Giants to bench Eli Manning, start Geno Smith against Raiders
The New York Giants are ready to think about life after Eli Manning.
Coach Ben McAdoo announced Tuesday that veteran backup Geno Smith will start Sunday when the Giants face the Raiders in Oakland. Rookie Davis Webb will also likely receiving playing time as New York, mired in last place in the NFC East with a 2-9 record despite preseason predictions the club would contend for the division title, plays out the string.
“Coach McAdoo told me I could continue to start while Geno and Davis are given an opportunity to play,” Manning said in a statement distributed by the team.
“My feeling is that if you are going to play the other guys, play them. Starting just to keep the streak going and knowing you won’t finish the game and have a chance to win it is pointless to me, and it tarnishes the streak. Like I always have, I will be ready to play if and when I am needed. I will help Geno and Davis prepare to play as well as they possibly can.”
Asked if he could see Manning being the Giants' quarterback next season, McAdoo said, "It's part of the evaluation process."
Manning, 36, had started 210 consecutive regular-season games since replacing Kurt Warner midway through his rookie season. Manning's current stance mirrors that of Warner, who encouraged the team to stick with Manning, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2004, even though his rocky play knocked the Giants from the playoff race that season.
In addition to his ironman streak -- only Brett Favre (297) owns a longer one in the history of the NFL -- Manning went to win two Super Bowl MVP awards and has the most passing yards (50,625) and TD passes (334), among numerous other records, in the franchise's proud history.
However Manning's struggles in 2017 have been a microcosm of an underachieving team that hasn't blocked well, run the ball effectively or lived up to its defensive payroll.
“I have said it many times, I want to play, I want to compete, I want to be out there for my teammates to help them prepare to win,” Manning said. “I understand that there are tough decisions that have to be made in the best interest of the organization, especially as a season like this winds down. This is one of those tough, uncomfortable decisions.”
Manning's 84.1 QB rating is his second worst over the past decade.
“This is not the way it should be, but unfortunately, it’s where we are,” McAdoo said. “Our number one priority every week is to go win a game, but we owe it to the organization to get an evaluation of everybody on the roster, and that includes at the quarterback position. I’ll say it again, I have the utmost respect for Eli and everything he has done for this organization throughout his career. He is the consummate professional. He doesn’t like the position we are in, and neither do any of us. Eli has had to deal with a lot this season. Through it all, he has done everything we have asked of him in getting that unit ready to play. He has been steady, just like he has always been.”
The Giants have 19 players on injured reserve, and McAdoo has suspended cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie this season.
Smith, a second-round pick of the cross-town Jets in 2013, has only started one game since the 2014 season. He signed with the Giants this year.
Webb was a fairly highly regarded third-round pick out of Cal. He also played at Texas Tech and has a reputation as a football junkie. However he'll probably face a fairly significant learning curve as he adapts from the the spread offenses he thrived in during college.
“This is not a statement about anything other than we are 2-9, and we have to do what is best for the organization moving forward, and that means evaluating every position,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “I told Eli this morning that an organization could not ask for any more in a franchise quarterback. He has been that and more. Nobody knows what the future holds, but right now, this is what we think is best for the franchise.”
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