The "news no Giants fan, player past and present ever expected to hear came down" yesterday when the team announced that QB
Eli Manning is "getting benched, ending his streak of 210 consecutive regular-season starts" (
N.Y. POST, 11/29). NFL Network's
Kurt Warner, who was replaced by Manning in '04, said, "This is so much bigger than Eli Manning. This is about an entire organization that has gone sideways. ... Shame on the Giants" (
NFL.com, 11/28). CBS Sports'
Adam Schein tweeted the decision was "just wrong" (
TWITTER.com, 11/28).
The move "shocked players around the league, with current and former teammates posting messages of support" for Manning on social media (N.Y. TIMES, 11/29). Justin Tuck: "Lost for words. ... This decision is one of the STUPIDEST I’ve seen." Plaxico Burress: "Damn! Bench Eli? Man showed up every week for 14 years." Osi Umenyiora: "Eli deserves much better than that. Much better. Class person, class player. That’s absurd." David Diehl: "I'm absolutely speechless. I've watched every game & have sat through this rough @Giants season & this what you do to a man who has lead this team for 210 straight games."
