Burning Question: How Has Giovanni Manu Looked?

“I asked him (Decker), ‘what’s your recipe to success?’ And he said, ‘Come down to Arizona and train with me, and learn from me,’ that was a no-brainer to me,” Manu reflected. “It was warmer, too. There were two other Lions down there, too: (Netane) Muti and Jamarco (Jones).” 

Manu enters this year with a newfound confidence, which he called necessary for the left tackle position. The former fourth-rounder, if called upon, is protecting the blindside of the face of the Lions, Jared Goff. 

“My confidence, compared to last year, is way better,” Manu claimed. “That’s something, at the end of the day, that you need. You’re protecting JG’s blindside, that’s the franchise right there. You got to take it with great pride. In my opinion, the left tackle is the most athletic dude on the line. That responsibility is on you.” 

He has shown some added skill and discipline in his blocking, looking comfortable in team drills and providing good reps in 1-on-1 drills Tuesday. However, there have been some slip ups, including Thursday when he whiffed on an attempt to block defensive tackle Pat O'Connor.

Because of the jump in competition, he has been exposed at times for a lack of instincts that will grow as he continues to log reps.

"Working both left and right tackle, his complete lack of football instincts still rears its ugly head too often to trust him with meaningful work," wrote Lions Wire's Jeff Risdon. "He lost a rep to Pat O'Connor on the right side where he made the 300-pound O'Connor look like Allen Iverson on a crossover.

The lineman is taking the steps to be prepared to have his number called upon, as he mentioned the extra work he is putting in for the Lions to have the trust in him. His improvement, he mentioned, stems from that.

“Just extra work, right? Extra film study, extra time with my coaches, I need to do more time with myself, studying, these long days,” Manu self-reflected. “I’d say (improvement comes from) going to work every day, cleaning up those mental errors, and a big part of it is learning and growing from those mistakes.”

The extra work is showing now for the Tongan, who has slimmed down entering camp to improve upon the needed athleticism for the tackle slot. While the staff mentioned to the lineman that guard was a possibility down the road, the focus lies on getting Manu slotted for time as a tackle.

“I came in at OTAs at 365, now I am at 340, feeling real good, about 21% body fat. I feel good. Huge thanks to the strength coach, the strength staff, and coach Hank, for getting me right on the field,” Manu said.

Tuesday’s practice was rather chippy, and Manu credited it to everyone being ready to start the season and wanting to earn their spot on the roster.

“We’ve trained three months or whatever it is, to this moment here,” Manu emphasized. “Guys are ready to put on (pads), what they’ve been working hard for, guys wanting to make the roster. Everybody’s wanting to prove themselves, especially myself, right? Every time I’m on that field, get a rep in, I tell myself I am going to go 100%. Pads on or not, I am going (expletive) to the wall.”