The End of the Eli Era
The End of the Eli Era
It was 3rd and 5 the Giants had their backs against the wall on a February day in Arizona. Randy Moss had just beat Corey Webster to give the Patriots a 14-10 lead to help cap off their perfect season. Manning dropped back avoided the rush and was stopped the world froze as the biggest game in American sports was about to take in one of the greatest super bowl memories of all time. Eli heaved it up for about 45 yards to David Tyree who had a total of 4 catches that season for big blue. He came down with one of the greatest catches of all time which eventually prompted the giants to take a 17-14 lead on a Plaxico Burress touchdown. Eli Manning is responsible for some of the greatest moments in the history of the NFL.
The day has come Manning who was steadily declining throughout his ladder seasons with the New York Football Giants was replaced by Daniel Jones the heavily criticized pick of the 2019 NFL draft. Jones will not look back, he is the Giants quarterback going forward and fans will never see Eli start another game for their franchise. The way a two time super bowl champion should be recognized by his organization should be with class and respect. John Mara has let the Manning train roll for too long causing Eli to hang up his cleats at Metlife Stadium in a way he never imagined.
The Giants made the right decision but this choice was way overdue. The fact of the matter is the Giants are going nowhere this season with or without Eli Manning so why wouldn’t they prepare Jones so he can start a 2020 season next year with a hopefully improved roster. The Giants are going to have a good cap situation next offseason to fix their defense. Jones will now have 14 games to get his feet wet and clarify to the Giants that he is the real deal. Jones will have a tough road ahead as he will eventually travel to Foxborough and at one point play in Philly. Don’t expect much from this Sunday when the Giants travel to Tampa the Bucs are hot off a win in Carolina and should be a tough opponent for the giants.
Shurmur’s offensive game plan will be simple for Jones so he can find some success early and build some confidence in his first NFL start. Saquon should have an even bigger role than last week to help guide Jones. It’s time for everyone in the Giants organization to mentally move on from Manning and give Daniel the reigns. The first two giants games have highlighted the unfortunate parts of their roster right now but energy brought by number 8 from Duke may bring some more light on this roster. The Giants are a ways away from competing for a division title like the NFC east but this was most definitely a step in the right direction for the franchise.
-By: Sam Kirk