Eli Manning an "elite" QB? (1 Viewer)

[North]

Last night I was listening to foxsports radio and this broadcaster from the superbowl made a proclamation "If Eli Manning wins this game under this pressure he is in the same league as Brady, Peyton and Favre."

Now I understand that it is the job of radio talkshow hosts to be controversial, but come on.

I was wondering if there is anyone out there who really believes this? This is the same mediocre QB who the NY press labeled as a QB who couldn't do anything right. Until this 5 game stretch, doesn't it take more than 5 games to become an elite QB or is the media in such a rush to crown players as "elite" or "great" just to have something to talk about?

If Eli does pull this off it would certainly bolster his rep., but put him in the same class as Peyton and Brady? I don't think so.

What's your opinion, am I wrong on this?

 

[Jous]

There's no way he'd be elite. If he wins this game, then maybe he becomes top 10. The media has been overrating him like mad the last 2 weeks. He still has a ways to go before he can match up with the Palmers, Roethlisbergers, Matt Hasselbecks of the league, not to mention Brady and Peyton.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

ELI is more than a TE away.....

 

[pillowpants]

If Eli wins this game, he becomes a Very Good QB.

Which is a step up from his current slot of Above-Average.

There have been times this year where he has been ranked just above The Tony Banks/David Carr/Aaron Brooks line.

 

[The_Fonz]

He will be out of Peyton's shadow and expectations will be higher but he isn't in that class yet. But having one superbowl win gives you something for sure. If he gets another then start that discussion.

As a GIants fan, I just wawnt to keep hearing how we have no chance, just like against Dallas and Green Bay....no chance at all!

 

[Koya]

First, Peyton is no longer in a class like Brady. No one currently playing, is (and I hate Brady).

That said, Eli is not close to this conversation.

Now, if Eli plays the rest of his career including this and additional SBs as well as he has played the last four games, sure he will be an elite QB... but he has had 4 good to great weeks in a row.

LONG ways before a really good month and a HoF career. And to extrapolate from one month out of a very inconsistent career would be WAY jumping the gun imo.

 

[Beaumont]

Winning the SB will move him from good to pretty good ...

A SB ring did not transform Trent Dilfer into a great QB either ... that being said, I think Eli is regarded much more highly by those in the NFL who make it their job to evaluate talent than by the common fan ...

 

[Borat]

No. There are two elite quarterbacks in the league right now. Their names are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

 

[Despyzer]

Here's a better question: If Eli fumbles twice and throws an INT in a blowout does he go back to being a schmuck?

 

[Andy Herron]

The whole key to this discussion, whether it be here or anywhere else, is the fact that Eli's last name is "Manning".

If it were Smith or Jones or Johnson there would be no such talk.

 

[SR388]

Eli is already on his way to being Elite. His numbers are better then his brother's at this point in his career already.

I know he looks and talks like his name is Gomer, but he is a very good QB.

 

[Andy Herron]

Eli is already on his way to being Elite. His numbers are better then his brother's at this point in his career already.

I know he looks and talks like his name is Gomer, but he is a very good QB.

So does that make Tom Coughlin Sgt. Carter?

 

[Road Warriors]

Eli is already on his way to being Elite. His numbers are better then his brother's at this point in his career already.

I know he looks and talks like his name is Gomer, but he is a very good QB.

Not really even close, actually.

Eli thru 4 years(57 games):

987/1805 54.7% 11385 77 TD 64 INT

Peyton thru 4 years(64 games)

1357/2226 60.9% 16418 111 TD 81 INT

Huge comp% difference, 5000 more yards ( about 50% more ) 34 more TDs ( about 50% more )

Eli, if he wasn't related, would NEVER be mentioned in the same breath as Peyton, based on "on the field play"

 

[SR388]

Eli is already on his way to being Elite. His numbers are better then his brother's at this point in his career already.

I know he looks and talks like his name is Gomer, but he is a very good QB.

Not really even close, actually.

