The end of the Eli Manning era has begun and with it the end of the 2019 season for the NY Football Giants. At the same time, it is the beginning of the Daniel Jones era. Daniel Jones the former Duke star and 6th over-all pick in the NFL draft for the Giants will now take over the starting reins for New York beginning in Tampa Bay versus the Bucs on Sunday, September 22nd.
Eli Manning is out and Daniel Jones is in
While Eli Manning’s Giants team has given up whopping 63 points in the first two games of the season, it has been obvious that the defensive lapses have all but taken the Giants out of each game early.
Although, Eli Manning was nowhere near the cause for, and at times has given fans hope for, staving off defeat; it is he that has been benched for the next game and assumedly for the rest of his career.
Indeed Manning will have to decide what he wants to do with the remainder of his career. He has been loyal, and the team has largely been loyal to him. The Giants will undoubtedly not renew Eli’s contract, although they might be smart to offer such a soldier the back-up role. No, more than likely Eli Manning will ride off into the sunset having earned $235M over 15 years and look for his next journey in life.
The only certainty from the decision by management and coaching, to sit Manning in favor of his hopeful heir, is that the Giants will not win another game this season.
Anyone that watched Eli Manning come on the scene some 15 years ago remembers the debacle that ensued.
Daniel Jones entering much as Eli did
The Giants threw Eli in at the first sign of a stumble for future Super Bowl quarterback, and previous Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Kurt Warner. Fans had to witness and endure the growing pains of a talented rookie NFL quarterback.
The team went on to lose the remaining 11 games of the season, following a 5 and 3 start.
Reasonable logic says that the Giants, with Manning at the helm and an uncharacteristically soft schedule in 2019, might somehow rectify their woes and win half of their games. Moreover, this scenario in the eyes of a fan and follower for 50 years of New York Giants' history - is called hope!
But, when you bench a two-time, last-minute - snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, - Super Bowl-winning, MVP quarterback, in favor of a rookie, you take away all chance for victory resulting in a dismal season which is void of any and all hope.
Where is the fan in all this?
Hope is what makes a fan a fan. With the start of any sports season, all the average fan has is hope. All true fans have it. Right down to the very last whistle, pitch, buzzer, etc. the preponderance of home town fans hang their hats on hope.
It isn’t right for coaches and management to assume that because things have not started so well, that fans would like to have all hope extinguished for the remainder of the season.
Remember this is a NY Giants team that has thus far paralleled the 0-2 record of their 2007 Super Bowl-winning season.
And, the Giants didn’t just win that Super Bowl they beat Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the heavily favored New England Patriots!
