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| [ PHOTO: NEWSDAY ] |
November 28, 2017
Peter Solari, Editor in Chief
On Tuesday, after news broke that the New York Giants would bench quarterback Eli Manning in favor of Geno Smith, of all people, in week 13 against Oakland, New York radio icon Mike Francesa blasted head coach Ben McAdoo, general manager Jerry Reese, as well as Giants ownership. Have a listen:
Amazingly, Francesa hit on every sentiment I've felt about the Giants for the past three seasons, and it's quite refreshing to finally hear someone talking about these things.
The 2-9 Giants are well on their way to a top-10 draft pick in 2018, and all the buzz in New York in recent months, has been about drafting Manning's replacement. This line of thinking is terribly misguided. New York has a lot of holes to fill on their roster, but the quarterback position certainly isn't one of them. While Manning is 36-years old and on the down-slope of his career, he's not finished yet.
If GM Reese had given Manning a competent offensive line, a semblance of a running game, and at least one receiver who didn't start the year on a practice squad to work with, things would have been different this season. Add a coach who isn't entirely clueless to that equation, and the sky is the limit. Remember, Eli's older brother Peyton Manning played until he was 39-years old, and that came after breaking his neck!
When Reese took over the Giants in 2007, he was handed a ready-made Super Bowl team. But it was Ernie Accorsi who built that team, not Reese. In reality, the Giants have been heading downhill ever since.
Reese has never been a great GM. His drafting has been abysmal overall, and outside of the 2016 offseason, when he had a ton of money to overpay players like defensive end Olivier Vernon, he hasn't been able to plug the team's holes via free agency either.
The great irony is that it was Coughlin, getting the most out of the average rosters Reese gave him to work with, that covered up many of the GM's missteps. Never was this more evident than in 2011, when Coughlin, with Manning under center, led one of the most mediocre teams ever, all the way to a Super Bowl title. But at the end of the day, Reese threw Coughlin under the bus, pushing him out the door, while bearing none of the responsibility for his own mistakes. Now, it appears like he's doing the same thing to Manning, whose two Super Bowl victories over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, are the only legs Reese has to stand on as an NFL executive.
It's ironic, isn't it? Manning and Coughlin are the only reasons Reese even has a job, and yet, Reese has now thrown both of them under the bus. Disgraceful!
The craziest part of this whole mess is that Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have now signed off on Reese and McAdoo ending Manning's career in New York. By giving the coach and GM free reign to start rebuilding the team, Mara and Tisch aren't exactly inspiring confidence that either McAdoo, Reese, or all of the above, will be relieved of their duties at season's end.
Am I the only one who has the sneaking suspicion that John Mara was adopted?
The 2-9 Giants are well on their way to a top-10 draft pick in 2018, and all the buzz in New York in recent months, has been about drafting Manning's replacement. This line of thinking is terribly misguided. New York has a lot of holes to fill on their roster, but the quarterback position certainly isn't one of them. While Manning is 36-years old and on the down-slope of his career, he's not finished yet.
If GM Reese had given Manning a competent offensive line, a semblance of a running game, and at least one receiver who didn't start the year on a practice squad to work with, things would have been different this season. Add a coach who isn't entirely clueless to that equation, and the sky is the limit. Remember, Eli's older brother Peyton Manning played until he was 39-years old, and that came after breaking his neck!
The Giants have been on a downward spiral for several years now, and it all started when they pushed coach Tom Coughlin out the door following the 2015 season. Because Coughlin was truly the glue that held everything together.Ironic, isn’t it? Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin are the only reasons Jerry Reese even has a job... And yet, Reese threw them both under the bus.— Pete Solari (@4PeteSakeNY) November 28, 2017
When Reese took over the Giants in 2007, he was handed a ready-made Super Bowl team. But it was Ernie Accorsi who built that team, not Reese. In reality, the Giants have been heading downhill ever since.
Reese has never been a great GM. His drafting has been abysmal overall, and outside of the 2016 offseason, when he had a ton of money to overpay players like defensive end Olivier Vernon, he hasn't been able to plug the team's holes via free agency either.
The great irony is that it was Coughlin, getting the most out of the average rosters Reese gave him to work with, that covered up many of the GM's missteps. Never was this more evident than in 2011, when Coughlin, with Manning under center, led one of the most mediocre teams ever, all the way to a Super Bowl title. But at the end of the day, Reese threw Coughlin under the bus, pushing him out the door, while bearing none of the responsibility for his own mistakes. Now, it appears like he's doing the same thing to Manning, whose two Super Bowl victories over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, are the only legs Reese has to stand on as an NFL executive.
It's ironic, isn't it? Manning and Coughlin are the only reasons Reese even has a job, and yet, Reese has now thrown both of them under the bus. Disgraceful!
The craziest part of this whole mess is that Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch have now signed off on Reese and McAdoo ending Manning's career in New York. By giving the coach and GM free reign to start rebuilding the team, Mara and Tisch aren't exactly inspiring confidence that either McAdoo, Reese, or all of the above, will be relieved of their duties at season's end.
Am I the only one who has the sneaking suspicion that John Mara was adopted?
