Unlike during the 2017 regular season, the New York Giants cannot hesitate to bench quarterback Eli Manning in 2018 if things quickly get out of hand.
It’s likely neither Ben McAdoo nor Jerry Reese would be employed by the New York Giants in May 2018 had they handled the benching of quarterback Eli Manning differently during the 2017 season. The Giants fell apart on the field and behind the scenes in ways that had nothing to do with the two-time Super Bowl MVP. McAdoo lost the locker room, and Reese did diddly-poo to build upon cornerstones of a playoff team. They had to go.
McAdoo ending Manning’s historic consecutive starts streak, and the way the matter was handled, proved to be the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. We now know, roughly six months after the fact, the greatest signal-caller in franchise history was displeased and angry about being yanked from the lineup. Fair or not, Manning took it personally. The club’s loyal servant deserved better.
What’s done is done. Manning cannot reclaim his streak, and McAdoo and Reese are gone. While new head coach Pat Shurmur and new general manager Dave Gettleman are tasked with turning what was the second-worst team in the NFL as of this past January into one capable of returning to the playoffs, they must also prepare for life after the 37-year old quarterback who will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame down the road. Assuming they fail to achieve that first goal, some difficult questions will arise before Christmastime arrives.
Shurmur and Gettleman cannot be blinded or scared by sentimentality or fan reaction if disaster strikes the Giants a second consecutive year. Ideally, Manning will win early and often and eliminate the need for discussions. What if he doesn’t? What’s the length of his figurative leash this time around? Who should be the person to tell him the music has stopped, the lights are out and the party is over?
More from New York Giants
- New York Giants deliberately disrespecting Saquon Barkley at this point
- 2023 NFL Season: Saquon Barkley signs silly deal with Giants
- New York Giants make big move with star RB disgruntled
- NFL: Which Giant deserved a contract extension – Barkley or Jones?
- 5 NFL teams that will definitely disappoint fans in 2023
There’s no single answer to this dilemma without knowing the exact circumstances. Say, for example, the Giants are sitting at 3-3, but Manning is the offense’s main weakness, a quarterback lacking the necessary arm strength and somebody with more turnovers than touchdown passes. If the Giants turn to second-year pro Davis Webb in this fictional scenario, that’s it. The bandage is ripped off. There is no going back.
A repeat of the 2017 campaign, one in which the New York offense was sunk by multiple injuries and a terrible offensive line, and Manning was neither hero nor culprit, would make things more complex. Shurmur is starting Manning to win now, and both history and logic suggest coaching staffs, especially those in their first years with teams, don’t punt on seasons until their clubs suffer a ninth defeat.
Last fall, the Giants lost their ninth game in late November, and McAdoo correctly decided five contests was not an adequate dress rehearsal for a rookie version of Webb who, admittedly, wasn’t supposed to see the field during a red-shirt rookie season. Webb will have an extra year under his belt if a similar situation arises this time around, so five games could, theoretically, be enough for Shurmur, Gettleman and company to determine what they have in the 2017 third-round pick.
Remember, though, that Shurmur doesn’t expect to go 2-9. Should Manning be benched if the Giants sit at 4-7 or 5-8? Treating December football games as exhibition contests in which Webb will sink or swim is fine on paper and in editions of Madden, but unintentionally and unofficially informing the other 51 players that winning is no longer the main objective in the final stretch of a grueling and exhausting campaign often ends poorly for all involved.
Everyone should agree that only Shurmur will make the call on if and when to sit Manning in favor of Webb. He and his coaches work with quarterbacks on a daily basis. He, the advertised QB guru, should see what Webb is and isn’t once the temperatures begin to cool and the leaves change colors. When all is said and done, Shurmur electing to start or sit Webb will tell us more about the 23-year-old than about what the coach thinks of Manning if the Giants have a losing record in November.
Next: NFL Draft 2018: Biggest steals for each team
Shurmur, Gettleman and Manning all hope to avoid this, but they have to plan for the worst and for football beyond Dec. 30, 2018. Manning’s successor may not be on the roster today. That’s fine, but the Giants need to know that’s the case ahead of the 2019 NFL Draft.