| Welcome to Giants Zone - NY Giants Forums. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. In order to view and read ALL forums, you need to register. IF YOU ARE HERE TO SELL SHIT YOU MAY AS WELL LEAVE NOW. Please note: All registrations require email verification and manual admin approval once you have verified your email! Helps keep the spammers out. ![]() To Register Click Here. If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Ditka Agrees About Starting Eli | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 6 2004, 09:53 PM (29 Views) | |
| BlueHeart | Aug 6 2004, 09:53 PM Post #1 |
|
Gifted, But, Twisted Fearless Leader
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Ditka says he'd start Manning Former Bears coach visits camp with ESPN By MARK SINGELAIS, Staff writer First published: Friday, August 6, 2004 ALBANY -- Former NFL coach Mike Ditka said the New York Giants should start rookie quarterback Eli Manning, the first overall pick in the draft, instead of two-time Most Valuable Player Kurt Warner. FEATURED ADVERTISER Re-Think What’s Possible Some sports cars push the envelope. This one tears it to shreds! - Learn more - Ditka, who led the Chicago Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX, came to the University at Albany as an analyst for ESPN, which broadcast live from Thursday afternoon's practice. "I'd start Manning," said Ditka, also a Hall of Fame tight end for the Bears. "I drafted him to play, I didn't draft him to watch. Doesn't make me right, it just makes me me. When I drafted (former Bears quarterback Jim) McMahon, I got him on the field immediately because I found out he was better than the other guys, anyway. So if I'm going to lose games, I might as well get beat with the future instead of the past." Ditka, former NFL quarterback Sean Salisbury and Trey Wingo are the hosts of the "NFL Live" tour, which is making stops at five training camps in five days. The trio already had visited the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. They will conclude the week today at the New England Patriots' camp in Foxboro, Mass. Workers spent 5 hours Wednesday and Thursday building an ESPN set on the Western Avenue practice fields. Ditka, known as "Iron Mike," said new Giants coach Tom Coughlin is the right man for a team that went 4-12 last season. "I just think Tom Coughlin is Tom Coughlin," Ditka said. "He's taking over a great franchise that had a hard time last year. A lot of the reasons they didn't win is they beat themselves a lot with mistakes, turnovers and penalties, all the things Coughlin doesn't believe in. He's got to get them on the right road." Ditka, 64, said the Giants will be improved, but so will everyone else in the NFC East. Ditka said it might be the NFL's best. "The answer to (how good the Giants will be) is how good the Cowboys, Philadelphia and Washington are," he said. "Washington's going to be good; they'll be a better team. This team will be a better team. The Cowboys might be a better team and not have a better record, and Philadelphia expects to win the Super Bowl." Ditka said he was "shocked" by the early retirement of Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams, who played his first season under Ditka with the New Orleans Saints in 1999. "Biggest mistake he'll ever make in his life," Ditka said. "He'll regret it every day of his life from now on. There's some point in life you have to mature and you have to take responsibility for your actions, whoever you are, and he hasn't been willing to do that." The Miami Herald has reported that Williams said he failed a third drug test for marijuana use, which would cost him a four-game suspension if he decides to return to the NFL. The ESPN job is only a part-time job for Ditka, a Chicago icon who owns a restaurant there and also does TV and radio work in the Windy City. He also gives motivational speeches to corporations. He said visiting camps hasn't made him miss coaching. "It's my past, not my present," he said. "I don't live in the past." Popular item: Throwback jerseys have become a popular item of clothing, but Hand has taken the fad to a new level. Hand arrived at lunch on Thursday wearing a Centenary University basketball jersey with the No. 00, which Hall of Fame center Robert Parish wore before he moved on to the Boston Celtics. Hand also has worn replica jerseys of Maryland's Len Bias and Central Arkansas' Scottie Pippen at camp. He has the jerseys custom-made by a friend who owns a clothing company in Atlanta. "It's something different," Hand said. "I like to be different." He certainly is. Hand, who said he weighs 335 pounds, wears a size-64 jersey. No doubt. He's one of the few players who actually look big out on the field. He was about 4 feet from me a couple of days ago and I was just like "Jesus Christ- You're huge!".
|
![]() |
|
| « Previous Topic · NY Giants · Next Topic » |






![]](http://z1.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)



3:41 AM Jul 11