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Manning’s Contract: Does Eli want to resign with the Giants?

When Phil Simms talks, New York Giants fans listen.

So, when I just read his recent quote regarding Eli and his contract something punched me right in the face.  Reality.  “If everything was really stable with the Giants, that {Manning contract} would have been done a month ago,” Simms said.  “If they thought this team was loaded and ready, that thing would have been done.  It’s that state of the franchise now…not being in the playoffs for three years, all these questions.”  POW!

While Eli probably wants to retire a New York Giant, I can see the frustration he may have with his franchise.  It’s been three long years since the Giants made the playoffs and Eli Manning might just be thinking…what the hell!  

He has restructured his contract for the good of the team, yet what did Jerry Reese do to make the team better for the long hall?

The Giants seem to be investing in the offensive line, but are they any good?  The Offensive line seems to be trending upward.  The receivers (Odell Beckham, Randle, Cruz, Harris and Jones) are at elite status; however, over the last few years the top NFL contenders like the Packers, the Pats, the Saints, the Seahawks, the Broncos, and the 49ers to name a few, either had a stud tight end, a stud running back or a stud pass rusher.

The Giants have none of these.

You might be asking yourself, how the hell do the Patriots do it, they never have flashy players.   Beside Belichick, Brady and Gronk, the Pats have had the 13th and 7th over all ranked Defense over the last two seasons.  

The Giants Defense has ranked 29th and 25th in that same time span.  

So, maybe Eli Manning is wondering what the future holds for his team past 2015, because the elite talent pool looks thin at tight end, linebacker, running back, defensive end, offensive tackle, and safety.   There is no doubt the Giants have brought in some naturally talented players like Landon Collins, Devon Kennard and Jonathan Hankins.

The questions seem to be, is Eli thinking looking for the Giants brass to duplicate the Strahan, Osi, & Tuck domination or the Jacobs, Bradshaw, Ward…Earth, Wind and Fire days.

It’s proven that Eli can’t do it by himself and when he presses to hard he leads the NFL in interceptions.  The Seahawks brought in Jimmy Graham, last year Revis made a splash with the Pats and two years ago the Broncos brought in Wes Welker.   Impact players do wonders for a quarterbacks stability.

Eli might see the hand writing on the wall and that script shows that his upper management team does not plan to “go for it” while he is still here.   Ownership made clear demands at the season end; however, the quarterback may still have doubts that there is a sense of urgency.

Like Simms said, there are so many things that need to be fixed with the Giants and a reassuring strike might have been signing a quality offensive or defensive player like Mike Iupati, Jordan Cameron or Antrel Rolle.  

Sometimes you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.

by Craig J. Santucci | Managing Editor