November 28, 2017

New York Giants bench Eli Manning, start Geno Smith: In a shocking move, Ben McAdoo is benching two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning for Geno Smith, likely ending Manning's career in New York. Manning has started 210 consecutive regular-season games for the Giants, a streak that will come to an end after he refused to be the token starter for a series in order to keep the streak going.

posted by Goyoucolts to football at 05:08 PM - 12 comments

Mike Francesa is a few weeks from ending his career at WFAN-AM, but not before he issues a classic rant in McAdoo's direction.

posted by jjzucal at 07:12 PM on November 28, 2017

I've lost count of the barbershops and living rooms I've been in that had pictures of the Holy Trinity hung on the wall, festooned with Palm Sunday fronds.

Sinatra, the Pope, JFK.

Francesca's trinity is: Parcells, Gary Busey, Bill Romanowski.

posted by beaverboard at 08:52 PM on November 28, 2017

Bye Bye McAdoo

posted by truthhurts at 10:22 PM on November 28, 2017

Truthhurts not happy with this.

posted by truthhurts at 10:28 PM on November 28, 2017

Eli has proven he can win Superbowls on a team with inferior talent and decent coaching .. just ask Brady and Belichick.

McAdoo has proven he isn't the coach Coughlin was.

This is the best, from Marshawn: "The @Giants benching Eli Manning for Geno Smith is almost as crazy as not running the ball on the 1 with a Super Bowl in the line"

OK, so McAdoo isn't the worst NFL coach ...

posted by cixelsyd at 10:57 PM on November 28, 2017

a streak that will come to an end after he refused to be the token starter for a series in order to keep the streak going.

It would have looked REAL silly if he did that token set of downs, but I'm still glad he was smart enough not to extend it.

This Geno Smith is the same one that flamed out for the other "New York" team, right?

The one with more interceptions than touchdowns?

I could understand giving some no-name rookie a try, but Smith is a known (non-)entity. Why not let Eli finish the (wasted) season and then let him retire gracefully?

posted by grum@work at 11:30 PM on November 28, 2017

As a Jaguars fan, here is what I hope ends up happening (though, I know it won't). The Giants end up releasing him. The Jags pick him up to back up Bortles (cut Henne). It would give them at least 5 weeks to see if Eli still has anything left in the tank and if he would be worth keeping around for next year. I don't like going into the off season not knowing if he's still a good QB and if the Jags should take a flyer on him as a bridge gap for the future. Bortles is better than most would give him credit for but I'm pretty sure he isn't the long term answer.

posted by jagsnumberone at 01:31 AM on November 29, 2017

Eli has plenty left in the tank. As Mike Francesca said, Eli has accomplished something that only 7 quarterbacks have ever achieved. That 210 game streak is something that comes along once in a fan's lifetime. He is top 7 in TD passes. He has always acted with class, which is very tough being a player in NY and while being treated with disrespect. There is zero justification to mess with Eli's legacy like this on a lost season-absolutely zero. MAYBE if you were grooming a replacement, but GENO SMITH!?! I've seen a lot in 40 years of watching Giants football, but this takes the cake, by a very large margin! F--- McAdoo and Rees

posted by truthhurts at 11:23 AM on November 29, 2017

Eli's got $16 million on his deal for next season, if I'm reading the numbers right. Is it crazy to think that the Giants might be decent enough to waive him so he can hook up with another NFL team before the season ends? With that salary, I imagine there'd be a scramble to pick him up off waivers.

There's no shortage of teams who could use him, or that it would make sense to connect him to. The Jaguars are run by his old coach and look like a playoff team -- but Bortles doesn't scare anyone. The Broncos have been cycling through QBs all season and already have a history with one Manning under center -- maybe they snag him and use him as the starter next year. Or maybe he stays on the Giants roster for the rest of the year and gets traded in the offseason. Either way, I think it's clear he's done with the Giants.

posted by Goyoucolts at 11:50 AM on November 29, 2017

If enough Tennessee fans go Schiano about this, McAdoo might change his mind and rescind the decision.

This situation could happen just as suddenly to Brady someday, except Belichick would never announce it, just bring it up in the offensive backfield meetings and send another guy out there on gameday. Won't happen this year, now that Brady's gone full Methuselah mutant and they traded away the #2 and #3 guys.

Silver lining: the Giants are eventually going to retire Manning's number and at that point, #10 will lose most or all of its prior association with the unctuous Tarkenton.

posted by beaverboard at 11:58 AM on November 29, 2017

There's no shortage of teams who could use him

The short list would be teams that would not consider him.

posted by cixelsyd at 12:20 PM on November 29, 2017

That 210 game streak is something that comes along once in a fan's lifetime.

You mean as a fan of that team? Because Brett Favre would like a word. And sexy texts.

posted by yerfatma at 02:51 PM on November 29, 2017

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