There are a lot of words one could use to describe a 51-17 loss.
You could say they it was a dominating performance by the winners or a humiliating outing for the losers. You could also say it was embarrassing for the losing side and you might choose that word for a team that came into the season with high expectations after making the playoffs last year.
The Giants were just such a team, but coach Ben McAdoo rejected that word after the Rams crushed his 1-7 team.
“Embarrassing isn’t a word I’d use. We’re disappointed,” McAdoo said at his postgame press conference.
That word choice will catch some notice in New York, but the headline might be McAdoo’s refusal to rule out benching Eli Manning in favor of rookie Davis Webb. McAdoo said changes were coming after the latest disappointment for one of the league’s worst teams and underlined that he meant everybody when asked specifically about the quarterback position.
Webb was a third-round pick this year and has not seen any action as the Giants have used Geno Smith as the backup all year. Smith played out the string in Sunday’s loss, which would have been a nice time to take a look at Webb had the Giants thought ahead and considered the possibility of looking at a young player who might be part of their future.
The fact that they didn’t suggests that Manning may not be getting benched just yet. If he does, it will end a consecutive starts streak that hit 207 games on Sunday and could signal the beginning of the end of Manning’s run with the team if they decide that this year’s disaster demands a total rebuild.
If that’s the case, another one of McAdoo’s answers on Sunday will be proven incorrect. The coach said he isn’t worried about his future with the team.