If anyone had doubts about Eli Manning’s leadership, they should be dispelled after his statements today. He said that McAdoo had offered him the opportunity to start against the Raiders to keep his streak alive, but he told the coach to start Geno Smith instead and agreed with the plan to give snaps to Davis Webb.
He has no realistic chance to pass Favre for the all time consecutive start record, but he could have added to his second place margin. He rightly declined, making it clear that he wants to c
ompete but team needs come first.
With the future for the organization cloudy, there has been talk of trading Manning in the off season. But with the volatility of the NFL, there’s no reason the Giants can’t be good in 2018 and Eli will likely give them a better chance to win than anyone else they could realistically bring in. And if they do score a great rookie a la Deshaun Watson, Manning could step aside and mentor. And any young QB, including Webb, will have growing pains. Manning will be a valuable presence.
