The past couple of weeks have been nothing short of tumultuous with the New York Giants and franchise quarterback Eli Manning. If there is any consolation for the franchise quarterback with two Super Bowl rings, at least the fans never backed down from supporting him when Ben McAdoo benched him last week.
According to the latest jersey sales figures compiled by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Manning’s jersey sales had a noticeable bump in sales over the past week. While Manning’s jersey is still lagging behind other stars in the league like Tom Brady, Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz, and Russell Wilson, Manning’s sales spiked from No. 77 up to No. 27 (as of this posting). Simple math shows that is Manning moved up 50 — FIFTY! — spots in the jersey sales rankings.
If that doesn’t show how much support Manning is getting from Giants fans, what else do you need to prove it?
Giants fans may have had their concerns about the way Manning has been playing this season, but few would suggest the team is better off without him at quarterback right now. And it may be true that the Giants are moving closer and closer to clinching a high draft pick that makes scouting a possible replacement for the veteran quarterback a logical move forward for the franchise’s future, the alternative for the Giants was Geno Smith. And that did not work out for McAdoo.
The Giants fired McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese earlier this week after a loss on the road against the Oakland Raiders. Soon after that, Giants owner John Mara expressed his regret about the way the team handled Manning’s status as the team’s starter. Now, with McAdoo out, it is expected Manning will quickly return to the starting lineup for the remainder of the woeful season even though there is a much more logical plan of attack for the sake of the future of the franchise…
Lost amidst Giants mess is Davis Webb should be starting Sunday. No point in starting Eli especially now that streak is over.
— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) December 6, 2017
Zero point. Organization totally trying to save face with former players and fans, neither of whom seem to understand the nature of this business. https://t.co/1L3vIojQUu
— Brad Gagnon (@Brad_Gagnon) December 6, 2017
The Giants are trying to save Manning from further embarrassment when they could spend the final weeks of the season evaluating a younger potential option on the field in a live regular season game or games is, at this point, peak Giants. Manning will forever be one of the top players in franchise history and staying on the sideline for a few meaningless games should not be avoided if it means making more informed decisions for the long-term future of the franchise.
The spike in jersey sales could be for a couple of reasons. The first would be the push from fans to want to grab a Manning jersey as a sign of support for their favorite quarterback. The second might be influenced by the time of year. With the holiday season upon us and people knocking out their holiday shopping, maybe a bunch of people are getting Manning jerseys as a gift.
Maybe Giants fans looking for a Manning jersey should hold off until after the holidays when those jerseys potentially go on clearance.
