New York Giants: Eli Manning’s ‘Ric Flair retirement’ angle

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will never be the “Nature Boy,” but he’s more Ric Flair than you might imagine these days.

Maybe New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning should retire the day after Monday evening’s comeback win over the lackluster San Francisco 49ers. Perhaps, as ESPN Cleveland personality Tony Grossi suggested, Manning should go out with his head held high as a winner and hand the keys to the offense to rookie Kyle Lauletta before announcing in February that he is riding off into the sunset.

That’s not going to happen, or at least it isn’t unless Manning has changed his mind after speaking with reporters on and off the field following the win over San Francisco.  The two-time Super Bowl MVP wants to keep playing up through his 38th birthday in January, if possible. He loves the game and loves being the face of the Giants and the leader of an offense.

This may be the first, and only, time anybody compares Manning to pro wrestling icon “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Manning can still be “Easy E” every now and then, such as when he hits Sterling Shepard in the end zone for a game-winning score as he did on Nov. 12. But he’ll never be a “Rolex wearing, diamond ring wearing, kiss stealing, wheeling dealing, limousine riding, jet flying son of a gun.”

In November 2007, WWE began a storyline in which Flair had to win every match or be forced into retirement, an angle that culminated at the following spring’s WrestleMania event, where Shawn Michaels defeated Flair. Watching Manning stroll onto the field late in Monday’s game brought memories of that piece of writing to mind.

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Like with Flair a decade ago, Manning is clearly no longer in his prime. He twice missed an open Odell Beckham Jr. down the left sideline during the first half of the fourth quarter, once when he underthrew the dynamic receiver, and the second time when he didn’t notice that Beckham had beaten his defender for what could have been a touchdown assuming Manning is capable of completing such passes these days.

Even as he marched the Giants toward victory, Manning was hardly ELIte. He connected with a wide-open Evan Engram on a pass every starting quarterback has to complete. A pair of home-team penalties prolonged the drive. Manning then found rookie running back Saquon Barkley on a short pass that became a 23-yard gain after the first-year pro carried the ball into the red zone:

The touchdown connection between Manning and Shepard was vintage Eli, the type of throw we saw from him in January 2012 and a ball placed only where his target could get it. Shepard deserves credit for going up and finishing a difficult play, but that highlight exists because of the quarterback:

No reasonable person, no disrespect meant to Beckham, believes the 2018 Giants are running the table and going undefeated for the remainder of the club’s eight-game campaign coming off the bye. Players and coaches alike see winnable games on the schedule, but 8-0 is a difficult mark to hit for any squad, let alone one that lost seven of its first eight.

When head coach Pat Shurmur elected to keep Manning in the lineup to face the 49ers, he unofficially declared that the veteran gives his team the best opportunity to win among the signal-callers on the roster. At this point, Shurmur should keep Manning under center to see if he can generate one more magical Flair-esque run because, quite frankly, what is there to lose? Games? Big deal.

Monday’s result changes nothing about New York’s long-term plans. Lauletta should, and will, see the field before Christmas Day. Shurmur’s QB room won’t include Manning next summer. For at least one week, those around Manning are giving him votes of confidence.

Shepard came to the defense of his quarterback when speaking with Westwood One after the win over the Niners.

"“It’s not Eli’s fault,” Shepard said when discussing the offense’s past woes. “It frustrates me whenever I hear that type of stuff. You see, when it comes down to crunch time, he’s the best person with the ball in his hands, and he did a great job executing on that last two-minute drive.”"

In short: To get rid of the Manning, some team has gotta beat the Manning. For now, he walks that aisle for a home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 18.