New York Giants: Save Eli Manning from himself

The New York Giants are going nowhere with veteran quarterback Eli Manning, and the team now has to do right by him and save him from himself.

Quarterback Eli Manning is not the only reason the New York Giants were blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on Thursday night. Anybody saying otherwise either has an agenda or simply wants to prove that he was right about the fact that the Giants needed to spend the second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft on a signal-caller rather than on dynamic running back Saquon Barkley, who produced a performance to remember in the defeat.

With that said, the music has stopped, and Manning has been left without a chair. The 1-5 Giants aren’t going anywhere with the two-time Super Bowl MVP lining-up under center, a reality that is staring everybody in the face.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News agrees. As does ESPN’s Ian O’Connor, and WFAN icon Mike Francesa, a noted Manning defender, per Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. According to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Manning was losing the locker room even before the loss to the defending Super Bowl champions.

Yes, Manning took 13 (not a typo) QB hits, and the Eagles sacked him four times during the rout. How many of those were the fault of the 37-year old who clearly does not trust the unit in front of him? He missed open receivers down-field and multiple opportunities to step up in the pocket and take risks on a night when the numbers would make you think that Ereck Flowers was still in the lineup. The Eli of old has been replaced by an old Eli.

Frustrations are boiling over. Head coach Pat Shurmur appeared to visibly command his QB to “throw the ball” rather than check it down. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who generated headlines earlier this week with an ESPN interview he probably shouldn’t have given even if he told no lies during that segment, had another sideline meltdown, this time involving an air conditioning unit.

Manning isn’t pulling himself out of the lineup. He’s too proud, probably to a fault at this point of his career. Playing him in this offense and with this roster is not going to do anybody any good. Manning deserves better than receiving (justifiable) boos from home crowds, and he deserves better than taking beating after beating featuring for a team out of contention before Halloween.

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He deserves better than anybody ridiculously suggesting his decision to continue playing through 2018 somehow affects his legacy and Hall of Fame resume.

Storybook endings are rare in sports. We like to pretend Michael Jordan won a championship with the final shot of his legendary career even though we know that’s not the case. It probably stings all the more for Eli that older brother Peyton Manning, who has unintentionally brought ridicule upon his sibling because of his once-in-a-generation career, was able to ride off into the sunset a champion after winning Super Bowl 50.

More often than not, this is how careers end. There are glimpses the individual can turn the clock back and reclaim his prior form, such as when Manning notched a win over the Houston Texans and when he should’ve engineered a game-winning drive over the Carolina Panthers.

Those are mirages, fool’s gold. Eli is what everyone witnessed Thursday night. Worst of all, players on both sides of the ball seemed to quit during the second half. That’s a reflection of leadership, and the head of the locker room is the veteran quarterback who has been the face of the franchise for 15 seasons.

Fourth-round pick Kyle Lauletta probably isn’t ready, let alone the long-term answer at the position. It’s the fault of Shurmur, the coaching staff and the front office that Davis Webb or somebody else who is actually worth a look isn’t on the depth chart.

Following the shameful loss on Oct. 11, the Giants, 0-3 at home this season, won’t play again until they travel south to face the Atlanta Falcons on October 22. Get the kid ready, Shurmur. It’s your only choice unless the Giants are going to trade for a backup such as Tyrod Taylor.

Manning is a competitor, a warrior and an Ironman. He’ll want to right wrongs and, at worst, hang his head high and know he did all he could to save his final campaign with the Giants. Shurmur needs to remove him from the equation for his own good. As difficult as it may be to imagine, things can get worse before they improve.