Podcast: Carl Banks shocked by Beckham trade, defends Eli Manning, more

Carl Banks joined the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast on Wednesday. Banks, the former New York Giants linebacker reacted to the Odell Beckham trade, defended Eli Manning, offered his take on Dave Gettleman’s plan and predicted that the Giants will be a playoff team in 2019.

Here are a few of his best quotes.

• Banks said he was “stunned” by the Beckham trade.

“I never saw that coming. I am still shocked.”

He added that the trade leaves the fan base at a “trust the process moment.”

• Banks said he knows that GM Dave Gettleman understands the enormity of the task he has in fixing the Giants.

“It’s like having the car parked in the driveway. Your about to buy it. Looks great until you raise the hood and you see all kinds of stuff and then you crawl underneath and you see all kinds of other stuff and you’re like, ‘whoa, if I buy this car I’m gonna have a lot of work to do on it.’ “

“When he got up under the hood of this organization he saw there was a lot of work to be done.”

• Banks understands the anger of the fan base.

“Fans are very upset. Listen, I can’t tell ‘em not to be. The only way to calm down the masses is to put a winner out on the field. … hopefully that happens sooner than later.”

• Banks has been outspoken is saying the he likes the acquisition of Jabrill Peppers, a major part of the Beckham deal.

“I’m excited about it. When you look at what the Giants got for Odell they got another first round draft choice because that’s in essence what he (Peppers) is. He’s a first-round draft choice that you know can play as opposed to the guys you re going to be getting in this draft. I like it.”

• Banks stands behind the Giants’ decision to stick with Manning.

“I think the Giants are more than OK going forward with him. I have no problem saying that I am an Eli Manning fan.”

Banks said “it’s not the case” that Manning doesn’t have it anymore.

“The narrative tells you he’s done, but when you look at the second half of the season he’s far from done.”

Banks also said it was “mind-boggling” how so much of the fan base has turned on Manning.

“I’ve never seen a fan base turn so vehemently against one of their best players in franchise history. I don’t even blame them. I blame them for drinking or intaking everything that they see on national broadcasts. If someone who is supposed to be smart says Eli’s not that good, time for him to go, it’s over, then all of a sudden everybody else is parroting that narrative. That’s just not the case. They could do a lot worse, I can tell you that.”

Also, Pete Scantlebury, co-manager of SB Nation’s Missouri Tigers website, Rock M Nation, joined the show to tell us about Missouri quarterback Drew Lock.

Please give the full show a listen below.

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