Pat Leonard: Giants must right this wrong to avoid another Eli Manning disaster
The Giants have made it clear they intend to bring Manning back as their starting quarterback in 2019 as long as he'll help groom his successor. But while Manning wants to keep playing for the Giants, he would not be coming back to go 8-8 and prepare some kid to take over.
Manning, 38, would be coming back to win. To try to win it all. For a third time. And so Giants brass -- no matter what pay cut Manning agrees to -- will need to prioritize the present over the future. Rebuilding for the long-term could continue in pieces but not at the expense of contending next fall.
Manning is beloved in
GM
A team with
So what else can the
I would advocate, of course, that Gettleman's best route to improving the offense would be to change the quarterback. However, with the understanding that he intends to bring Manning back, all that's left is the offensive line and Manning's protection -- to get it right after getting it very wrong in year one.
For the fact remains that as Gettleman looked to build a contender immediately in 2018, there were people inside the Giants facility who believed last season was doomed from the start because of the
Gettleman signed free agent
So if the Giants truly intend to bring Manning back as their starting quarterback in 2019, they're going to need to assemble a fortress around him to establish a dominant running game and a clean pocket.
That could extend to improvements at fullback and at tight end, but it would start and finish on the right side of the line. And it remains to be seen which linemen actually will hit free agency.
In recent days, both the
Giants right guard
Come the start of free agency in March, the
Gettleman also will examine a draft crop headlined by the likes of Washington State's
The big question, though, if Gettleman intends to bring back Manning, is what that means for the Giants' No. 6 overall pick. Can Gettleman really show Manning he is putting the best team around him in 2019 if he uses that selection on a rookie QB who can't help Manning win now? Hard to imagine.
More likely it means using that No. 6 overall pick on a plug-and-play starting position player, just as Gettleman did last year. Maybe even on the defensive line to help the pass rush, which has proven more-than-complementary to Manning's
He'll need to upgrade the O-line in a big way, though, if he intends to bring Manning back as his starter in 2019. Because Manning needs the help, and he doesn't need another year like the last two.
GIANTS PARTING WITH BARWIN
Veteran defensive end
"The journey continues," Barwin wrote beneath a photo of his white No. 53 Giants jersey from last season, signed by teammates. "Thankful for it all! @
Cutting Barwin will save the Giants
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