Anything to be the starter, right? On Thursday, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning decided to test his chops as a blocker. As he handed the ball off to running back Wayne Gallman, Manning saw a lane to block for his back and took it. As Gallman cut back, he followed Manning who blocked Cincinnati Bengals cornerback William Jackson III, in turn leading to a first-down.

So, yea, Manning is now a lead blocker, that can also out-run the play, which is particularly impressive since he's doing so in preseason ball, at 38-years-old. That's called, heart, determination, grit, or just being Eli. He led the Giants to a field goal in the drive; seeing that he got enough tape as a lead blocker, he left the game after.

Of course, there are more pressing matters to Manning's preseason than his duties as a blocker. 2019 No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones is giving him a run for his money for the starting job in The Big Apple. But, as of now, he's the definite starter, according to head coach Pat Shurmur.

Giants owner John Mara has reaffirmed multiple times that Manning is the starter, so when Schurmer is asked if he is, he responds accordingly;

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ā€œJohn [Mara] owns the team, right? Weā€™re on the same page. There is really not much more to say. I think Iā€™ve been saying it all along. I just get a sense once in a while that when I answer those questions nobody believes me. Well you heard it from the owner,ā€ Schurmur said recently, per USA Today.

So, it looks like Manning can continue to lead block for his running backs.