Eli Manning

Kyle Lauletta isn’t the New York Giants starter just yet. Despite a lot of talk about how Eli Manning may very well only have one or two more weeks at the helm as the team’s quarterback, the offense finally did what they’re being paid to do: they went out and they performed well during the most important moment of the game, taking the win for the Giants. They also did it on a late game drive, under pressure.

Really, this is the first time the New York Giants have responded to pressure by standing tall at the end of a game instead of shrinking back like a team that doesn’t truly want to win. Sure, it was against the 2-7 San Francisco 49ers, but the bad opposition doesn’t take away the momentum gained from this game.

You can argue all you want about whether it’s actually a good thing or not that the Giants picked up their second win during a lost season, but deep down even the most pro-tank fans should be happy at some level that the team played well for a game. It’s a nice break from the frustrations of the last three games, two of which were not just losses but losses to divisional rivals.

What else can be taken from this game? Well, Eli Manning picked up his performance levels and even won the game for the Giants in the end, throwing the winning touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard. But Manning didn’t just come up in the clutch at the end of the game. The Giants were only in the game at that point because of the two touchdowns that Manning threw to Odell Beckham Jr., which were the only two of the game.

The connection between Manning and Beckham is back, and while Manning only had 188 yards, his lowest output of the season so far, he was efficient and came through when it actually counted. He surely saved his job, keeping rookie Kyle Lauletta on the bench for at least the next couple of games.

Will it affect things long-term? We’ll see. The 49ers aren’t good competition, and it’s important to not expect too much after beating them. After all, they entered the game in a similar state to the Giants, and are also in the race for the number one pick. It’s also unknown if the good performances will continue for the next games of the season, against the Bucs and the Eagles.

But for at least one game, Eli Manning shone again. And for better or worse, the second win of the season is a big step forward.

The New York Giants have a lost season on their hands, but they aren’t going to make the same move they did last year and bench Eli Manning. For better or worse, Manning will remain the starter for the team’s Monday Night Football game with the San Francisco 49ers, one of the teams competing with the Giants for the number one overall pick in next year’s draft.

“I told him he’s starting Monday. You guys roll with it how you want with the idea that he’s going to get us on a run here. There will be no decision to make,” said head coach Pat Shurmur. “Part of the conversation was, ‘We trust you, we want to work with you and we trust the fact that you’re going to get in there and help us win football games.'”

Of course, backup quarterback Kyle Lauletta isn’t in much of a position to start right now. While Lauletta technically wasn’t suspended, PR reasons will likely have him ride the bench at least until later in the season. There’s no guarantee that Lauletta starts at all. He was an underdog to win the starting job even before his arrest, and that arrest may serve as a setback.

Manning has been much criticized this season but it’s perhaps unfair criticism, as while Manning hasn’t wowed anyone with his performances in 2018, all of them have come behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league. Manning threw for 316 yards against the Redskins last Sunday, but had two interceptions to go with his one touchdown and had his performance hurt by a season-high seven sacks.

With the 49ers having one of the worst defenses in the league at the moment, however, Manning may be able to have a better game this time out and restore at least some faith, even if it’s temporary.

Terrell Owens has played for rival teams, but the former Eagles and Cowboys receiver has some things to say about the New York Giants and their quarterback situation. The take is definitely a bit controversial for Giants fans. Owens went as far as to tell TMZ that Eli Manning isn’t a legend, which almost everyone will disagree with. But he also said some things that are similar to what most fans currently think.

“I mean, if it was anybody else, any other quarterback, he would have already been replaced. So, at this point, give someone else an opportunity,” Owens said, which may or may not be true. Manning hasn’t been bad enough this season to be considered a replacement level quarterback, but at the same time, the Giants passing attack isn’t helping very much to win games.

Owens did defend Odell Beckham Jr., who is still doing everything he can despite the bad play from the quarterback, offensive line, or both depending on how you look at the situation. “Odell can’t perform because the quarterback is not performing. So, they should basically replace the quarterback.”

Something that Owens didn’t mention, however, is the fact that replacing the quarterback isn’t so easy. The Giants will have their shot during the NFL Draft next year, but until then, their options are Kyle Lauletta and Alex Tanney. The rookie, Lauletta, likely won’t get playing time very soon after he was recently arrested for dangerous driving and evading police officers.

But while Owens did have some more outlandish takes such as replacing the quarterback mid-season being a good idea, and Manning not being a legendary player despite winning two Super Bowls, he had one that lines up with what a lot of Giants fans have been saying.

