New York Giants: Keep Davis Webb as backup

Davis Webb is probably the best option to be the backup quarterback behind Eli Manning for the New York Giants, for better or for worse.

August preseason football games are largely about overreactions. Everyone not directly tied with football clubs are guilty of these hot takes. Fans, sports talk radio personalities and even beat reporters allow emotions to overshadow reasonable discussions. The excitement caused by knowing real NFL contests are so close coupled with a lack of legitimate storylines bring these opinions to the light of day.

New York Giants backup quarterback Davis Webb played poorly against the Cleveland Browns earlier this month. Actually, Webb was terrible that evening. The moment seemed too big for him. His passes sailed everywhere but into the hands of targets. He showed horrible footwork. In short, Webb looked more like a rookie thrown into the figurative deep end well before he could swim rather than a second-year pro who allegedly has studied behind two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning for over a year.

Things change quickly in the NFL. An All-Pro becomes a pumpkin overnight, and stars emerge seemingly from nowhere on a weekly basis. Thus, it shouldn’t have been too surprising to see Webb produce a much better outing against the Detroit Lions in his second preseason appearance of the summer.

Ignore the numbers and the fact that Webb tossed a touchdown pass because a Detroit linebacker allowed running back Wayne Gallman to journey to the end zone untouched and unguarded. The former third-round pick seemed to be a different person than the guy who wasn’t ready to face the Browns. He showed poise in the pocket. He wasn’t afraid to throw passes in tight windows and test defensive backs. He impressed with his athleticism and ability to extend plays via his legs.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

It’s understandable some New York fans doubt Pat Shurmur can be the team’s long-term head coach who follows in the footsteps of Tom Coughlin and guides the Giants back to a Super Bowl. Shurmur is the man for the moment, whether anybody likes it or not, and one of the reasons the current Big Blue regime brought him to East Rutherford is because of his history working with young signal-callers.

No, Shurmur and his staff did not acquire Webb in 2017, but the second-time head coach had plenty of time to scout Webb ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft. Rather than using the second overall selection on a quarterback such as Sam Darnold, the Giants grabbed running back Saquon Barkley, a decision that now serves as an unofficial vote of confidence in Manning and Webb.

Everybody loves a new toy. In this case, the toy is rookie Kyle Lauletta, a fourth-round pick who flashed some fancy footwork en route to finding the end zone versus the Lions. All need to remember, regardless of the good and bad aspects of his game at this stage of his career, that Lauletta is a project. He’s not meant to be second on the depth chart for any NFL team. He was never supposed to be this early.

Giving a young quarterback reps and responsibilities before he’s ready often ends disastrously for all involved. Ask the Cleveland Browns, a franchise guilty of sinking multiple careers since the franchise returned in the NFL in 1999, about that. Lauletta may be Shurmur’s quarterback of choice beyond 2018, or he may be out of the league before 2020. Let him develop on his own time and without having to worry about seeing meaningful playing time if something happens to Manning between the final week of August and Christmastime.

Webb putting his disappointing outing versus the Browns out of his memory before taking the field in Detroit represented a step in the right direction. It’s similar to what Manning has done time and time again since his rookie year. Statistically speaking, Manning has never been the best in the business, but Easy Eli has been the right man for his job on several occasions. Teaching Webb how to deal with setbacks and how to take the bad with the good could be his greatest achievement as a mentor.

The handful of “big boy” “NFL throws” Webb completed in Detroit makes him worth the investment this season. There’s something there to mold. Whether or not Shurmur can turn Webb into a franchise quarterback has yet to be seen, but the Giants should examine the process more throughly before looking elsewhere for Manning’s successor.