5 burning questions the New York Giants need to answer in 2018
By Daniel Stave
1. How much gas is left in Eli Manning’s tank?
The Giants believe they can contend this season. The talent around Manning is impressive. Very few teams have a running back-wide receiver combination as exciting as Barkley and Beckham. Shepard and Engram have shown enough to believe they can be productive players, if not stars.
But Manning has struggled the last two seasons. The Giants made the playoffs in 2016 in spite of him, not because of him. The team had shortcomings in 2017, especially after Beckham’s injury.
McAdoo became the fall guy after benching Manning last season and ending his consecutive starts streak, but the truth is it was warranted. The team was 2-9 at the time and Manning was not playing well. McAdoo decided to see if Geno Smith or Davis Webb had enough potential to be considered as a long-term starter.
Manning found success when McAdoo joined the Giants as offensive coordinator in 2014. In both 2014 and 2015, Manning threw for more than 4,400 yards—the second and third-highest totals of his career. He also had QBRs of over 60 and QB Ratings in the 90s each season.
However, after Tom Coughlin stepped down and McAdoo moved into the head coaching role in 2016, Manning’s play has dropped. His QBRs have been below 50 in 2016 and 2017 and his QB Ratings have been in the 80s.
The success Tom Brady and Drew Brees have had in their late 30s have likely skewed our expectations of aging quarterbacks. Manning is 37, and he might not be able to get close to the elite play that helped the Giants win two Super Bowls.
Ben Roethlisberger has publicly contemplated retirement multiple times. The Chargers have considered options to succeed Phillip Rivers the last few offseasons.
Manning was drafted the same year and is older than both.
The team wanted another offensive mind to replace McAdoo. New Head Coach Pat Shurmur helped the Vikings reach the NFC Championship Game with Case Keenum as the starting quarterback.
The receiving corps in Minnesota — Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph — is comparable to what Shurmur will have with the Giants.
But a trip deep in the playoffs will depend on whether their quarterback can run the show.