Giants Gave Eli The Middle Finger
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Giants Gave Eli The Middle Finger

Eli is not the reason New York is losing, and he deserves better than this disgrace.

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Giants Gave Eli The Middle Finger
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When browsing Bleacher Report the other day, I couldn’t believe what I had read. Surely, my eyes were deceiving me when I saw that the New York Giants were actually benching Eli Manning in favor of Geno Smith.

GENO. SMITH.

I thought “No way could they do this.” Alas, this was not some cruel joke or misreport. Head coach Ben McAdoo is actually going through with this shameful attempt to try to save his job. I’m not a Giants fan, nor am I that much of an Eli fan, but even I am sick to my stomach over such an outlandish disgrace.

I am not going to sit here and argue that Eli is something he’s not, or ever was. Over a 13 year career, Eli has shown us that he is a pretty good, but not great, quarterback that has been capable of the highest highs and the lowest lows. He has never been known for pinpoint accuracy. He has never been known for breathtaking athleticism. He’s not like Tom Brady or his brother Peyton where he has the talent to carry a bad team entirely off his play. That’s perfectly fine and fair. The overwhelming majority of quarterbacks have been like that. But what Eli has shown us is that he is a leader, unflappable, and his 210 consecutive starts shows nigh-unmatched toughness that has garnered him League-wide respect. A streak that is ending for absolutely no reason.

There are only three legitimate reasons to bench a player of Eli’s caliber and history:

  • His play is so bad that it is holding a loaded team back and risking playoff potential, kind of like Peyton in his last year as a Bronco. (they’re eliminated from the playoffs)
  • His play is so bad even for the loser Giants. (it’s not)
  • There is a young quarterback on the roster that the team was hoping to groom to be the next franchise guy, and they absolutely need to start playing him now to see if he is capable of being “the next guy.” (HAHAHAHAHA definitely not the case)

A once promising season has turned into an abysmal nightmare. I would call it a train wreck, but I respect crashed trains too much to insult them like that. However, Eli Manning is far from the reason that New York is sitting at 2-9. The defense that was supposed to be top-tier has been mediocre, the offensive line is pitiful, the run game is nonexistent, and thanks to unbelievably unfortunate injuries there are guys starting at receiver that even the most die-hard fan would have trouble naming. Suffice it to say that Manning has had next to no help this year.

Yet Eli has played about as well as anyone could possibly do in this situation given his age and talent. He has thrown 14 touchdowns to 7 interceptions this season. No, those numbers aren’t great for a veteran quarterback, but it’s still a 2-1 td/int ratio with absolutely no weapons or a run game. Eli’s 14 touchdown passes is still one more touchdown than his replacement Geno Smith has ever thrown in an entire season.

Yup, that’s right. Eli is being benched for a guy who maxed out at 13 touchdowns in his best season, has a losing record, thrown more interceptions, and flamed out with the Jets. Literally, everyone in New York knows how bad Geno is because they watched him before their very eyes. Eli isn’t being pushed out for some younger quarterback that has potential. This isn’t a Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers or Drew Bledsoe/Tom Brady situation. Everyone knows Geno is terrible, and a low-end backup at best.

That’s why this is so insulting to Eli, and why every Giants fan should boo McAdoo the minute he steps out of the locker room. He is blatantly being pushed aside by a coach who is essentially a dead man walking, trying one pathetic last ditch effort to bring a late-season spark and finish with a somewhat respectable record. Even though nothing about Eli’s play would merit a benching, nor is there a backup capable of providing said spark.

Oh, to add insult to injury, the Giants offered to let him start one more game to keep the streak alive, only to pull him a few plays later. In what universe would Eli, or any other quarterback, see that as anything but a slap in the face? Allowing Eli to start, but denying him the opportunity to get a win defeats the impressive nature of the streak. Everything about this situation is nothing short of a monumental middle finger to the best quarterback in Giants history and a future Hall of Fame player.

Yeah, I said it. Best Giants quarterback ever, and future Hall of Famer.

Although Eli has been the punchline of many jokes because of goofy looks on his face and some mind-numbingly awful interceptions, the numbers back up those statements entirely. In Giants history, no one comes close to touching Eli. He has over 17,000 more passing yards, 135 more touchdown passes, 4% better completion percentage and 15 more wins than the second guy on this list.

Which is Phil Simms.

In the grand scheme of NFL history, Eli’s 50,625 passing yards is 6th all time. A mere 850 yards from surpassing John Elway at number 5. Eli is also tied with Philip Rivers at 334 touchdowns, which is good enough for 7th all-time. Eli’s 8-4 playoff record is better than these Hall of Fame quarterbacks: Dan Marino, Steve Young, Kenny Stabler, and Johnny Unitas. It’s also better than future Hall of Famer Drew Brees and fellow 2004 draftee Philip Rivers.

Since assuming the starting position in 2004, Eli has started every single game, showing unprecedented durability and toughness. In that span, he helped deliver not one but TWO Super Bowl championships while earning MVP awards in both games. Who did he help beat again? Oh, that’s right: the freaking New England Patriots. He is the only guy to ever have beaten Tom Brady in a Super Bowl. He was the one who slayed the 18-0 super team, AND HE BEAT THEM AGAIN FOUR YEARS LATER.

I won’t attempt to make a case that Eli deserves one more season in the Big Apple. About halfway through this season, the writing was on the wall that the Manning-era was coming to a close. It was becoming clear that New York was going to have to cut ties with Eli, thank him for the memories, and move on. All good things must end eventually, but not just yet.

Five games is all that remains for New York this season. The Giants are not making the playoffs, so there is nothing to play for except pride. I do not care how much you may think Eli is overrated. I do not care if you can’t stand him (I’m talking to you, NFC East and Patriots fans). I really don't care about any of that. There is not one single legitimate reason in any way, shape, or form that can justify not letting Eli ride this one out. After all, he has done for the franchise, the very least they can do is give him an opportunity to start the final five games of his Giants, and maybe even NFL, career.

If a 2-9 season wasn’t going to result in Ben McAdoo losing his job, then this certainly sealed the deal. He will have earned every ounce of his firing.

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