After 210 straight games of starting at quarterback for the New York Giants (the second longest streak in NFL history behind Brett Favre, who was at 297), Eli Manning will be benched for the upcoming game against the Oakland Raiders.
In his place, Geno Smith will be at the helm on Sunday.
This was a decision of Coach Ben McAdoo, who will also evaluate rookie Davis Webb at quarterback before the end of the season. Manning was given the option of starting this week, but he declined.
Here’s what he had to say about the decision:
“My feeling is that if you are going to play the other guys, play them. Starting just to keep the streak going and knowing you won’t finish the game and have a chance to win it is pointless to me, and it tarnishes the streak. Like I always have, I will be ready to play if and when I am needed. I will help Geno and Davis prepare to play as well as they possibly can.”
The Giants are on a downward spiral. McAdoo will probably be fired at the end of the season. It’s all just combusting in front of our eyes.
[Source]