Eli thru 4 years(57 games):

987/1805 54.7% 11385 77 TD 64 INT

Peyton thru 4 years(64 games)

1357/2226 60.9% 16418 111 TD 81 INT

Huge comp% difference, 5000 more yards ( about 50% more ) 34 more TDs ( about 50% more )

Eli, if he wasn't related, would NEVER be mentioned in the same breath as Peyton, based on "on the field play"

Sorry, I should have looked it up, but I thought it was correct through 3 years.I could be wrong.

 

[MAC_32]

Eli before his last four games - inconsistent and below average

Eli after his last four games - consistent and average

If Eli leads the Giants to a Super Bowl win - see previous

He's playing welle nough to not lose games for the Giants anymore, but don't confuse him with the elite QB's in the league. As is the case with most QB's he was receiving too much blame when the team was doing poorly and he is receiving far too much credit for the team playing well recently. I've seen a lot of chatter about how the Giants are where they are now because of Eli, but little mention of

-the emergence of Ahmad Bradshaw

-the Giants DLine being so dominant they rarely bring any heat from the back 7

-the progressions the secondary has made from the beginning to the end of the season

-Steve Smith coming through late in the season

All Eli has done in the playoffs that is any different than in the past is not turn the ball over. Does that transform him from below average to elite? I don't think so. I think it brings up to a level comparible to a David Garrard type, which is good but not elite.

 

[Road Warriors]

Eli is already on his way to being Elite. His numbers are better then his brother's at this point in his career already.

I know he looks and talks like his name is Gomer, but he is a very good QB.

Not really even close, actually.

Eli thru 4 years(57 games):

987/1805 54.7% 11385 77 TD 64 INT

Peyton thru 4 years(64 games)

1357/2226 60.9% 16418 111 TD 81 INT

Huge comp% difference, 5000 more yards ( about 50% more ) 34 more TDs ( about 50% more )

Eli, if he wasn't related, would NEVER be mentioned in the same breath as Peyton, based on "on the field play"

Sorry, I should have looked it up, but I thought it was correct through 3 years.I could be wrong.

pro-football-reference.com can be your friend. Eli's been a decent ( above avg, but not much, IMO ) QB for the start of his career. Peyton more or less set the world on fire from the start.

 

[bostonfred]

No. There are two elite quarterbacks in the league right now. Their names are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Favre is better than Manning.

 

[horadadude]

Eli is already on his way to being Elite. His numbers are better then his brother's at this point in his career already.

I know he looks and talks like his name is Gomer, but he is a very good QB.

Not really even close, actually.

Eli thru 4 years(57 games):

987/1805 54.7% 11385 77 TD 64 INT

Peyton thru 4 years(64 games)

1357/2226 60.9% 16418 111 TD 81 INT

Huge comp% difference, 5000 more yards ( about 50% more ) 34 more TDs ( about 50% more )

Eli, if he wasn't related, would NEVER be mentioned in the same breath as Peyton, based on "on the field play"

Sorry, I should have looked it up, but I thought it was correct through 3 years.I could be wrong.

pro-football-reference.com can be your friend. Eli's been a decent ( above avg, but not much, IMO ) QB for the start of his career. Peyton more or less set the world on fire from the start.

Shouldn't we judge a QB on wins? Eli doesnt have as many wins as his brother to start his career. But 11 wins; 8 wins and 10 wins. Three consecutive playoff appearances and now the 3 road wins. Got to count for something. This puts him ahead of guys like Romo and his is on par with Big Ben

 

[travdogg]

I wouldn't say elite, but he's every bit as good as a guy like Hasselbeck whether the Giants win or not. A solid B quarterback.

