Kyle Lauletta’s arrest further widens the black cloud hovering over the Giants’ season.
Shakespeare would have loved the sense of tragedy and irony that has engulfed them since the regular season began.
Remember, it wasn’t this way in the preseason.
They finished with a 3-1 record and optimism flowed throughout camp. Despite a perceived strong showing, Davis Webb was jettisoned and Kyle Lauletta was targeted as a capable backup who would see action.
Lauletta loomed as the heir apparent who would gain some valuable experience this season.
Once the season began, the tide became an ebb one.
The team couldn’t get back on track after the loss to Dallas, and Eli Manning slowly began to see a bullseye encircling him.
Eventually, Lauletta would get the shot.
After Manning was belted by the Redskins, there was a prevailing feeling that Lauletta could possible start or see action against San Francisco Nov. 12.
Now, that theory appears to be shelved.
Just like the rest of the season.
On his weekly spot on WFAN, head coach Pat Shurmur hinted that Lauletta might face a team disciplinary action for his actions.
What seemed as a highly optimistic outlook for Lauletta in the preseason has gradually wilted like a flower in late October. Unless Manning is injured or totally ineffective, Lauletta doesn’t have relevance left in the Giants’ plans.
Lauletta has a better chance of being released at the end of the season – alike Webb – and the Giants will turn to a stop-gap signal caller for next season, one that would fit nicely under the cap unlike Oakland’s Derrick Carr.
We may still see Lauletta at some point, but the experiment eventually will be shelved.
A two-, three-, or four-win season will give the Giants a shot to take Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert next April.
They will be keeping an eye on Tagovailoa this Saturday in a key showing against LSU.
Manning may still get to finish the season and receive a fond farewell in the final home game against Dallas Dec. 30.
It will be ironic as the end of the year will mark the end of Manning’s Hall-of-Fame tenure in blue and white.
Until then, we may have to deal with some more black clouds and, hopefully, there will be enough umbrellas for the residue.
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