Antrel Rolle Says NY Giants Defense Is To Blame, Not Eli Manning

The NY Giants benched Eli Manning, but the teams dreadful 0-2 start ain't his fault ... that blame falls squarely on the team's terrible defense -- so says NYG legend Antrel Rolle.

The D's given up 63 points in their 2 losses (only the Fins have been scored on more) ... and they've allowed 9 TD drives of over 70 yards. They're at or near the bottom of every defensive statistic. They can't stop anyone ... and that's the real issue according to AR.

"Defensively, that's just not it. I'm a guy that's always brutally honest. I give it to them raw. Not saying those guys don't possess talent, but right now I'm seeing one, a lack of leadership, I'm seeing two, lack of identity, and three, a lack of toughness" ... Rolle tells us.

"I don't see any toughness. I don't see them knocking guys over, I don't see them getting in anyone's face. I don't see any nastiness. As a defensive player, you gotta be nasty."

Rolle knows the Giants and he knows defense. He's a former 8th overall pick who made 3 Pro Bowls and was a defensive leader on the Giants squad that beat Tom Brady at Super Bowl 46 in 2012.

We asked Antrel what he'd say to the Giants defense if he was in front of the players.

"I'd have to work on not losing my sh*t."

So, yeah, it's hard for Rolle to watch. But, despite how bad they look on the field, AR says it ain't all bad.