In one of those statements that no one envisioned needing to be made, Giants coach Tom Coughlin said he would not be benching quarterback Eli Manning.
While that seems a little obvious on its face, and would have gotten you laughed out of the room six weeks ago, Manning’s record pace has made it a question in New York.
“That hasn’t crossed my mind at all,” Coughlin said, via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. “I’m sure he would tell you that he would like to play better, there’s no doubt about that.
“I have every confidence in the world that he will.”
With 15 interceptions through six games, Manning is on pace to push George Blanda’s single-season record of 42. He’s also sporting a passer rating of 64.0, which ranks ahead of only Blaine Gabbert and Josh Freeman among qualifying quarterbacks.
But while the suggestion of benching him seems odd, Manning himself said he understands where it comes from.
“I think it’s all a case of what have you done for me lately?” he said. “And I have high expectations for myself and expect to bring a contender every year and try to win championships and make the playoffs and play at a high level. I’ve got to make some better plays and make some better decisions when I’m in some bad spots. So I’ll continue to work on that.”
Yanking quarterbacks who are playing the way Manning’s playing right now is a normal idea, so long as you remember the distinction between a good quarterback playing badly and a bad quarterback.