Eli It’s Big Blue Business, Nothing Personal

Eli It’s Big Blue Business, Nothing Personal

68.9% Completion Percentage…7,820 passing yards…63 Passing TD’s against 22 Int… 345 Rushing Attempts for a total of 2,169 and 30 Rushing TD’s….In the SEC, the best conference in college football, in 2 seasons. Remember these stats and realize…“It’s just business nothing personal” Don Corleone.

What I am about to type is sure to get me in trouble. But I’m sorta like Austin Powers in a way. One, I have a tremendous MoJo, and two, “Danger…is my middle name.”

The New York Giants are being sued. Let that marinate for a second…let it soak in. And if it’s true, it is not going to be pretty. Deep and rich with history, this is one of the oldest, most respected, proudest and successful franchises in the league. Not to mention, obtains the most loyal fan base in all of sports. This could smear our good name for some time to come.

“If this lawsuit proves the Giants have been passing off forgeries of legitimate gear, there could be thousands of lawsuits spinning off of it.” Sarah Hoffman, The Daily Caller

Dan Gaziano of ESPNNY.com ponders…”Look, I’m a skeptic, by nature and by profession. So I don’t want to be the one out there shouting, “No way! Not Eli!”, because people of every shape and size have the ability to surprise and disappoint us. It’s the way of the world. But if — and I really want to stress IF — Eli Manning were to be involved in something like this, it would controvert four decades’ and two generations’ worth of brand-building by Manning quarterbacks. It would be the most — and maybe the first — out-of-character thing any Manning ever did. This is a quarterback family that’s going down in history as football royalty, partially by design, and it’s difficult to imagine one of them risking this much work on a collective legacy over something as small-potatoes as a memorabilia scam involving equipment managers and dry cleaners.”

Kaja Whitehouse from the New York Post writes, “The allegations are part of a civil-racketeering, breach-of-contract, malicious-prosecution and trade-libel suit filed Wednesday in Bergen County Superior Court by sports collector Eric Inselberg. In one startling claim, the suit says Barry Barone, who has been the Giants’ dry cleaner since 1982, used his Rutherford, NJ, Park Cleaners store to beat up jerseys and other items at the behest of longtime locker-room manager Ed Wagner Jr. In a 2001 incident, Wagner told Barone “to intentionally damage multiple jerseys to make them appear to have been game-worn when they had not been.”

Civil-racketeering, breach-of-contract, malicious-prosecution and a trade-libel suit, sounds like something out of The fucking Sopranos. And in The Sopranos, what happens when someone makes the Family look like a disgracia?….That’s right, they get whacked.

Just the fact that I’m reading what I’m reading about this is sickening. Do I think this story was stalled for some time so it can explode on the front page 3 days before the biggest football game on the planet? I do. To quote Kirk Lazarus from the set of Tropic Thunder one more time though…”Just cuz it’s a theme song doesn’t make it not true.”

And now reports are coming out that several Giants employees lied to the Feds…”WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!!” screamed Stu from The Hangover.

Now I don’t want to speculate, but where there is smoke there is usually fire. There had to be something in the evidence that made the government go through with this right? But let us not speculate at this time, Eli and the Giants say this is all false and they will fight it. We will see what happens.

In the meantime, it got me thinking, which is dangerous for me. Always seems to get me into trouble. But I’m going to throw this against the wall and see it if it sticks.

Deep inside the bowels of Giants stadium, someone knows if the allegations are true or not. They also know if Eli was involved. If any part of this story has legs, the Giants better get froggy and leap before something lands on them and the name that Wellington Mara built for decades becomes jeopardized.

This is about us…not Eli. It’s about the New York Giants brand, not the Manning legacy. If Eli is guilty…well here is what I’d do.

Imagine for a second you are Bob McNair, the GM for the Houston Texans. You got the #1 pick of the draft and you’re willing to listen to offers for said pick. McNair was quoted just days ago as saying…”Maybe we’ll trade down and still get a quarterback that can do the job and get an outstanding defensive player, it’s an exciting time. Everything’s a moving target. Lot of different pieces.”

I got a piece for ya Bobby. A two-time Super Bowl MVP, a Manning. A man who has shown what he can do with a superior defense, which your Texans have, and a great running game. You have Arian Foster, all you need is Eli, he is your missing link. He is your cure for the Case Keenum and Matt Schaub woes that have made your fans sick. All I want is the #1 pick of the draft, which Bobby, you know is a huge question mark. You never know for sure what you’re going to get. And if you miss Bobby? If you take Bridgewater over Johnny Football and miss…or Clowney over Bridgewater and screw this up, they will run your name through the mud in Houston.

Let me take this off your mind Bobby. Let me make this easy for you. Manning, our 12th pick in the draft, our 4th and a 6th this year and next year. You give us your #1 and your 4th and a 7th this year and a pick next year. And Bobby, you can that 12th pick and the picks we gave you to move up and still get that stud defensive player you wanted. A two time Super Bowl MVP and a stud on defense, and more picks to spare. Sign Bobby, I made you an offer you can’t refuse, it’s business…not personal.

But James, how can you do this? Why would you trade Eli? All over this law suit?…This is insane…

“There’s a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line.” Oscar Levant

See I’m torn here. For as much as I love Eli, I also realize that having a QB who is making $20 million a year is a burden on the rest of your roster in the NFL today. It’s hard to build a team with that number strangling your cap space. The guys who are making that money now have the ability to carry their teams, put said team on said back. As much as I love Easy E, he is not Brady, Rodgers, Brees or his big brother. He needs the team to be strong in all areas. He is not Batman, he is Robin; not Jordan, but Pippen. There is a storm hitting the NFL next year, and if you don’t recognize it, then the joke is on you.

