NY Giants QB Eli Manning Talks Carolina Panthers, New Stadium

You New York Giants fans ready for Big Blue to officially open the new stadium against the Carolina Panthers this Sunday? Quarterback Eli Manning is.

"The fact that it is the first game - running out of the tunnel with the home crowd in a packed house on Sunday, it should be an exciting time," Manning commented on Wednesday. "And it should be a great atmosphere for football."

That doesn't mean that Manning feels that the new Meadowlands Stadium is "home" just yet. Manning hinted of an "excited apprehension" heading into Sunday's game against the Panthers, saying "We haven't played there during the day. All of our games have been night games - seven or eight o'clock. So it feels great - the field is wonderful. It should be a great atmosphere and a great place for quarterbacks. And hopefully we'll throw for a bunch yards and get a few touchdowns."

When the Panthers visited Giants Stadium for the final time last December, they crushed the Giants 41-9. According to Manning, that game is a distant memory. "I look at it as a new season," Manning explained. "It is the first game and we want to get off to a fast start and go out there and play well. They are a good team. They do some good stuff defensively - they have good players and are very well coached. And it is just a matter of execution with these guys. We want to open up the new stadium the right way and go out there and try to get a win"

The Giants and Panthers are becoming quite acquainted with each other, having faced off several times the last few years. That familiarity is a plus according to Manning, who said "We have played them these past few years. You can look at what they have done against us. They will have a new wrinkle or something new, but that is going to be every week. So I think we can get pretty well prepared for what they do, what some of their base looks are. They will have a new look here or there on third down - on first down. But we should be able to make fast adjustments and be ready to play."

The Giants and Panthers are quietly becoming a fun non-divisional rivalry. That will happen when two teams face each other every year. The Giants must do what the Panthers did last December; put the previous year's contest behind them and focus on the task at hand.

All quotes via New York Giants Communications Office

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