Eli Manning has long been a beloved quarterback outside of New England for his general goofiness, which made the news of his benching on Tuesday all the more shocking. The two-time Super Bowl MVP will not start on Sunday, and Geno Smith will instead get the reins. Predictably, the news was met with pity for Manning and vitriol for Ben McAdoo and Jerry Reese. Suffice it to say that in spite of the jokes, Twitter does not like when coaches bench legacy players.
*watches Eli Manning try to hold back tears in his press conference rn* pic.twitter.com/sxaUjiLhm9
— SB Nation (@SBNation) November 28, 2017
Replacing Eli Manning with Geno Smith is like replacing Tom Coughlin with Ben McAdoo.
— Pissed Coughlin (@PissedCoughlin) November 28, 2017
Our guy (and Eli Manning’s predecessor) Kurt Warner not holding back on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/xycVcq5vqp
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) November 28, 2017
Ben McAdoo benches Eli Manning for Geno Smith to complete the New York Giants' transformation into the 2014 New York Jets.
— Alex Iosiovich (@Alex_Iosiovich) November 28, 2017
Surprise #EliManning get benched against the raiders @NFLDeutschland @ransport @DAZN_DE @NFL pic.twitter.com/mDSZfcDpEg
— Kyrie Davis (@kkrper) November 28, 2017
Bottom line: On the list of people who should be taking the fall for the current state of the Giants, Eli Manning's name is not at the top or even that close. Shameful treatment of a proven leader by failed ones.
— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) November 28, 2017
It's a mix of despair and anger on Giants Twitter. It definitely has the end of an era vibe. Manning was the quarterback there forever, as ESPN's Darren Rovell pointed out.
Best selling phone the last time Eli Manning wasn’t the Giants starter: The Nokia 2600 pic.twitter.com/2f7dXy83ZP
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 28, 2017
Other people, well, all they could do is laugh.
Lockerroom chaos...
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) November 28, 2017
Season over before Thanksgiving...
Geno Smith...
Dear God... THE GIANTS HAVE BECOME THE JETS!!! pic.twitter.com/Ik1TyH6Wor
Eli Manning has been benched for Geno freaking Smith. That's it folks. The end is nigh. We had a good run, but the Apocalypse is here. pic.twitter.com/FB7a5O1V3Y
— Gary Davenport (@IDPSharks) November 28, 2017
Giants new starter Geno Smith is paid $45,588 each week. Eli Manning makes $50,980 every FOUR in-game minutes.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) November 28, 2017
When you get a text saying work is optional this weekend pic.twitter.com/b8zG3NY8MN
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) November 28, 2017
All-in-all, it was a shocking move, and people really aren't taking it well. Manning was clowned in New York, often, but if you're going to bench him it's for a guy that will make a transition easier, not Smith. That's what seems to be rubbing people the wrong way, along with the pity offer of continuing to play just to keep the streak alive. People are angry, but for Manning, the emotion seems to be more disbelieving sadness.
WATCH: Eli Manning reacts to the announcement that he will not start on Sunday pic.twitter.com/nQoPEcfTl3
— New York Giants (@Giants) November 28, 2017
orrrrrrr you could fire McAdoo....there is always that. That seems to make more sense than this.
— Philip DeFranco (@PhillyD) November 28, 2017
— Kevoooohmygawd (@kevoooohmygawd) November 28, 2017
If Geno is starting Sunday, tell Ben McAdoo to give me a call since he is giving washed players a chance to see what they can do.
— Terrell Thomas (@TerrellThomas24) November 28, 2017
Cov 2 only, No special Teams and yes I will be eating cookies during your meetings.#nyg