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QBs Are All Even
Topic Started: Aug 12 2004, 09:19 PM (18 Views)
BlueHeart
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Giant QBs are all even


By RALPH VACCHIANO
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Kurt Warner gets starting no for tomorrow night's preseason opener.

ALBANY - Kurt Warner is the probable opening day quarterback for the Giants, and he will definitely be the starter in the preseason opener tomorrow night.
But it's too early to count out rookie Eli Manning, because Giants coach Tom Coughlin hasn't counted him out yet.

Asked about the quarterback competition yesterday, Coughlin surprisingly declared it "even." And though he said Warner will play with the first team in the first preseason game, he wouldn't rule out Manning getting the start in Game 2.

"Are they even? I'd say yes," Coughlin said. "I'd say whoever has the opportunity to play with the (first team), that's usually his better practice, so from that point they are. Now we'll see from this point on how they separate out."

Both quarterbacks have been impressive. They've essentially split time with the first team, though Warner appears to get a few more snaps on most days. The only noticeable difference has been on the two-minute drill - a situation in which Warner has struggled and Manning has thrived.

Of course, those performances have been in practice, where situations are controlled and quarterbacks aren't allowed to be hit. The preseason games will tell much more about both of them. Like, how much does the 33-year-old Warner have left and was his two-season slide in St. Louis a fluke? How quickly has the 23-year-old Manning picked up the offense? And is he ready for NFL stardom right now?

The rest of the players will be keeping their eyes on the quarterback battle, too.

"Absolutely, because it is a competition," Tiki Barber said. "There's a lot of intrigue about who's going to take snaps for us, Kurt or Eli. They both have a lot to prove and this is their first showcase."

Warner is expected to play the entire first quarter and some of the second against the Kansas City Chiefs, before most of the starters give way to the second team. Manning will play "extensively," according to Coughlin, probably deep into the third quarter. Jesse Palmer and possibly Ryan Van Dyke will go the rest of the way.

Coughlin said his decision to start Warner wasn't based on his training-camp performance. "It's just the way we wanted to go," Coughlin said. "It's the way we should go for this game."

Warner wasn't surprised, because he said "it looked like it was leaning in that direction" with the amount of first-team reps he was getting. "It feels good," Warner said. "But I think everybody knows there's a long way to go here. This is just test No. 1."

Manning wasn't surprised about the decision either, and he seemed to take it well.

"That's fine with me," Manning said. "Obviously, Kurt's deserving of it. I don't feel like I've got to go out there and out-compete him or play better than him. I think this is a test for me to go out there and try to play smart football."

What if Manning plays better than Warner Friday night, or in any of the other three preseason games? It may be a while before that question is answered since Coughlin indicated he's in no hurry to name a starter for the opener in Philadelphia Sept. 12.

"I think when I feel it's the right time to do it, I'll do it," Coughlin said. "I certainly am well aware of when the first game of the year is."

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