Eli Manning Deserves Better
A little piece of the New York Giants died yesterday with the news that Quarterback Eli Manning will be benched for journeyman Geno Smith.
When I say “died”, I am referring to the legacy and the spirit the New York Giants are known for. Parcells developed it, Coughlin perfected it. Today, the Giants are in complete disarray and the act of saving your ass by Head Coach Ben McAdoo is just sad.
Some may think the wheels have fallen off in a very short time; however, if you dive below the surface you will see that General Manager Jerry Reese and his neglect have slowly eroded the fabric of this team since 2012. The one constant week in and week out was Eli Manning. Never missing a start and always saying the right thing.
It’s this simple: Eli Manning deserves better. For 13 years Manning has been the face of this franchise giving you his best, week in and week out. He’s still the best quarterback on the roster, he can still play and he should not be the excuse for a team that was improperly built, improperly coached and decimated by injuries.
If McAdoo wanted to send a message to his team he could have easily cut Brad Wing, Cut Aldrick Rosas, fired Mike Sullivan, traded Janoris Jenkins, benched Eli Apple.
While I have not always been happy with Eli’s play over the past few years, a 2x Super Bowl Champ and 2x Super Bowl MVP should not be “discarded” in this manner. His accomplishments should garner more respect from this 2nd year Head Coach and this incompetent General Manager.
John Mara and his silence and his endorsement of this move doesn’t feel like he is holding his GM and Coach accountable. The offensive line was flawed from the off-season, he lost 4 starting receivers in one game, his running backs are average and No. 10 has gotten battered and bruised without a complaint. Signing OV, Jenkins and Harrison was just a band-aid from Jerry Reece. If you take off the bandage…the infection is still there.
If this was about a new direction…then Davis Webb should be starting on Sunday. He should have been active and promoted to #2 week ago. If this was the vision…there should have been a plan in put in place weeks ago.
There was no plan, no vision…just another knee jerk reaction. There might not be a “right” way to make this transition, but there is surly a “wrong” way to do it.
Don’t take our word for it…take the words of legends: Carl Banks, Osi Umenyiora, Victor Cruz, London Fletcher, Fred Taylor, Justin Tuck, David Diehl, Shaun O’Hara, Dave Tollefson, Tom Coughlin, Plaxico Burress, Brandon Jacobs, Kurt Warner, Terrell Thomas, David Carr.
@NYGiantsRush