The more sentimental among Giants fans would like to see Eli Manning end his consecutive starts streak on his own terms.
He would play another year, two years, whatever. And when he deemed age had indeed caught up with him, he would happily walk away from the game and an ironman streak that will reach 207 straight regular-season starts next week against the Rams.
Unfortunately, a happy ending may not be in the cards for the still-boyish quarterback who gave the franchise and their fans two Super Bowl victories. Those are rare, anyway, in a league that dictates futures not by warm and fuzzy gratitude for past accomplishments, but by the frigid numbers of a salary cap, college talent pools and the won-lost column.