Eli Manning’s benching means that Philip Rivers will now have the league’s longest consecutive start streak, which is a nice addition to the history of two players who were traded for each other after being drafted.
The Chargers quarterback isn’t happy about moving up a spot on that list, however. Rivers ripped the Giants for the way they handled Manning’s situation.
“I honestly thought it was pathetic,” Rivers said, via ESPN.com. “He’s been out there 210 straight games -- with no telling how many bumps and bruises and injuries -- for his team. He won two Super Bowl MVPs. And with the respect he’s had in the locker room over the years, and really the respect he’s gained throughout the league, you feel like the guy has earned the opportunity -- if they are in fact deciding to go another direction -- he’s earned the opportunity to finish it off these last five weeks.”
The Giants say they have not made any decisions about their future plans at quarterback and co-owner John Mara explained Manning’s benching as a way to see whether Geno Smith or Davis Webb factor into them.
Rivers said that he and Manning aren’t close friends, but that it was tough to watch an emotional Manning talk about being dropped from the lineup. Rivers said he “can only imagine how he felt” and he’d probably like to continue playing as well as he did last weekend in order to avoid the same fate as his fellow 2004 arrival in the NFL.