Before moving on, get Eli the help to win one more title
JERRY REESE broke the bank for Steve Spagnuolo last off season and Big Blue carried Eli Manning back to the playoffs.
And even as the Giants must begin to think about formulating a succession plan for Manning, first they owe it to him to get him more help so he can chase that third Super Bowl championship once more with feeling. And now. Before it is too late. Manning has enough left in his 36-year-old arm to capture that elusive third ring.
But he needs better protection, and a pass-catching tight end and/or big target he can depend on. And he needs it before his window closes forever. “Thirty-six, I don’t think that is ancient for a quarterback,” Reese said .“I think he is probably on the back nine, but I don’t think that is ancient for a quarterback, and he is taking care of himself really well, and I thought he finished these ason strong .”
Remember though, that Manning (26 TDs, 16 IN Ts) was not able to carry his team on his back when it needed carrying, and the Giants failed to reach 20 points even once over the last six games of the season.
Even armed as he is with a beautiful football mind and command of the Ben McAdoo offense, everyone wondered whether Playoff Eli would suddenly materialize against the Packers. He made enough good throws to give the Giants a chance against Aaron Rodgers had Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard caught them.
“I thought my arm strength is good,” Manning said. “I still can make the deep throws and make all the throws. At my age, I can’t relax. I have to work harder than ever just to stay where I am.” The Giants aren’t far away. Manning should have no fewer than two quality years left in the tank.
Beckham is on notice that he needs to grow up and recognize t hat it is about the game, and not the fame. Shepard should build on his rookie season. Running back Paul Perkins has the goods to be a 1,200-yard rusher. Rookie tight end Jerell Adams, a potential big target, needs to be developed.
It is critical Reese f inds a left tackle somehow someway (Joe Thomas would be a godsend, even at 32) and moves Ereck Flowers to the right side because there were too m a ny times when Manning wa s a nything but comfortable being uncomfortable in the pocket behind his relatively inexperienced bodyguards.
McAdoo won’t be a rookie head coach in 2017. He has the trust and respect of his players. The foundation is strong.
“I think we have a good core of people to be an explosive and top offense,” Manning said. “Some guys have to play better and some guys have to step up. I have to get better and play better.”
More help from the 18thranked running game would also ease the burden on him, and growth from Perkins and perhaps a fullback at the point of attack can only help.
It would be negligent, nev- ertheless, for the Giants to stick their heads in the sand and fail to prepare for the inevitable, for Life After Eli, whenever that may be.
And as we saw in Indianapolis with his Big Brother Peyton once the Colts were bad enough to Suck For Luck, you just never know.
Bill Belichick used the 62nd pick of the 2014 NFL Draft on Jimmy Garoppolo at a time when Tom Brady was three months from his 37th birthday. Eyebrows were raised in New England. Because Brady is a freak of nature, Belichick will now have a nice bargaining chip when he trades Garoppolo this offseason.
Brett Favre was six months shy of his 36th birthday when Packers GM Ted Thompson drafted Rodgers with the 24th pick in 2005. No one, especially Favre, expected that. Rodgers waited his turn until the Packers decided it was time to give him the keys to the kingdom and trade Favre to the Jets for what became a third-round pick before the 2008 season.
It was the kind of tough, gut-wrenching decision most franchises face, and the best ones have vision.
Reese was asked about thinking about drafting a quarterback this offseason.
“We always think about every position,” he said. “But Eli is 36, and we have started to think about who is the next quarterback, and who is in line, so we will look into that as we move into the offseason.” Smart. But go all in on getting your 36-year-old quarterback back to his third Super Bowl first.