Why Eli Manning got benched in 2017, explained in 2 minutes

September 17, 2019 update: Yes, Eli Manning was benched back in 2017, but he was also just benched just two weeks into the 2019 season. Read more about the Giants choosing to start Daniel Jones over Eli Manning.

The New York Giants benched Eli Manning on Tuesday afternoon. Perhaps you heard. Manning has been the face of the franchise since 2004, starting every game since Week 11 that year, 210 of them plus another 10 playoff games and two Super Bowls (that they won). It was shocking to hear that Manning would not be under center for the 2-9 Giants when they take the field on Sunday against the Raiders.

Geno Smith will start this week. But it won’t be long until rookie Davis Webb gets a turn in the rotation.

First, let’s answer the obvious question. Yes, he is healthy, as healthy as a 36-year-old quarterback can be. He’s been mostly healthy every week of his 14-year career so far, hence the streak. So that wasn’t it.

This is about the Giants looking beyond the 2017 season, already a lost cause.

Benching Eli and giving Smith and Webb the chance to play with five games left in the season is a chance to get a closer look, via actual game film, of what kind of players they can be, especially Webb since they spent a third-round pick on him this year and he’s under contract for three more seasons.

The general manager, Jerry Reese, said as much on Tuesday: “This is not a statement about anything other than we are 2-9, and we have to do what is best for the organization moving forward, and that means evaluating every position.”

The Giants are expected to clean house after this season, and that probably means jettisoning both head coach Ben McAdoo and Reese. By giving Smith and Webb a chance, that gives the new regime, whomever it may be, some data to decide whether or not those players can be part of the rebuilding effort, or at least a bridge to another franchise quarterback.

It’s going to be a new era of Giants football. That includes the quarterback position, too.

McAdoo pushed it too in a desperate attempt to save his job, SB Nation’s Thomas George reports.

Even as far back as September it was hard to see the Giants as a serious playoff contender, but all four wheels have come off since then. At 2-9 with one month left to play and a coaching staff and general manager probably on the way out, there’s enough time left to give the other QBs some meaningful playing time.

Just going by chain of command, it’s McAdoo and Reese. But there was some speculation that the move was ownership driven. Why the owners? Because it’s a move geared more toward 2018 and beyond, knowing the assets they have so that they can build again.

People inside the Giants’ building pointed to McAdoo’s attempt to save his job too. The head coach has been talking about Manning’s decline as a factor in the team’s struggles this season. He had a hand in making the move to go out on his own terms as the Giants head coach, possibly saving his job if he really believes benching Manning will help the team salvage what’s left of the season.

That’s still to be determined. The Giants could trade him. Or, they could release him, turning him loose into the free agent market for 2018. There’s even the slight possibility they keep him, though unlikely. He has plenty of options left if he wants to keep playing.

There’s already plenty of tape on Geno Smith from his time with the Jets. And given that he’s a free agent after this season and Webb has another three years on his contract, the Giants have more imperative to see the rookie in action.

But it takes time to get a third-string QB ready to play. He’s been working with the scout team almost exclusively this season. That entails running a set of very specific plays so that the defense can get simulated reps against the next week’s opponent.

With another look at Smith, they can decide whether he’s worth re-signing as a free agent this year. Not to mention it helps, potentially, his value on the market if they Giants opt to let him walk, if he can put up some decent tape.

McAdoo extended that offer, but Manning’s a professional. He was clearly not interested in taking a series just to check that box.

“My feeling is that if you are going to play the other guys, play them,” Manning said while addressing the news. “Starting just to keep the streak going and knowing you won’t finish the game and have a chance to win it is pointless to me, and it tarnishes the streak. Like I always have, I will be ready to play if and when I am needed. I will help Geno and Davis prepare to play as well as they possibly can.”