I have been one of the biggest Eli defenders the past 5 yrs because I always felt that it was more the OLs fault that he was unable to win games for us & only had 1 playoff app in the past 6yrs & that was due more to our D being #2 in 2016. We finally got rid of one of the worst players to ever play the LT position in not only Giants history but NFL history, in Flowers. Our entire OL is revamped from last yr.
We have a healthy OBJ back, we finally have a top tier RB in SB & yet we are only putting up 16ppg? Yes, our Ol is still not good, but I believe it's better than the OLs of the past 5yrs. 80% of OLs in the NFL are either bad, mediocre, above, decent or good. There are only 2-3 OLs that can be considered great. So Eli is not the only QB with a bad OL. DLs have faster, more athletic & stronger players so they will almost always have an edge on the OL imo. Eli is a relic of the classic pocket passer era of which is a dying breed.
Once Brady, Brees, Eli, big Ben & Rivers hang em up, the era of classic pocket passers is over. In this day & age of rules vastly favoring the O, & fast athletic DLmen, you have to have a QB that is athletic, mobile & can buy you an extra second or 2 with his legs & if the play isn't there, get the 1st down with your legs. Eli has never been able to do this even when he was young, he didn't inherit his father's mobility/athleticism unfortunately. Now in his 30s, even less. Opposing Ds never have to game plan for Eli beating them with his legs, they don't have to assign a spy on him. That makes it easier for DCs to game plan against our O.
QBs like AR & Cam are a nightmare for DCs to game plan against due to their duo threat of being able to beat you with both their arms & legs. After last night's game, I have to admit Eli is shot, he is just done as a legit NFL caliber starting QB that can move a team down the field & win you a game with 2 min left on the clock. He would need the Cowboys OL to do it & we don't have that.
What I hope the Giants do is tell him he will start the next 2 games before the bye vs Atl & the Skins & then they are gonna see what Lauetta can do in the remaining 8 games. I believe that Lauetta will at least be able to move the chains both due to his accurate passing & his ability to evade pressure with his mobility. It would be an 8 game audition for the job as the starting QB in 2019. If he excels & helps us win a few games in the 2nd half while putting up 24-27+, then great, we don't have to worry bout a QB in 2019 & can focus on improving the OL which I believe , along with QB, is what is preventing us from being a contender.
We fix the OL issues next yr & SB can really tear it up on the ground cuz right now he is having to get almost all his yds on his own. Last night he got 229 all purpose yds & a TD & we still lose by 21? No, that's on the OL & QB, our 2 biggest weakness. Let me clarify that our left side of the OL with Solder/Hernandez is fine, it's from center, RG/RT that we need to fix in the draft next yr & 2020. We fix that OL & the next QB we get will have a great O to lead with young offensive weapons like SB/OBJ/Shep/Engram to throw to/hand off to.
For the past few yrs, we've been the laughingstock of the NFL & I know fans of the Skins/Cowboys/Eagles are ragging on us but give us 2 yrs to fix the right side of the OL & a new QB & I feel we will be a legit SB contender by 2020.