UNION -- Maybe it wasn't a full-throated guarantee. But it was pretty darn close, and it's obvious Eli Manning is feeling very good about his team.

The quarterback said he feels the Giants are "definitely" a playoff team when asked while making an appearance Wednesday for the Gatorade Beat the Heat program, making it clear he expects the team to end its postseason drought in 2016.

"Yes, definitely," Manning said at Kean University during the New Jersey Offense-Defense Camp.

"We added some great players in the offseason. We were aggressive in free agency, but we still have a lot of our core guys, especially on offense, back. And I think we made some good moves on defense, we'll get some guys back healthy."

Since winning Super Bowl XLVI, the Giants have missed the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, and finished with a losing record in the last three years. Tom Coughlin was nudged out as head coach, giving way to Ben McAdoo, and the front office spent over $200 million in free agency, as well as a well-received draft, in efforts to prevent a fifth straight non-playoff campaign.

Manning admitted he is always optimistic about the Giants' chances coming in to the season, and there are multiple variables out of a team's control that go into their ultimate playoff fate.

"You never know how it's going to all play out, you don't know how the injury situation is going to be, and how you're going to respond in critical situations of games. That's something that's hard to know until you're in the fourth quarter," he said. "Does the level of play rise, or do people get uptight and nervous? Hopefully we have the guys who know how to make the plays and rise to the occasion."

But, he feels this Giants team is capable.

"The talent's there," Manning said. "Can we put it together and find a way to win the games, and play our best football when we need to?

"We've got to play better football. Find ways to win tight games. That's kind of the difference in playoff teams and not. We had a lot of opportunities to win them last year, and couldn't win enough. Hopefully we'll have the players, and the confidence we can make those plays in the crucial moments."

Manning spoke to the campers Wednesday about proper hydration while playing sports in conjunction with the Gatorade program, which is in its 12th year and "aims to raise awareness among athletes, parents and coaches on how proper hydration can help reduce heat-related illnesses during athletic activity."

"The importance of hydration is critical to your overall health, especially in these summer months," Manning said. "If you think you're drinking a lot of fluids, drink more."

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