New York Giants: Davis Webb has nothing to learn playing this season

New York Giants rookie quarterback Davis Webb should not see the field this season regardless of how many games the club loses.

Nobody saw this coming. That’s not an overreaction, overstatement or dramatic comment meant to attract attention or draw a click. Go read season previews produced last July and last August, and you’ll find multiple respected individuals predicted the New York Giants would compete for more than a spot in the postseason tournament. Those who examined New York’s depth chart saw a championship roster.

Everybody was wrong. Even before injuries plagued different aspects of the team, the Giants failed to locate wins and play as advertised. Sitting at 1-6 heading into the Bye, head coach Ben McAdoo, general manager Jerry Reese and others within the organization now have an entire week to contemplate several matters ahead of the second half of the campaign that is, essentially, one long preseason filled with nine meaningless games.

Of course, the subject of benching veteran quarterback and two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning in favor of rookie Davis Webb will arise among fans, journalists and sports talk radio hosts. What else is there to discuss regarding the Giants before Halloween? The season is over. New York’s playoff hopes are gone. The future, or at least preparations for 2018, begins next Monday.

Any temptation to see what the Giants do or don’t have in Webb is understandable. Manning turns 37-years old next January. Big Blue appears destined to have a top-five draft pick, at absolute worst, and the organization will need to decide if using such a high first-round selection on one of the top-rated college quarterbacks next spring is the correct decision. Let’s see what Webb has in his arsenal, yes?

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No. Absolutely not. In fact, anybody within the front office or coaching staff who even flirts with making that suggestion should be forced to run laps around MetLife Stadium. Playing the 22-year-old this fall would do all involved few favors other than guaranteeing the Giants the best possible draft pick, and doing so could irreparably harm any future he may have halfway through his first pro season.

Webb wasn’t a disaster in his preseason performances, but it was clear from his first several snaps that he’s a project. There are reasons, all of which were visible this past August, for why he fell to the third round. He’s not ready to see the live bullets of facing an NFL defense that isn’t merely going through the motions. He may get there, in time, but he deserves to learn as a red-shirted spectator in 2017

Even if the Giants felt comfortable with Webb’s development (they shouldn’t), throwing any rookie QB into this offense would be a disservice and downright mean. Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall were both lost to injuries earlier this season. Sterling Shepard is struggling to remain healthy. Manning is playing alongside receivers he may not be able to name without the help of a depth chart. New York’s offensive line has played better over the past couple of weeks, but no rookie signal-caller should have to start behind that unit.

At the moment, the team’s best offensive weapon is rookie tight end Evan Engram, who has far more on his plate than first planned when the franchise drafted him. The best thing to ensure Engram continues to involve and improve is to keep Manning, the only pro QB Engram’s known, in the lineup. Why risk stalling the progress of such a promising young star to play a QB who was never meant to start this year?

One could argue the Giants should play Geno Smith, Manning’s backup and a 27-year-old who flopped while with the New York Jets. Smith did well to earn a spot on the roster this past August, but let’s not pretend he looked like somebody on the cusp of revitalizing his career. Starting him would be making a change just to make a change. It’d be unfair to offensive players who still want to win, and it’d be unfair to Manning, who started his 206th consecutive regular season game when the Giants lost to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

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Per Tara Sullivan of NorthJersey.com, taking a seat on the bench is something Manning isn’t considering. “I’ll let you know if it happens,” Manning responded when asked how he’d react if he was asked to make way for either Smith or Webb following the loss to Seattle. Benching Manning in favor of Webb or Smith solves nothing, and it would serve as a sign McAdoo has lost the plot and is grasping at straws during a season where just about everything has gone wrong.