Eli Manning has taken a lot of heat, from a lot of directions.
And the latest to take shots at the Giants quarterback had a hand in not putting enough talent around him to help him succeed.
Former Giants vice president of player evaluation Marc Ross appeared on the NFL Network, and said it was time for his former employer to bench Manning.
“I think that’s what you have to do,’’ Ross said, via the New York Post. “This is where they are right now. Their fortunes are tied to Kyle Lauletta, who was drafted in the fourth round out of Richmond. Wow. This is what they’re really banking on. They can’t get worse. You might as well try something different and see what happens. . . .
“In the NFL you have to move forward. You can’t go backwards. At this point I think everybody kind of knows that you have to move forward. You have to move on if you want to win. What is your goal? Is it to win? Make people happy? Or sacrifice other things to keep reputations in line?’’
Ross was with the Giants from 2008 until this offseason, when the former college scouting director was fired along with former General Manager Jerry Reese.
That means Ross would have had a chance to give them more options, such as the 2017 third-rounder they spent on quarterback Davis Webb (who was cut this year). Ross was also part of the decision-making process which led to back-to-back first-rounders on cornerback Eli Apple (traded to the Saints for a fourth rounder) and left tackle Ereck Flowers (moved to the right, benched, then cut).
That kind of resume makes it clear why Ross is available on a weekday morning to say things on television shows.