CHANCE FOR CHANGE
Shurmur opens door for QB switch
There are no guarantees. Not at 1-7. Not with an offense that moves within the vicinity of the end zone and then fails to advance.
The intention, for now, is for Eli Manning to start at quarterback the next time the Giants take the field, in two weeks, when they come off their bye and face the 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif. Intentions are not promises, and plans can be made to be broken. And so, coach Pat Shurmur on Monday, the day after a fifth consecutive loss and another offensive stinker, would not sign off on Manning getting the next start.
“We’ll see,” Shurmur said. “But yeah, I think Eli’s our quarterback. But I did say, I know what you’re all trying to tease a headline out of, OK? At this point, all right, Eli’s our quarterback and we’re looking at all areas to improve. So that’s where it’s at.”
This break, coming at midseason, is a time for Shurmur to sit down with his coaching staff and self-scout what has gone right (not nearly enough) and what has gone wrong (the list is long). Shurmur admitted, “I really have no information as to where that’s going to go.”
It could prompt some personnel changes, although there is not much to choose from on the bench. It could prompt some tweaks to the offensive scheme, although the playbook is not getting torn up.
“It’s not like you’re gonna come out and we’re gonna be running the Wing T,’’ Shurmur said.
The evaluation of Manning is sure to be complicated. He is completing 68 percent of his passes, but has only eight touchdown passes compared with six interceptions. His passer rating is 91.0 and he commands an offense that is averaging 18.8 points a game and specializes in late, meaningless touchdown production. Manning has been sacked 31 times, the same total as the entire 2017 season, when Manning operated behind a shaky offensive line. Somehow, this year’s line is new and much, much worse.
“Eli’s our quarterback, and we’ve got to do what we can to help him be better,”
Shurmur said. “There’s certainly a handful of plays each game where he needs to be better, and I think that’s pretty obvious when we all watch. That’s the approach moving forward. Like I said, we’ll look at all things.”
It seems inconceivable the Giants will allow this season to play out with Manning taking a pounding and the losses piling up without making a move to rookie Kyle Lauletta, the fourth-round draft pick from Richmond.
Manning, 37, has heard the rumblings, which grow louder with each loss. He knows his once vice-grip hold on the starting job, a job he’s held since nine games into his 2004 rookie year, has never been less firm. Does he believe he will still be the starter coming out of the bye?
“I hope so,” Manning said. “That’s what the coach does. Bye week, you evaluate everything, that’s part of his job.”
If the decision is made to have Manning move aside for Lauletta?
“I’ve always been a team player and do kinda what I’m told,” Manning said, “and I expect and want to be the starting quarterback until I’m told differently.”
Later in the day, Manning grew a bit more introspective when confronting his football mortality and the possible end of his Giants career.
“You try not to think of it,” Manning said on his weekly WFAN spot. “You understand, and I see the big picture. Hey, you understand when you get to Year 15 and you’re not winning games you don’t know how many more opportunities you have.’’
Manning, of course, balked at former coach Ben McAdoo’s plan to start him in Week 13 last season and then replace him in the second half with Geno Smith.
There are two parts to any quarterback switch. For the Giants, one is determining Manning’s culpability in the ongoing offensive malaise and another is evaluating Lauletta’s readiness. It is believed the coaching staff is not ready to turn the keys to the offense over to Lauletta just yet.
“I think you always want to make sure when you replace somebody you replace him with guys who can do that job,” Shurmur said. “I think you always consider that, because the team counts on the fact we’re gonna play the best people at all positions.”
There is a “Lauletta can’t be any worse than Eli” sentiment that might be popular but is unquest i o n a bly mis g u i d e d . Lauletta would be a more mobile option, but inserting a rookie onto the f ield, if he is incapable of dissecting what is going on in the game, can lead to complete dysfunction.
“I think we’re trying to do what we can to win this season,” Shurmur said, “and certainly you always do what you can in the short run, it’s hard not to look at things in the long run.”