But in his first start, Eli Manning provided enough glimpses of what the future might be like to keep his debut from being a total loss.

Manning made some rookie mistakes in the 14-10 loss to Atlanta, but he also showed skill and command. Those attributes were visible on a third-and-B play in which he ran from pressure, stopped short, flipped the ball over another defender and found Tiki Barber for 10 yards and a first down. That was a key play in the Giants' only touchdown drive.

"I think he's going to be just like his brother in a few years, and I'm glad we got him now," Falcons coach Jim Mora says.

This is what we learned about Manning in his first start:

* He is poised, no surprise given his pedigree and easygoing personality. Manning got better as he went along and didn't get frustrated by several early drops.

* He is resourceful. Although he lacks speed, Manning showed excellent aware ness of pressure. He got rid of the ball quickly and was sacked only once.

* He is willing to take what the defense gives him. Manning didn't force any deep balls against a defense set up to take away such throws, instead settling for shorter passes over the middle.