 

[bentley]

Eli before his last four games - inconsistent and below averageEli after his last four games - consistent and averageIf Eli leads the Giants to a Super Bowl win - see previousHe's playing welle nough to not lose games for the Giants anymore, but don't confuse him with the elite QB's in the league. As is the case with most QB's he was receiving too much blame when the team was doing poorly and he is receiving far too much credit for the team playing well recently. I've seen a lot of chatter about how the Giants are where they are now because of Eli, but little mention of-the emergence of Ahmad Bradshaw-the Giants DLine being so dominant they rarely bring any heat from the back 7-the progressions the secondary has made from the beginning to the end of the season-Steve Smith coming through late in the seasonAll Eli has done in the playoffs that is any different than in the past is not turn the ball over. Does that transform him from below average to elite? I don't think so. I think it brings up to a level comparible to a David Garrard type, which is good but not elite.

I've only watched the games without studying the numbers, but this is my impression. Seems like he's been the same barely-above average quarterback in the playoffs, it's just that the Giants are winning. It's like the media has a prepackaged set of storylines leading up to the Super Bowl, and they're determined to shoehorn the Giants and Eli into one of them (average QB becomes transcendent in the playoffs) whether it's accurate or not.

 

[bentley]

Eli is already on his way to being Elite. His numbers are better then his brother's at this point in his career already.

I know he looks and talks like his name is Gomer, but he is a very good QB.

Not really even close, actually.

Eli thru 4 years(57 games):

987/1805 54.7% 11385 77 TD 64 INT

Peyton thru 4 years(64 games)

1357/2226 60.9% 16418 111 TD 81 INT

Huge comp% difference, 5000 more yards ( about 50% more ) 34 more TDs ( about 50% more )

Eli, if he wasn't related, would NEVER be mentioned in the same breath as Peyton, based on "on the field play"

Sorry, I should have looked it up, but I thought it was correct through 3 years.I could be wrong.

pro-football-reference.com can be your friend. Eli's been a decent ( above avg, but not much, IMO ) QB for the start of his career. Peyton more or less set the world on fire from the start.

Shouldn't we judge a QB on wins? Eli doesnt have as many wins as his brother to start his career. But 11 wins; 8 wins and 10 wins. Three consecutive playoff appearances and now the 3 road wins. Got to count for something. This puts him ahead of guys like Romo and his is on par with Big Ben

No. Not even close.

 

[Borat]

No. There are two elite quarterbacks in the league right now. Their names are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Favre is better than Manning.

Aside from maybe leadership, I can't really think of one single aspect of the game in which Favre is better than Manning.

 

[bostonfred]

No. There are two elite quarterbacks in the league right now. Their names are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Favre is better than Manning.

Aside from maybe leadership, I can't really think of one single aspect of the game in which Favre is better than Manning.

Improvisation, durability, and mobility. The thing that tips the scale in Favre's favor, IMO, is the fact that he's changed receivers again and again, and never really had a stud receiving corps. Antonio Freeman was a nobody, then suddenly looked like a machine when he was forced into the lineup, then suddenly looked like a nobody again when he left the Packers. Favre has put up huge numbers and won with good receivers and bad, good offensive lines and bad, good running backs and bad, and with good teams and bad. That's way more impressive to me than the career numbers, although those are obviously impressive as well.

 

[Road Warriors]

Eli is already on his way to being Elite. His numbers are better then his brother's at this point in his career already.

I know he looks and talks like his name is Gomer, but he is a very good QB.

Not really even close, actually.

Eli thru 4 years(57 games):

987/1805 54.7% 11385 77 TD 64 INT

Peyton thru 4 years(64 games)

1357/2226 60.9% 16418 111 TD 81 INT

Huge comp% difference, 5000 more yards ( about 50% more ) 34 more TDs ( about 50% more )

Eli, if he wasn't related, would NEVER be mentioned in the same breath as Peyton, based on "on the field play"

Sorry, I should have looked it up, but I thought it was correct through 3 years.I could be wrong.

pro-football-reference.com can be your friend. Eli's been a decent ( above avg, but not much, IMO ) QB for the start of his career. Peyton more or less set the world on fire from the start.

