Philip Rivers called the Giants ‘pathetic’ for benching Eli Manning
The 2004 NFL draft is finally coming full circle.
Philip Rivers and Eli Manning will always share a historical connection thanks to the 2004 NFL draft. So it was only fitting that Rivers weighed in on his Giants counterpart’s benching this week. Rivers didn’t hold back.
Philip Rivers, on the Giants benching Eli Manning: "I honestly thought it was pathetic, really. ... I feel like he's earned the opportunity to finish it off, finish off these last five weeks."
— Jack Wang (@thejackwang) November 29, 2017
He wasn’t the only one connected to the 2004 season who had some harsh words for the Giants. Kurt Warner, who was the Giants’ starting quarterback when the ’04 season began, said "shame on the Giants” in reaction to the news.
A lot of Manning’s current and former teammates registered their opinions in the wake of Tuesday’s news. None of them were especially supportive of the team’s decision, which is understandable.
SB Nation’s Thomas George reported Wednesday morning that head coach Ben McAdoo had been openly campaigning to take Manning out of the lineup, and this move is the coach’s last desperate attempt to save his job with the Giants.
Rivers, Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger are the last QBs standing from the 2004 draft. And given Roethlisberger’s offseason flirtation with retirement, that group might not be in the NFL much longer.
And to think, Manning didn’t want to go to San Diego in part because of the organization’s dysfunction. We’re finally full circle from 2004.