A Mann short
Giants lose as Eli’s benched
It is increasingly likely that Eli Manning will not be with the Giants in 2018. In his mind, though, there is no chance he will not be playing in the NFL.
“I plan on playing next season,’’ Manning said Sunday after the Giants, without him playing a single snap, lost to the Raiders 24-17.
Manning’s father, Archie, told NFL Network that Eli might retire after this season, a projection the son denied. This is all strange and new for Manning, who saw his consecutive-game starting streak of 210 games come to an end when the Giants organization decided it was time to take a look at the younger quarterbacks and Ben McAdoo started Geno Smith, with Manning rejecting a plan to have him start the game and then come out at halftime.
“Hey, I wanted to be out there,’’ Manning said. “I wanted to be playing. This is kind of the situation we’re in. We’re 2-9 and they wanted to take a look at other guys. I understand. I’m not mad at anybody. When you’re in this situation, whatever happens, there’s a reason and you have to accept it.’’
Manning, as usual, went out for the coin toss, as he does remain a team captain. On the sideline, he did not wear a cap and appeared to be squinting on the sunny afternoon as he looked out on the field. Mostly, he stood off to himself, plugged into the play calls while wearing an earphone, at times licking his right hand, as if he was getting ready to grip the ball to throw a pass. When the Giants defense was on the field, Manning sat on the bench, at times chatting with rookie Davis Webb.
“I don’t blame anybody for the way it was handled,’’ Manning said. “I think coach McAdoo tried to do something right by me, by saying they were going to let me play. I appreciated it. He was trying to do me a favor but it’s just not the way I could go into a game, knowing I’m going to be pulled out.’’