Shouldn't we judge a QB on wins? Eli doesnt have as many wins as his brother to start his career. But 11 wins; 8 wins and 10 wins. Three consecutive playoff appearances and now the 3 road wins. Got to count for something. This puts him ahead of guys like Romo and his is on par with Big Ben

Wins, especially clutch performances late to pull out wins, will often sway public opinion to think of a QB as more clutch, and therefore great, even with lesser stats.This statement started with saying Eli had better numbers at this point than Peyton did in his first 4 years. That was incorrect, and as the numbers bear out, its not even close. Eli has been, up to this point, average to slightly above average. He's been an OK quaterback on a pretty good team. To think he's in the same tier as Peyton, IMO, is pure

 

[Pai Mei]

An honest assessment of this guy:

Better than a journeyman
Too many flaws to be regarded as eliteWhere he is raising eyebrows is that, in this tournament, he hasn't had one of those catastrophic meltdowns like an Elway or Favre might. He does his job, everyone else does theirs, and they keep winning. I think he's more than an outright "game manager" like Trent Dilfer circa 2000. But "stability" could be the term applied to him pending the results of Super Bowl 42.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

I think if you were a gm and you were going to start a franchise next season and had to take everything into consideration like playoff appearances and performanc there, regular season, stats, age, durability etc, I think Eli would be fairly high up the list. Does that make him elite? I don't know. Here is what I think a top 10 list might look like:

Tier 1 arbuablly two of the best to ever play

1)a) Brady

1)b) P.Manning

Tier 2 Palmer is probably the purest throwing QB in the leauge.

2) C. Palmer

Tier 3

3) D. Brees played on playoff teams and put up some great stats

4) B. Rothlisberger has put up some nice stats and has a SB to his name

Tier 4

5) T. Romo he is proving to be well worth the money

6) E. Manning with all of the pressure the kid is succeeding

7) M. Hasselback consistently good won't wow you but is a good player

8) P. Rivers showed a lot of guts this year

Tier 5

9) J. Culter developing into a nice gunslinger

10) V. Young he wins and has shown improvements to his game

I know TD's thrown is not everything but here is the total of TD's thrown over the last 2 regular seasons ....

1) Brady 74 (2 playoff appearances)

2) P. Manning 62 (2 playoffs)

3) Palmer 54 (1 playoffs)

4) Brees 54 (1 playoffs)

5) Romo 55 (2 playoffs)

6) E. Manning 47 (2 playoffs)

7) Favre 46 (1 playoff)

8) Hasselbeck 46 (2 playoffs)

9) Rivers 43 (2 playoffs)

10) Rothlisberger 40 (2 playoffs)

The last 3 seasons...

1) Brady 100 (3 playoffs)

2) P. Manning 90 (3 playoffs)

3) Palmer 85 (1 playoff)

4) Brees 78 (2 playoffs)

5) E. Manning 71 (3 playoffs)

6) Hasselbeck 70 (3 playoffs)

7) Favre 66 (1 playoff)

8) Bulger 49 (0 playoffs)

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

I think if you were a gm and you were going to start a franchise next season and had to take everything into consideration like playoff appearances and performanc there, regular season, stats, age, durability etc, I think Eli would be fairly high up the list. Does that make him elite? I don't know. Here is what I think a top 10 list might look like:Tier 1 arbuablly two of the best to ever play1)a) Brady1)b) P.ManningTier 2 Palmer is probably the purest throwing QB in the leauge.2) C. PalmerTier 33) D. Brees played on playoff teams and put up some great stats4) B. Rothlisberger has put up some nice stats and has a SB to his nameTier 45) T. Romo he is proving to be well worth the money6) E. Manning with all of the pressure the kid is succeeding 7) M. Hasselback consistently good won't wow you but is a good player8) P. Rivers showed a lot of guts this yearTier 59) J. Culter developing into a nice gunslinger10) V. Young he wins and has shown improvements to his gameI know TD's thrown is not everything but here is the total of TD's thrown over the last 2 regular seasons ....1) Brady 74 (2 playoff appearances)2) P. Manning 62 (2 playoffs)3) Palmer 54 (1 playoffs)4) Brees 54 (1 playoffs)5) Romo 55 (2 playoffs)6) E. Manning 47 (2 playoffs)7) Favre 46 (1 playoff)8) Hasselbeck 46 (2 playoffs)9) Rivers 43 (2 playoffs)10) Rothlisberger 40 (2 playoffs)The last 3 seasons...1) Brady 100 (3 playoffs)2) P. Manning 90 (3 playoffs)3) Palmer 85 (1 playoff)4) Brees 78 (2 playoffs)5) E. Manning 71 (3 playoffs)6) Hasselbeck 70 (3 playoffs)7) Favre 66 (1 playoff)8) Bulger 49 (0 playoffs)

