It’s time. It’s been time for a while now. The Giants need to end their relationship with Eli Manning once the season concludes. I hate to say it because I’ve always been a fan of Eli, stretching back to his Ole Miss days — about an hour drive from my house. But even as a huge Manning supporter, it’s time to move on. Eli isn’t doing the Giants any favors right now and sadly, if anything, he’s holding the franchise back.
The Giants have some compelling offensive pieces — the only thing that’s missing is a young quarterback. Some thought Davis Webb was the answer. Nah. I’m sure some even thought Geno Smith could be a short-term answer after the whole Ben McAdoo shitstorm last season. The way it is right now, the Giants just need to sever ties with Eli and start anew. They have a good young core right now with Odell Beckham, Sterling Shepard, Saquon Barkley and the mystery that is Evan Engram. Yeah, his offensive line has been a revolving door and has constantly put Eli on his ass throughout the year but there comes a time when you know it’s over. It’s over.
Eli did his part, though. He won the Giants two Super Bowl’s, both over the Patriots. That should be good enough, even for New York fans. It’s not like we’re talking about Kevin Kolb or Derek Anderson here. Eli will likely have a bust in Canton a few years from now, he’s paid his dues. But it’s time to move on. Although I am not completely sold on any QB’s in this draft, the Giants have to take one in the first round, whether it’s Oregon’s Justin Herbert, Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins, West Virginia’s Will Grier or some Joe Schmo from the University of Slippery Rock (look it up, real college). The Giants aren’t like most cellar dwellers, though. As said before, they have some nice pieces on the offensive side of the ball. Things could be a whole lot fucking worse, so they should be thankful for that. Saquon Barkley looks like the second coming of Adrian Peterson, Beckham is one the best in the game, but Eli is holding them back. Sure, his stats don’t look like Ryan Leaf’s, but clearly he’s not what he used to be and the Giants would be better off without him.
The Giants should just try to get something for him. Whatever they can get. The most obvious choice, and probably the best one, would be to deal him to Jacksonville where he can be reunited with former coach and current Jaguars executive, Tom Coughlin. At least do a little right by the poor bastard. Then when the draft comes around, use their first-round pick on a QB, whoever that may be. They’re pretty much a lock to be picking in the top-ten, so it’s safe to assume they’ll end up with Herbert or Haskins, if they choose to go that route (and they should). Start a new era in New York with a young offensive core and for the love of sweet baby Jesus, get some help on the offensive line — whether that be through the draft or in feee agency (although their prized acquisition last offseason, Nate Solder, hasn’t exactly been Orlando Pace on the left side).
I just don’t see how the Giants can go another year — or 2, or 3 — with Eli at the helm. The only way I can possibly see that working is if they select Herbert or Haskins in the draft, and have them sit behind Eli for a year. Learn the playbook and the nuances of the game, then dump Eli and have the young gun take the reins in 2020.
Another possibility — and it’s similar to the one above — is to do what the Redskins in 2012. In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, the Redskins took Robert Griffin III in the first round, then took some dude from the Big 10 named Kirk Cousins in the fourth round. Obviously, we know what happened with RGIII’s career, who was then supplanted by Cousins and the rest is history, so to speak. Cousins was a pretty solid QB for Washington, then landed a lucrative deal with Minnesota this offseason. The Giants could replicate that in some form this upcoming spring by taking either Herbert or Haskins in the first round, then take someone like Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham, Vanderbilt’s Kyle Shurmur (the current Giants’ head coach’s son, by the way), North Dakota State’s Easton Stick, or South Carolina’s Jake Bentley, somewhere in the middle rounds. I believe both Stick and Bentley are sleepers and both would benefit exponentially if they ride the bench for a couple of years. If whoever the Giants take in the first round ends up taking a shit on the franchise and bounces out of the league after a couple of years, then you have someone behind him that has ridden the bench for 2-3 seasons and just might know what the hell he’s doing.
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