With the 4th quarter winding to a close and the New York Giants facing a 4th-and-10 down 14 against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, veteran quarterback Eli Manning threw a pass to a wide-open Gatorade cooler on the sideline.
His experience and knowledge should, at the very least, give him the innate response to give his pass-catchers a chance on what was their final possibility at salvaging a potential comeback. Manning finished with 250 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions on the day.
Most will say Manning lacked offensive weapons to utilize, but failing to throw a catchable pass on 4th-and-10 down two scores is inexcusable. A mental mistake that cannot happen 15 years into your career with two Super Bowls notched on your belt. Also, Eli had multiple tipped passes at the line of scrimmage, primarily because of his failure to move through progressions and obsessions with staring down his receivers. We saw a similar performance in week one of the regular season against the Dallas Cowboys.
Factoring in these reasons, the Giants might be better off starting rookie passer Daniel Jones, allowing him to gain valuable experience and begin to adapt to the physicality and speed of the NFL.
Jones offers more than just a strong arm; he is athletic and can pick up yards with his legs. The play-action would be more lethal, and he would open up the opposing defense, forcing them to keep an extra player near the line of scrimmage to ensure he doesn’t take off running.
However, the primary reason is gaining experience. Theoretically, if the Giants are willing to throw rookies DeAndre Baker and Dexter Lawrence into the mix, they should be confident in Jones and his abilities to replicate Manning’s production and more.
Is Eli Manning finished with the New York Giants?
Before the beginning of the season, Manning was reportedly featuring a stronger arm. That newfound attribute has yet to be seen, considering his 6.275 yards per attempt. While his pass-catchers are dropping like flies and home-field advantage doesn’t seem to exist for the Giants, Manning’s days are not only numbered but winding down to a close.
With the future of the franchise already on the team, why wait and hinder his ability to develop? The time is now to make the change.