The statement that Eli Manning’s career as an NFL quarterback is over is not an original one. It’s rather an excruciatingly obvious one. The man is the oldest 37 year old on the planet, he seems to fumble every other possession, and the bad offensive line argument can only go so far when Odell Beckham and Saquon Barkley are on the roster. In addition, the man is painfully slow. I don’t even mean getting out of the pocket (which is a non-existent phenomena). Eli cannot seem to shake a single defender, nor find a spot while under pressure where he can deliver a ball over three yards past the scrimmage line.
Nothing… Nothing… Dump it off… Underneath…. two yard gain… Punt.
Making matters worse for Eli is the emergence of young talent at the position. 4 of my top-10 quarterbacks are within their first three seasons (Mahomes, Wentz, Goff, Watson). While the look of his contemporary Drew Brees (two years Eli’s senior) is certainly aiding the diagnosis of Manning’s escalated aging process, these new guys are making Eli appear ancient.
I feel the need to make it clear that I admire the career of Eli Manning and will always consider myself a fan. Despite going first overall in 2004, Eli was known as Peyton’s little brother until the five-seeded Giants shocked the football world in the 2007-08 season by grinding their way through the NFC playoffs and taking down the then 18-0 Patriots. In addition, if it wasn’t for the Broncos’ disgustingly dominant defence in Super Bowl 50, Eli’s career would be ending with one more ring on this finger than big bro.
Yes I realize this is old news and probably doesn’t belong in this article, but it may be the last time I write anything about it so back off.
I mean bare with me. Moving right along…
The argument being posed here is largely in response to the endless number of pundits and fans who are screaming at this team for not selecting one of the five first round QBs that went in this year’s draft. Don’t get me wrong. I am a sincere believer in the talent of these young quarterbacks. This may prove to be the strongest QB class of a generation, and I expect especially big things from that guy in Cleveland. Therefore, I suppose declaring that the Giants blundered in April by letting the likes of Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold slide through their fingers could be deemed reasonable. But to those people I have but one question…
Have you watched Saquon Barkley play football?
Speaking of generational, this man is the most Canton-bound player through six weeks I have ever seen. He is only the third player ever to have 100 scrimmage yards in his first five games (and remember, he’s on Eli’s Giants), and as I sit here watching the second quarter of Thursday Night Football he has already eclipsed the mark once again. There is nothing I can say about the physical skills of Barkley that hasn’t already been said in the mind of any person that has witnessed his brilliance, be it during his remarkable career at Penn State or his furious start in the pros.
Therefore, I won’t bother. Other than to say that Barkley was the obvious pick at the draft, he’s the best player from the draft and it’s not close, and not selecting him would have been a horrific mistake. I have never seen a player get drafted and be the league’s best player at their position immediately… not until Saquon.
However, New York, you are not off the hook.
Remember, you won 11 games just two short seasons ago, and much of that roster remains firmly intact, and with upgrades at some key positions (and some losses to be sure – JPP certainly comes to mind).
Have I mentioned Saquon Barkley?
There is still a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. Yet this season is about to hit 1-5 (its only halftime now, but I don’t like their chances), leaving the G-men at the basement of the sport’s worst division. So, what inexcusable mistake did the Giants brass make this offseason?
Why do they not have a capable backup?
Never have I seen a team with a legitimate chance to be good like the Giants were before this season, with the one obvious potential hindrance being their aging franchise QB, fail so miserably at having any kind of contingency plan in place. Teddy Bridgewater with his 1-year $6 million deal is the one that stands out the most, highlighted by the third=round pick they would have had to cough up to their shared stadium rivals in green to obtain him (this is what the Saints gave up in return for Bridgewater and a sixth).
The Giants have put themselves in a position where they can’t take out Manning even if they wanted to. They may be the weakest team at the position behind the starter in all of football. I apologize to you Alex Tanney and Kyle Lauletta fans out there that disagree with me about this. As I am making this point to the 99.99999999% of football fans that are saying with me, “Who the f*** are Alex Tanney and Kyle Lauletta?”
It’s another wasted year for the Giants. I’m often a guy that will do his best to find ways to avoid blaming the quarterback, but there are none here. This offence simply has too much going for it to be suffering the way it is. Furthermore, the failure of management to bring in anybody that could’ve at least found a way to get the ball down the field a couple times a game is indefensible. Eli Manning has had an impressive career, but its over. However, I don’t want to hear anyone say they Giants butchered their future at the draft, because Saquon is too good to be true.