Oakland faces a Manning-less Sunday
Another week, another Raiders opponent making a quarterback change.
This time, however, doesn’t involve a recent first-round pick replacing a young and tenuous starter, as when the Broncos subbed Paxton Lynch for Brock Osweiler on Sunday.
The Giants this week benched Eli Manning, a twotime Super Bowl winner, ahead of their visit to the Coliseum on Sunday. Manning’s replacement, Geno Smith, owns the lowest passer rating (71.7) as a starter of any quarterback with 30 starts since 2013, according to NFL research.
The move, made by a 2-9 team, drew heavy backlash when it was announced. On a conference call with Bay Area reporters Wednesday, Giants head coach Ben McAdoo termed it a “hard decision.” Manning will be the Giants’ No. 2 quarterback Sunday, McAdoo said.
“I understand the emotions that go into it, I understand the disappointment that goes into it,” McAdoo said. “But my responsibility to this organization is first and foremost, and the decision’s bigger than me. It’s for the organization and the future of the organization and making sure we have a clear evaluation of the other two quarterbacks on the roster,” including former Cal starter Davis Webb.
The Raiders will become the first team since 2004 to face the Giants without Manning as New York’s starter. Manning’s streak of 210 regular-season starts is the second longest among quarterbacks in NFL history (behind Brett Favre’s 297) — and two more than his brother Peyton started for the Colts from 1998-2010.
Peyton later played several seasons for a Broncos team that had Jack Del Rio as defensive coordinator. On Wednesday, the Raiders’ head coach noted his “respect for the Manning family.”
“That’s got to be a tough deal,” Del Rio said of Eli Manning. “He’s one of the all-time greats, a two-time Super Bowl winner, very accomplished player. So I have a soft spot for that.”
Despite those accolades, McAdoo compared Smith favorably to Manning in at least one regard.
“He’s a pocket passer just like Eli is,” McAdoo said. “He can do a little bit more with creativity. Being disciplined with the reads is definitely a strength of Eli’s, and that’s something we’re asking Geno to do a tremendous job with this week.”
Smith has played in just four games since the start of the 2015 season. Against the Raiders on Nov. 11, 2015, while playing for the Jets, Smith stepped in after an early injury to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and completed 27 of 42 passes for 265 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 34-20 Oakland win.
“We know he’s very capable,” Del Rio said.
The Raiders’ defense recorded four sacks and its first interception of the season with Lynch playing for Denver on Sunday. After replacing Lynch in the third quarter, though, Trevor Siemian completed 11 of 21 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
Asked if he saw differences in the Raiders’ defense Sunday with John Pagano calling plays, McAdoo said there were “some subtleties.”
“It could’ve been the way the game went, but the personality of the coordinator always comes out when things change,” McAdoo said. “It looks to me like they may have simplified a little bit and let guys run around and play faster.”
Raiders safety Reggie Nelson said he didn’t think the defense “did anything different” scheme-wise. But he agreed the unit “played fast.”
“Going out there knowing your assignment and doing it as fast as you can,” Nelson said. “I think a lot of guys played fast last week, and it came out good for us.”