GM’s in the NFL have a chance at greatness only so often. Reese, in my eyes, has done a great job as GM, but he stepped in shit a little. Mara handed him Coughlin, and Accorsi gave him Manning. Now he can be the one with the balls to reach for the next great player, the kid who is going to blaze a trail to super stardom, and win a lot of games along the way. A kid, who unlike Eli, is the perfect fit for Bob McAdoo’s west coast type offense.

Let’s revisit shall we…68.9% Completion Percentage…7,820 passing yards…63 Passing TD’s against 22 Int… 345 Rushing Attempts for a total of 2,169 and 30 Rushing TD’s….In the SEC, the best conference in college football, in 2 seasons.

“It’s just business, nothing personal” Don Corleone.

With the 1st pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select….Johnny Effin Football. (I know Manziel had a little memorabilia problem as well, but I’m thinking about the next ten plus seasons, and this is my wet dream…so deal with it.)

And it’s not like Manziel has been putting up these numbers against the Little Sisters of the Holy Mother. Look at his numbers against Alabama and Auburn this year. In week 3 against Alabama, 28 for 39, 71.8%, 464 yards…5 TDs, 2 Ints. Against Auburn…28 for 38, 73.7%, 454 yards…4 TD’s and 2 Int’s…

It’s like someone took some Favre, mixed in some Drew Brees, sprinkled in some Flutie with just a pinch of Russel Wilson. The kid can play. Now, consider this assessment supported here in this post by Russ Lande of sportsonearth.com ..

“Having to throw as many passes as he did, it’s also impressive that Manziel throws few, if any, passes that defenders can get their hands on. Of the top five quarterbacks I have evaluated so far (Derek Carr, Blake Bortles, Bridgewater, Zach Mettenberger and Manziel), he has the lowest error/interception rate of any of them. Not only does Manziel have the passing skills to succeed in the NFL, but his ability to lead his team and carry them on his back to comebacks consistently has been incredible.” (The entire scouting report on Manziel can be found here…. https://www.sportsonearth.com/article/67254668/nfl-prospect-profile-quarterback-Johnny-Manziel)

I know all you softies and Eli lovers are having a hard time with this, but consider this, let’s go to the bottom of the ocean on this one.

If you read my articles,

The Big Blueprint Part I https://bleedbigblue.com/the-ny-giants-big-blueprint/

The Big Blueprint Part II … https://bleedbigblue.com/the-ny-giants-big-blueprint-part-2/

You see how I moved the Giants into this off-season close to $40+ million under the salary cap. Now trade Eli, how’s an extra $20 million sound to you? (Even if he extends or restructures his deal, it saves you $14-$16 million extra off your books.)

Having the number one pick in the draft is a lot less risky financially then it was a decade ago when the Giants made a bold move out of nowhere. I watched Eli play in college. I’ve watched Johnny Manziel as well. I’d trade for Johnny before I would have traded for Eli. I think he’s better…period, end of sentence.

10 years ago the Giants and Ernie Accorsi shocked the football world with a trade on draft day. A trade no one thought the Giants would make considering how they run their franchise. A decade later, and 2 Super Bowl MVP’s in his trophy case (real or not?), Eli is on the front page while his brother is where athletes belong, on the back page, getting ready to compete on the game’s biggest stage.

This story has the potential to be embarrassing for us all. Knowingly selling phony memorabilia to the most loyal fan base in sports? If Eli knew and provided fake shit while the real items were in his possession? Well, it’s not murder, but considering where we are and what we are as a franchise, it’s not acceptable either. Hell, they are claiming the helmet in the Hall of Fame from 2007 is a fake. Not good.

Considering, I am a Giants fan before a Manning fan, I am forced to think of the franchise first. Winning first as the game gradually develops around us. Johnny Football is the QB position evolved. He is the future.

#1 pick of the draft and $50+ million under the cap for Reese to start anew, his way. Now, you may love Eli and disagree with me, and you all may let me have it on this one, but at least my opinion is the “real thing” and not a fugazy. You have to admit, this is compelling and rich stuff, at least a little.

It’s my job to conjure up some debate and I thought this was a good way to do it. And you can’t deny it…you’re intrigued, right?

Does Reese have the balls to do this? What would you do? Would the Texans even consider this? Who would you draft if they did trade us the #1 pick? Would you take Manziel? And what are your thoughts on the case against the Giants?

Let’s discuss Bleed Big Blue nation???…and now without further ado my…

SUPER BOWL PREDICTION:

I’m old school. I watched the Giants beat the Bills in Super Bowl XXV and see a similar beating headed the Broncos way, physically. Defense and a power running has been the formula for too many championships and I think Seattle has the right ingredients for Peyton and the Broncos. I look for Seattle to run at will against Denver and for Peyton to be standing on the sidelines freezing as opposed to blazing a trail up and down the field. When he is on the field…well, this is not the defense he wanted to see looking back at him. Taste the Rainbow and take the points…Seattle Seahawks 30 Denver Broncos 20 — MVP? I go with Marshawn Lynch, 125 rushing yds and 2 TD’s… and then a refusal to say he’s going to Disney Land…

Enjoy the game and don’t buy the game worn jerseys….