I see what the NY media trying to do lol.......
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Eli Manning, Giants now down to just one legit foe for NFC East crown after Eagles deal Sam Bradford
Eli Manning is the class of the NFC East QB crop and should have clear path to division title.
(RONALD MARTINEZ/GETTY IMAGES)
GARY MYERS
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Sunday, September 4, 2016, 2:20 AM
Can this possibly get any easier for the Giants and Eli Manning?
Perhaps only if Kirk Cousins is injured and Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen comes out of retirement to play quarterback for Washington. He recently celebrated his 82nd birthday — but can still spin it.
The Cowboys lost Tony Romo for about two months, and on Saturday, eight days before the start of the season, the Eagles, now in a complete rebuild, traded starting quarterback Sam Bradford to the desperate Vikings, who are still in shock after losing Teddy Bridgewater for the season after a devastating non-contact knee injury in practice last week.
So, the season opens next week with the Giants in Dallas facing rookie fourth-round pick Dak Prescott, a summertime superstar against vanilla defenses. Mark Sanchez, after losing out in Denver to QBs who have never thrown a regular season pass — Trevor Siemian, who played one snap as a rookie (a kneel down), and rookie Paxton Lynch — was cut Saturday by the Super Bowl champs and expected to sign with the Cowboys as a backup.
Giants cut-down day 2016: Running list of Big Blue’s final cuts
The Eagles will begin at home against Cleveland with rookie Carson Wentz likely to start if he’s physically ready after cracking two ribs in the preseason opener. If not, the Eagles will go with journeyman Chase Daniel, who has thrown just 77 passes and started just two games in his seven years in the NFL but knows coach Doug Pederson’s offense after three years together in Kansas City.
The NFC East starting quarterbacks: Manning, Cousins and two rookies.
This officially makes the NFC East a two-team race: Giants vs. Washington, Manning vs. Cousins.
Manning had a career-high 35 TDs last season with 14 INTs and 4,432 yards. Cousins had a breakthrough in his fourth year with 29 TDs, 11 INTs and 4,166 yards and is making nearly $20 million in 2016 playing for the franchise tag.
Tony Romo suffered broken bone in back, could be a Giant break
Kirk Cousins leads Washington to a division crown in 2015, but he's no Eli Manning.
(MARK TENALLY/AP)
This is a quarterback league, and with the Giants spending $200 million, with $100 million in guaranteed money, to sign free agents Olivier Vernon, Snacks Harrison and Janoris Jenkins to fix their historically bad defense of 2015, it still comes down to Manning, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, or Cousins, who won the NFC East last year at just 9-7 and then lost at home in the wild-card round to the Packers.
Edge: Manning.
Forget about the nearly invisible numbers put up by Manning and the first-team offense in the two preseason games that rookie coach Ben McAdoo allowed them to play — the practice games mean little or nothing — because Manning is coming off an excellent season and his weapons improved with the return of Victor Cruz and the addition of second-round pick Sterling Shepard.
After four straight years out of the playoffs, and the last three with losing records, which cost Tom Coughlin his job, the Giants should make it back to the postseason.
Giants miss chance to give Eli Manning more work with offense
In fact, no excuses.
Not in a division with two rookie QBs and Cousins, who may turn out to be a one-year wonder.
The first target game on the schedule: Sept. 25 at home against Washington. The rematch is on the road in the final game on New Year’s Day.
Sam Bradford walks away from the Eagles and the lowly NFC East after trade to Vikings.
(RICH SCHULTZ/GETTY IMAGES)
Meanwhile, if the Eagles knew on March 1 when they signed Bradford to a two-year $35 million deal with $22 million guaranteed — Philly already paid out his $11 million signing bonus — that they would be able to move up to the No. 2 spot to get Wentz on April 20, they never would have signed the very mediocre Bradford. They would have settled for overpaying Daniel to a three-year $21 million contract with $12 million guaranteed on March 9 to babysit Wentz, which is what he will do now.
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The Eagles made a smart trade Saturday, recouping a first-round pick in 2017 and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2018 from the Vikings after giving up so much to get Wentz. They still owe the Browns their first-round pick next year and their second-round pick in 2018 after swapping No. 1s this year and also giving up their third- and fourth-round picks and getting back a No. 6 next year. Financially, they get out from the remaining $11 million in guaranteed money owed to Bradford.
Minnesota had legitimate Super Bowl aspirations until Bridgewater tore his ACL, dislocated his knee and did other serious damage. It will take a lot for him to be ready for the start of the 2017 season. Bradford becomes the starter over Shaun Hill and should benefit from working with offensive coordinator Norv Turner, the best quarterback teacher in the NFL. He gives the Vikings more hope than Hill, which is not saying a whole lot.
The Vikings paid too much for Bradford, but this shows they are not giving up. It also shows how little use the Eagles had for Bradford. Who trades their starting QB one week before the opener?
Philadelphia is a team in transition and Bradford knew he was just holding space until Wentz was ready, much like new Eagles coach Doug Pederson did in 1999 when Andy Reid started him until rookie Donovan McNabb was ready. This just accelerates the learning process for Wentz, who recently began throwing again. He only had 24 attempts in the one preseason game he played, so he will test the patience of the impatient Eagles fans.
If Wentz is good to go next Sunday, it will be against the Browns, who traded away the opportunity to take Wentz with the second pick, allowing the Eagles to get their quarterback of the present and future.
Bradford sat out part of the Eagles offseason program in protest, trying to force a trade after the Eagles made the deal to get Wentz. He was the overall No. 1 pick in the 2010 draft by the Rams but his career in St. Louis was ruined by back-to-back years when he tore his ACL. He has a 25-37-1 career record. He was 7-7 in his one season with the Eagles and beat the Giants twice. He will face them when the Giants play the Vikings in their new indoor stadium in downtown Minneapolis on Oct. 3.
The Giants have a great chance to get back in the playoffs and win the NFC East this season. They have Manning.
