THE RIGHT MANN
Brandt: Eli the only answer at QB for Big Blue next season
After a week of abject ugliness, the Giants are right back where they started with their suspect quarterback situation.
Geno Smith was never the longterm answer, and though his performance in Oakland was respectable, it was nothing that would change the minds of the Giants’ decision-makers. Eli Manning will start again Sunday against the Cowboys, but is it simply to save face with the fan base or — as he hopes — will he be back next season?
“I am confident enough to go with Eli next season, providing they could get some help,” longtime NFL exec and SiriusXM analyst Gil Brandt said.
“I just think there’s life left in him. It’d be interesting if you put, for example, the Rams coach there and let him coach him. I think we’d be surprised by how good he is.”
Sean McVay is staying put with the Rams, but he is an example of what a change in coach and offensive philosophy could do. Jared Goff was written off as a No. 1 bust a season ago under Jeff Fisher, but this season is leading one of the top offenses in the league.
Manning, 36, is 13 years Goff’s senior, but Brandt said he believes the right coach and right general manager could equal a quick turnaround for a team that went from 11-5 to 2-10 under the just-fired Ben McAdoo.
“I don’t think Eli is the reason this team has two wins,” Brandt said. “I don’t see a big letdown in his performance. What if Odell Beckham was there? If Sterling Shepard was healthy all season?
“It’s beyond injuries, though. The thing I don’t understand, and I know that he has drops, but Evan Engram, who I see as uncoverable, I see him lined up as a blocker. I don’t understand that. And that’s what I mean: If you can change some of the thoughts about how they do things, this is a team that can contend. This team doesn’t have 2-10 personnel. Their players are a lot better than that.”
Manning now has four games to show that the reason he should be playing is about more than nostalgia and loyalty. The PR fiasco surrounding his benching has nearly guaranteed he is the only quarterback on the field in the final quarter of the season. Smith remains ahead of Davis Webb on the depth chart, and it will be hard to find opportunities for the rookie to play.
“If somehow you can play Webb now, it’d be in a game where you are far enough ahead or behind,” Brandt said. “I think Davis Webb has a future. I know the young man. His father is a coach. He spins it really well. He has a chance. It’s probably just best to wait and you have four preseason games next year and let’s see what he can do with them.”
That plan works as long as Manning is your starting quarterback next season, and the Giants opt for a quick turnaround over a lengthier rebuild. Barring a strong finish under interim coach Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants will have a pick near the top of the draft.
Brandt, a draft expert, calls it “a coin flip” between USC’s Sam Darnold and UCLA’s Josh Rosen as the top quarterback. But he argues the Giants would be better spent fixing their offensive line — Jerry Reese likely wishes he had done so last offseason — and prioritizing the running back position, which has been unproductive the past two seasons.
“There are a lot of running backs available. I would not be afraid to trade down and see if there is a running back,” Brandt said. “The one thing you see if you pick the right name — and we’re seeing it with Alvin Kamara now — the difference it can make.”