When Giants should give Davis Webb his dangerous shot
For those who shout to the heavens, “Start Davis Webb, now!’’ be careful what you wish for. It is unwise to throw Webb onto the field unless it has a chance to be a positive experience for him. As lousy as the Giants operate on offense with Eli Manning at the controls, at least he has the moxie and good sense to get rid of the ball. Will Webb sense what is coming and dump it off or, in his youthful exuberance, will he keep a play alive as long as possible, likely suffering dire consequences for his zeal?
Case in point: Manning was not sacked against the Cowboys, meaning NFL sack leader DeMarcus Lawrence did not add to his total of 13.5. Does this mean right tackle Bobby Hart did good work against Lawrence? Hardly. Hart had “a disastrous game in pass protection,’’ according to Pro Football Focus, allowing one quarterback hit and five hurries. Lawrence dominated this matchup without dominating on the stat sheet, mainly because Manning was smart enough to move away from trouble or throw the ball quickly, not allowing anything to develop down the field. At this nascent stage in Webb’s development, would he have been able to escape Lawrence’s clutches?
This is not to say Webb should not play. He should. The Giants cannot finish up 2-14 or 3-13 and never get a look at the rookie in a regular-season game. Just because they all fouled up the situation the first time around with a stupid scenario that resulted in Manning’s self-benching to end his streak of 210 consecutive starts does not mean getting Webb on the field should not be revisited. Get him going in practice, continue to accelerate his workload, activate him (for the first time all season) this Sunday against the Eagles, and if the game gets out of hand (it will), throw him in. The Giants won’t be asking him to engineer a comeback. Let him get some NFL snaps and if the vibe is somewhat positive, start him the following week in Arizona.
Manning’s streak is already gone and he most likely will be as well, headed for another destination to cap his career elsewhere. Nothing definitive will be gleaned if Webb gets a start or two, but it is better than the alternative of knowing next to nothing about him.