“You have special players that are behind those not so great lines that can make something out of nothing. Eli’s not one of those types of quarterbacks. He needs protection.”

Manning’s lack of mobility has been criticized from the start of the season until now and will continue to be a talking point unless the Giants offensive line has a miracle recovery going into the last stretch. It’s become a big enough talking point that even analysts and fans that don’t follow the Giants specifically are starting to take notice of it.

But for better or worse, the Giants have Manning for the rest of the season. Even if many would prefer to move on as soon as possible.

With the New York Giants falling to a 1-7 record on a loss to the Washington Redskins by a score of 20-13, quarterback Eli Manning’s career might be in jeopardy.

Manning has struggled immensely in 2018, as his mental processing seems to be distant and his lack of mobility has affected the offense consistently. Despite the offensive line’s issues, the Giants’ quarterback is working himself into a hole that he simply cannot climb out of.

Zero protection + zero escapability = zero offense

That's sack No. 5 for #Giants QB Eli Manning today… pic.twitter.com/a7eavWC71S

— Kevin Boilard (@KevinBoilard) October 28, 2018

Here’s a play from the loss to Washington – Manning drops back into the pocket like any old day at the office, but his protection quickly collapses from the corners. With about two seconds to get rid of the ball, the pressure is just too strong, leaving Manning in a heap on the turf. His eyes drop as soon as he feels the pressure closing in, but there’s an observation to be made on his skill-set.

Look at the outside of the pocket. The edge rushers close in and Manning remains as still as a statue. Any semi-mobile quarterback would feel this pressure and quickly role out to escape and extend the play. The modern day NFL is built for the mobile quarterback. Some might ask, why? The simple answer is evolution. Quality offensive lines have become a luxury, something that’s only possible with superb drafting over five years.

Defensive lineman are plentiful, increasing the efficiency of the pass-rush for every team. This simple fact justifies the want and need of a passer than can utilize his legs to extend plays.

In the case of Eli, this characteristic doesn’t exist, and it’s hurting his team.

What should the Giants do moving forward with Eli Manning?

Before we detail the exit of Manning, we must take a look at his current contract. He has one year left on his deal, counting $23.2 million against the salary cap. If the Giants were to cut him, they would save $17 million. That money could be allocated toward finding a right tackle and safety, or any combination of starting quality players.

Currently, the Giants are heading into the BYE week, which will give head coach Pat Shurmur time to re-evaluate the team and build a plan for the remainder of the season. In regard to Manning, I would bench him in the most respectful way possible. In other words, pull the rookie experience card. Shurmur should claim that he wants to give the younger players a shot at playing time to prepare for the seasons ahead. But, he should allow Manning to finish his career as a Giants in week 17.

This plan is about as respectful as you can get with the two time Super Bowl winning quarterback. Anything less and we could see another Ben McAdoo scenario.

Which New York Giants player is going to be the next one to get shipped off to another city? Nobody knows. While trading away Eli Apple didn’t seem like too bad of a move considering the team’s current situation, the trade of Damon Harrison to the Detroit Lions for a draft pick that doesn’t match his value is proof that right now, anybody on the Giants can be moved. Even the players who have large contracts aren’t safe, and of course, quarterback Eli Manning has been drawn into the rumors.

It’s after Manning threw for almost 400 yards against the Falcons, but despite the performance, the Giants lost anyway and secured a 1-6 start to the season. Not the way that many predicted things would be going into the season, but the Giants are stuck with their poor start anyway and now that things are beyond the point of no return, the fire sale has started.

However, Manning hasn’t thought about becoming the next player to be moved in these trades. “I haven’t thought about the trade scenario and hey, this organization is the only team I’ve ever played for and only thing I know. I love the Giants. It’s hard to imagine being with another organization,” Manning recently told Mike Francesa.

It’s hard not to wonder about the trade possibilities, however. The Harrison trade means that the Giants aren’t withholding their big name players from the fire sale, and Manning is still a very big name compared to some of the quarterbacks in the league that are starting right now. He still has some time left in his career if put behind a good offensive line, which the Giants don’t have.

The Giants would also certainly get more value than they did from the other trades, after receiving a fourth round pick for Eli Apple and a fifth round one for Damon Harrison. On the other hand, this trade would appear to be throwing in the towel, which isn’t what any team wants to appear to be doing at this point in the season. It’s pretty early to embrace the tank, and that’s what the Giants would be doing by going to Kyle Lauletta or any of the free agent quarterbacks currently available.

