The New York Giants have faced a ton of criticism this week for the way they handed benching Eli Manning, but former NFL quarterback Chris Simms feels the organization has shown nothing but class.
While co-hosting the “Simms and Lefkoe Podcast,” Simms took a different approach from that of the fans who are screaming that the Giants disrespected the most successful quarterback in franchise history.
“This is the classiest benching I’ve ever seen in my life,” Simms said. “That’s what’s crazy. I’ve never seen a classier benching. Ben McAdoo has absolutely zero to do with this decision. There’s no way Ben McAdoo has the authority to make this call without (ownership’s) consent. A few weeks ago when they asked McAdoo if everybody is competing for their job and he was asked about Eli, he said everybody is competing for their job. The next day he came out and clarified — not everybody, Eli’s fine. He was told by the owners, ‘You’re not allowed to bench Eli, so shut up Ben.'”
In other words, Simms feels McAdoo has handled the situation as well as he could given that the order to bench Manning came from above. Simms also believes the Giants were very respectful in giving Manning an opportunity to continue his streak of consecutive games started, which will end at 210.
“They’re benching a guy that’s not playing very good football and they actually gave him the courtesy of saying, ‘We’re gonna bench you, but we’ll let you start and still play,'” Simms said. “That’s the nicest f—ing thing I’ve ever heard. They’re giving him the respect to at least extend the streak. What’s to be insulted by?”
Manning, of course, said he would not feel comfortable starting just to keep his personal streak alive. It’s hard to blame him for that.
Ultimately, benching Manning is probably the right choice for the Giants. They know Geno Smith isn’t the answer, and they could end up with a legitimate shot at landing Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen in the draft. While it’s easy to see where things with Manning are heading, there’s almost never a good way to move on from a quarterback who has helped a team win championships.
