Giants owner John Mara was somehow surprised by Eli's reaction to benching

He didn't expect Eli to be upset about losing his consecutive start streak

Oftentimes in life, one person will have drastically different expectations from another person when it comes to a situation involving both parties. The results can be ... less than pleasant. This appears to be the case with the New York Giants and Eli Manning, who was benched for the team's Week 13 game against the Raiders.

The benching was a disaster in public relations maneuvering; the team wanted Eli to start the first half of this week's game and then step aside for Geno Smith. It was an insult to Manning's streak and his legacy, regardless of where you think he lands on the spectrum of quarterbacks. 

Benching Manning was just something that was un-Giants-like and not well thought out. The man who signed off on the decision, John Mara, admitted as much in speaking with the media the day after the news broke. 

Mara basically said he thought Eli would just spend the first half as a placeholder at quarterback to keep his consecutive starts streak alive.

"Maybe the timing of it could have been a little different. I wish I could've been here when that was all going down," Mara said on Wednesday, via ESPN. "What I did not expect -- and this was my fault; maybe I was naïve. I did not expect Eli to react by saying to go ahead and start the other guys.

"I understand, especially after speaking with him [Wednesday]. I completely understand, but that took me by surprise a bit and maybe I would've handled that a little differently."

It's remarkable that Mara, who has known Eli since the team drafted him in 2004, would not understand how the quarterback would react. I feel like anyone who has even followed football remotely closely for the last decade would clearly know how insulting the idea of starting the first half and then letting Geno Smith take over -- regardless of the score in the game -- would be to Eli Manning. 

Philip Rivers, another quarterback in Manning's class who could eventually face a similar career path in terms of his tenure with the Chargers, ripped the Giants for the move because it was so obviously callous towards the face of the franchise, calling the move "pathetic." 

"I honestly thought it was pathetic, really," Rivers said, via the team's official Twitter account. "He's been out there 210 straight games with no telling how many bumps and bruises and injuries for his team, won two Super Bowls, [two Super Bowl] MVPs."

He's not wrong.

Manning's reaction in the moment, having to speak to the press, was visceral, with the quarterback fighting back tears as he explained his reaction to finding out he would no longer be starting.

That Mara, long considered one of the more venerable owners in the NFL, couldn't see this coming is a major red flag for the organization as a whole. 

However you feel about Eli Manning -- and opinions usually vary pretty widely -- he has been a durable presence for the Giants since he took over as starter, as reliable as they come in terms of quarterbacks. He's never once complained about being injured or even considered throwing anyone under the bus. Eli's been the consummate professional and he didn't receive reciprocal treatment in that regard.

The Giants may well be doing the best thing for the organization from a long-term perspective by evaluating the other quarterback on the roster, but they handled it in a horrible and unnecessary manner. It's a short-term blemish that people won't soon forget.