Top Pick Manning Will Start for Giants

Eli Manning is no longer the New York Giants’ quarterback of the future. The job is his now and, seemingly, for years to come.

The No. 1 pick in the NFL draft was given the starting job Monday after Tom Coughlin benched Kurt Warner, a two-time most valuable player, after losses in three of the last four games.

“He is the future of the New York Giants, it just starts now,” Coughlin said of Manning. “I really felt the last four games we haven’t been playing well offensively. We just need to make a change.”

Manning has played sparingly in two games.

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A.J. Feeley will replace Jay Fiedler as Miami’s starter Sunday at Seattle, said Jim Bates, the interim coach. It’s Miami’s most significant personnel move since coach Dave Wannstedt resigned last week.

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Jim Steeg, who has organized the Super Bowl for the NFL for more than two decades, was hired as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the San Diego Chargers.

Steeg, the NFL’s vice president for special events, announced earlier this year that he was planning to leave the league after this season’s Pro Bowl.

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Randy Moss will probably miss at least one more game. The All-Pro receiver hasn’t caught a pass in a month because of a strained right hamstring.

Minnesota Viking Coach Mike Tice said that he doubted Moss would be ready to play this Sunday against the Detroit Lions, but a return for the Nov. 28 game against Jacksonville was “more than likely.”

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Jacksonville Coach Jack Del Rio expects to be without quarterback Byron Leftwich for one more game. Leftwich returned to Birmingham, Ala., to be reevaluated by orthopedist James Andrews in hopes of playing Sunday against Tennessee.

“He’s trying like crazy to get cleared for the game,” Del Rio said. “I still believe it’s most likely that he’ll be back next week” at Minnesota.

Del Rio said he will know more Wednesday about Leftwich’s availability.

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Priest Holmes will probably miss next Monday night’s game against the New England Patriots because of sprained knee ligaments, the same injury that kept him out of Kansas City’s loss at New Orleans on Sunday.

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Tennessee strong safety Tank Williams will miss the rest of the season after an MRI exam confirmed he had torn left knee ligaments, and tackle Brad Hopkins will miss at least one game and possibly three because of broken bones in his right hand.