Philip Rivers Says Giants Benching Eli Manning Is 'Pathetic'

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was once traded by the New York Giants for Eli Manning on draft night. Now he's speaking out to criticize the Giants following their benching of their longtime quarterback in favor of Geno Smith.

"I honestly thought it was pathetic," Rivers told reporters Wednesday. "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."

Giants coach Ben McAdoo announced Smith would start Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders, snapping Manning's streak of 210 straight starts, the second-longest for a quarterback in NFL history. Smith is widely seen as having no real shot at becoming the team’s quarterback of the future, so the move may seem unnecessary changing of the guard to some.

“It’s football. It’s life,” Archie Manning told Gary Myers of the New York Daily News. “Eli has such a passion for playing for the Giants. I think people up there, people who have been around him the whole 14 years, kind of understand that. Eli just absolutely loves being the Giants quarterback. Eli is not bitter. Just hurt.”

Manning is arguably the greatest quarterback in Giants franchise history. His postseason record speaks for itself, featuring two Super Bowl championships as an underdog against the New England Patriots. He was named the MVP of both of those games, has earned four Pro Bowl berths and was the 2016 Walter Peyton Man of the Year.

It's also fair to say Manning was not atop the list of reasons the Giants are sitting at 2-9. He's thrown for 2,411 yards and 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions, mediocre numbers that are nonetheless not aberrations for a middle-of-the-pack quarterback. His seven fumbles are an issue, but the Giants boast one of the NFL's worst offensive lines and got no help from the running game until Orleans Darkwa took over as the primary running back five games into the season.

Manning's "down" statistical campaign would also represent career-best numbers for Smith, who has never thrown for more than 13 touchdowns in a season. Smith has 28 touchdowns against 36 interceptions in 34 NFL games.