National Post (National Edition)
Manning to Jags bears some merit
Beleaguered Giants’ QB could use a change of scenery
Ajuicy trade rumour making the rounds would have Eli Manning joining the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It would reunite Manning with his longtime former head coach Tom Coughlin, now Jacksonville’s head of football operations.
Manning’s remaining time as starter with Giants in New York — where he has quarterbacked since 2004 and won two Super Bowls with Coughlin at the helm — appears short.
For whatever reason, while Manning’s stats are OK, he isn’t connecting often enough downfield. Some say he’s dumping off too much and too soon — the ol’ checkdown ailment not uncommon among late-career quarterbacks who lose some of their nerve just prior to hanging ’em up.
That’s quite possibly the case with Manning. It’s also possible, however, that a mere change of scenery, teammates, playbook and (especially) pass protection could reinvigorate his career.
As for Jacksonville, Coughlin surely must be ready to move on, once and for all, from Blake Bortles. The fifth-year QB just can’t seem to string together more than two or three good games together.
His whole career seemingly has been series after series of two or three small steps forward, followed by one or two huge lunges backward.
Reading the tea leaves, you have to wonder whether Jaguars defenders are losing spirit directly because of this. Even when they play great, such as holding Tennessee to three field goals in a 9-6 loss in Week 3, Bortles can come up so small as to ruin their stingy performance.
The Jaguars are 3-3 and seemingly on the verge of watching a once highly promising season dissolve.
Again, it’s just pure speculation at this point, but Manning probably could take the Jaguars farther into the playoffs than the beleaguered Bortles if they were to acquire him before the Oct. 30 trade deadline.
❚ Fast Facts: New England is 0-2 on the road, and six of its last 10 are on the road … Only three teams have fewer than two losses: the Rams (6-0), Chiefs (5-1) and Saints (4-1) … Tampa Bay has the top pass offence and the worst pass defence … The Rams have gained 1,022 more yards on first-down plays than the Bills.
Sunday night’s Kansas City at New England showdown enthralled us all as we’d hoped.
The action was riveting. Back and forth. With top playmakers for both teams producing their best plays down the stretch, as we always want. Especially quarterbacks Tom Brady of the Patriots and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs.
The primary take-away from New England’s 43-40 last-second victory? It’d sure be one fun AFC Championship Game should these teams advance that far come the third weekend of January.
❚ Gruden Effect?: The Oakland Raiders are 1-5 so far since Chucky returned as head coach, for a reported US$100 million over 10 years.
His team hasn’t yet won in regulation, hasn’t won on the road either in North America or England, can’t stop anybody late when it matters without help from the officials, and can’t even move the ball with effective regularity, Gruden’s supposed specialty as coach.
Mercifully for the Raiders, their fans and everyone else, the team has a bye this week.
If anything, Gruden’s presence seems to have hurt a team that, at this time a year ago, was still viewed as possessing one of the most potent offences in the league. Oh, and it had one of the NFL’S great pass rushers in Khalil Mack, before Gruden traded him away in early September.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr in 2018 is dumping off more to backs and tight ends, and less to his receivers, such as the heavily criticized Amari Cooper. Carr ranks 22nd in pass efficiency (with an 89.4 rating, which is below par in 2018) and has thrown more picks (eight) than TDS (seven). Ouch.
After losing 27-3 to Seattle in London on Sunday, reports suggested Gruden might now be ready to blow up what’s left of his roster.
Strangely, Gruden said Sunday he gets “claustrophobic” during air travel, which he “hates” and which once gave him vertigo after a 14-hour flight.
“I’m not good, I’m concerned,” Gruden said. “I’m more worried about that than our goal-line offence right now.”
What?
Just whinge, baby.