Furthermore, it’s almost a given that the Giants are going to draft a quarterback. If they do that, it would be smart to have Manning on the roster to pass down some veteran experience. That, aside from the fact that the team likely wants to avoid the perception of throwing in the towel and tanking, is one good reason why Manning’s dismissal of a trade might not be unreasonable.

Still, there’s a chance that a trade will come out of nowhere and surprise all of us… Few would have seen Harrison being traded for a fifth round pick, if you asked them even a few weeks ago, after all.

It’s no secret that Eli Manning hasn’t performed up to his old standard this year, for whatever reason. It could be because of age, playcalling, the offensive line, or some other issue, but the fact of the matter is that the passing attack of the New York Giants isn’t one to fear… Despite having talented receivers such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard.

But it’s not just the fans that believe Manning is in decline. Former Giants quarterback Phil Simms also believes that Manning’s time is running out, and he spoke about it on XM Radio. “OK, when you phrase it that way, as a big-time starter he is [done].”

Simms went into more detail about the situation, and what it means for Manning. “The Giants built this team for this year for Eli Manning to have success. That’s what they did. They re-did basically the whole offensive line. They’ve signed Odell Beckham, Jr… They draft Saquon Barkley, which is a great deal… Sterling Shepard, a good second receiver. Evan Engram, we know he’s hurt, but it’s all there because we want the quarterback to do well, and it’s not working out.”

Of course, the offensive line revamp hasn’t worked out as well in reality as it should have based on preseason estimates. Nate Solder hasn’t performed well enough to justify his huge contract at this point, and Patrick Omameh hasn’t been much of an upgrade. You could make an argument that most quarterbacks in this league would struggle behind this line, but that doesn’t change the hard facts that the passing offense isn’t helping nearly enough to win games.

Eli Manning’s mobility has been much criticized this season, and Simms also touched on that. “I watch all these guys every week. And I’m watching Phillip Rivers going, ‘Look at him.’ Now, I know he has a better line and he’s got a set of really terrific receivers. But he is scrambling, outside the pocket, moving, he’s great in the pocket moving. Tom Brady is truly great in the pocket. And I just don’t see that enough from the Giants with Eli and that’s a big problem.”

All of these signs point to it being Manning’s last season as a starter, or at least his last season as the uncontested one. The Giants will be in the running for Oregon star Justin Herbert, but there’s still a lot of games left to be played. The quarterback situation going into the next season is murky at best. There’s a lot of unknowns. But regardless, the odds do not look good for Eli Manning to continue in the same role at this point, with mounting criticisms.

If you have sat down and watched a New York Giants game in the past three years, you’ve probably witnesses Eli Manning falling helplessly to the ground in fear of being hit. The offensive line has been putrid and it has resulted in a quarterback that’s far more focused on incoming pass-rushers than his wide receivers.

Bart Scott, a former player for the New York Jets and current talking head, believes Manning is too soft and won’t do what’s necessary for his team.

Here’s what Scott had to say on New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning:

“I just don’t know if they can right the ship,” Scott said on WFAN on Friday. “To right the ship — we all thought Saquon Barkley was going to make it easier for him. It’s easier for him if he turns around and hands the ball off. They’re not even incorporating him in to the run game. For Eli to have play action, you’ve got to run the football. So if they want to save Eli, you’ve got to hand the ball off 30 times a game.”

What Scott says about the running game is true…it’s imperative that Saquon Barkley is given the ball as much as possible, especially with the passing game struggling as much as it is. Manning needs to running game to be effective to succeed in the passing game by using play-action and creating single coverage with his receivers.

Scott went on to say that Manning is too conservative with the ball and needs to step up into the pocket and take a few hits. He needs to be resilient and throw the ball while under pressure, as he often times crumbled to the ground when he feels under duress.

‘I wonder if Eli isn’t willing to take the risk? We know what’s out there about CTE, we know what happens if he hangs onto the football, he’s going to take a punishing blow. I don’t know if he’s the guy who can take one for the team’ – @BartScott57

— Moose and Maggie (@MandMWFAN) October 5, 2018

Making the connection of CTE to Manning’s style of play is a bit wayward, but I do agree that the Giants’ quarterback needs to step into the pocket and deliver a pass despite the incoming hit.