Ryan Nassib: Grading and dissecting the Giants QB's performance vs. the Jets

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EAST RUTHERFORD -- In a matter of weeks, the improbable has occurred. Confidence in two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Eli Manning has waned, in part because of his overall poor performance in the preseason. At the same time, belief in Giants backup Ryan Nassib has soared through the roof.

Just two weeks ago, the Giants were unhappy with Nassib's play. The second-year quarterback had a rough offseason and looked shaky early in the training camp. He had an uneven performance in the second preseason game against the Pittsburg Steelers while last year's backup Curtis Painter shined.

'When Ryan Nassib came in there was some good and there was some bad,' coach Tom Coughlin said, before mentioned several poor decisions Nassib had made in that exhibition contest.

But Nassib played well late in last week's victory over the Indianapolis Colts, leading a miraculous fourth-quarter comeback. He possibly played even better on Thursday night against the Jets.

Nassib, 24, looked poised and, most importantly, decisive while shredding the Giants' crosstown rival. He made plays and further staked his claim on the backup quarterback position behind to Manning.

Coughlin and the Giants' trust in Nassib appears to be growing with each game. It seems safe to think that they can now confidently keep only two quarterbacks, which is what they wanted from the start. The deck has been stacked in Nassib's favor since the start of the year, and this confidence seems to finally be coming through for them.

'One thing that was very impressive was that he didn't have a very good game two weeks ago and he came back last week and this week and played very well,' Coughlin said on Friday night. 'He ran the offense well. He stuck the ball in there down the field well. He didn't run the ball [Friday]; he didn't come out of there running it, but he directed the running game into the right spots and that was a good thing as well.'

There was a lot of positives in that performance. After reviewing all 13 of his throws, there were more clearly pros than cons.

Stats: 8 of 12 passing for 103 yards, 3 TDs and 133.0 QB Rating

Pros: One of my biggest complaints with Nassib this offseason and summer has been his accuracy. There were days, especially early on, where throws were consistently high and wide. Receivers barely had a chance given his velocity and ball placement to a) make the catch and b) do something positive with it after the reception.

Neither was a problem against the Jets. Nassib threw the ball accurately and with velocity. He gave his receivers a chance to make plays. He put the ball out there perfectly on wide receiver Preston Parker's 39-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter. He hit Julian Talley in the hands on 3rd-and-7 from the Jets' 13-yard line, which allowed Talley to get up field quickly and beat his defender and run for a first down. Throwing the ball accurate seems so simple, but it's not. Ask Manning.

Again, Nassib also showed excellent arm strength. Not that this should be a surprise. He's shown excellent arm strength from the start, including in the Hall of Fame Game against the Bills.

But the biggest differences from Nassib earlier this month to now appears to be his comfort in the offense. While Manning still looks shaky at times, Nassib appears confident. He knows his reads and fires the ball on time, yet didn't force anything into traffic against the Jets. The same can't be said for Manning.

Nassib gets to the line and seems to confidently make the necessary play-call adjustments and subsequent throws. Here near the goal line he makes a change. It looks like Nassib sees the defense and checks out of a run and into a passing play.

Baca Juga

After Nassib scrambles back into the shotgun, he fires to Parker in the left corner of the end zone. The pass is knocked down as Parker didn't create separation, but it appears to be the right call because it was 1-on-1 in the end zone.

Later in the second half, however, the adjustment paid off. Nassib changed from a run to a pass and hit Parker streaking down the left sideline for a touchdown.

'We had a run play called and they kind of loaded the box,' Nassib said. 'We checked to a pass and had single coverage on the outside. Preston [Parker] was able to wiggle free and make a great play.'

Confidence. Competence. The Giants scored seven points. They also appear to have found their backup quarterback, and possibly even their future starter. Nassib looked the best he has all year long in the new offense on Friday night. If the progression continues, the Giants may have something here, although there is still plenty of room for growth (especially throwing touch passes).

'As a whole offense, I think we're getting more and more confident with the system,' Nassib said. 'There's still a lot left to get better at and still a lot left to improve on. We're not satisfied yet.'

Cons: There weren't many negatives to take from Nassib's performance. For the most part, he went through his progressions well, looking for receivers downfield and not forcing anything.

The one negative was that he didn't see a few open receivers. On Nassib's first touchdown pass, he missed an open Daniel Fells in the middle field before making a play and squeezing the ball to fullback Henry Hynoski into a tight space. Nassib later missed Fells again on a play-action pass while rolling against his body.

These things happen. This is simply nitpicking right now. Every quarterback misses some open receivers.

Overall: Nassib had a strong game. He made quality decisions and his accuracy was good but not great. Good still gets the job done most of the time. Most important, Nassib appears to be the Giants' most comfortable quarterback in their new offensive system.

Grade: A Jordan Raanan may be reached at jraanan@nj.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanRaanan. Find NJ.com Giants on Facebook.