Derek Anderson, Donovan McNabb and Marc Bulger - what tier(s) are they in?

 

[Jason Wood]

I find myself saying this time and time again, but our society is far too quick to misuse strong declaratives and, as a result, dilute the times when they should really be used. Every coach is a "genius", every player is "great", every game is the "best ever."

The truth is, if Eli Manning wins tomorrow (which he won't), he secures himself a permanent place in the history books as a SB winner. He by no means comes anywhere close to Brady or Manning, but puts himself in a position to become thought of as a great QB going forward. I already think Manning is a quality NFL starter, one of the 10 best at the position. So to pull off the biggest upset in modern SB history (and play well in the process) would be HUGE for him.

 

[Jous]

Roethlisberger actually has 50 over the last 2 seasons and 67 over the last 3... putting him in 3rd and 6th place, respectively.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

I think if you were a gm and you were going to start a franchise next season and had to take everything into consideration like playoff appearances and performanc there, regular season, stats, age, durability etc, I think Eli would be fairly high up the list. Does that make him elite? I don't know. Here is what I think a top 10 list might look like:Tier 1 arbuablly two of the best to ever play1)a) Brady1)b) P.ManningTier 2 Palmer is probably the purest throwing QB in the leauge.2) C. PalmerTier 33) D. Brees played on playoff teams and put up some great stats4) B. Rothlisberger has put up some nice stats and has a SB to his nameTier 45) T. Romo he is proving to be well worth the money6) E. Manning with all of the pressure the kid is succeeding 7) M. Hasselback consistently good won't wow you but is a good player8) P. Rivers showed a lot of guts this yearTier 59) J. Culter developing into a nice gunslinger10) V. Young he wins and has shown improvements to his gameI know TD's thrown is not everything but here is the total of TD's thrown over the last 2 regular seasons ....1) Brady 74 (2 playoff appearances)2) P. Manning 62 (2 playoffs)3) Palmer 54 (1 playoffs)4) Brees 54 (1 playoffs)5) Romo 55 (2 playoffs)6) E. Manning 47 (2 playoffs)7) Favre 46 (1 playoff)8) Hasselbeck 46 (2 playoffs)9) Rivers 43 (2 playoffs)10) Rothlisberger 40 (2 playoffs)The last 3 seasons...1) Brady 100 (3 playoffs)2) P. Manning 90 (3 playoffs)3) Palmer 85 (1 playoff)4) Brees 78 (2 playoffs)5) E. Manning 71 (3 playoffs)6) Hasselbeck 70 (3 playoffs)7) Favre 66 (1 playoff)8) Bulger 49 (0 playoffs)

Derek Anderson, Donovan McNabb and Marc Bulger - what tier(s) are they in?

It I was a GM I would have a hard time justifying taking McNabb and Bulger ahead of the other guys on the list due to their injury concerns, age, etc. I think Bulger is a good QB but very overrated; he is been below average in 2 of the last 3 years one due to injury and the other he was just not that good. McNabb is definitely not the player he once was.I love Anderson, but I think he needs to show that this year was no fluke for him to be on a top 10 list of GM's to acquire as a QB for their future. The point I was trying to make though, was Manning is definitely in the top 6 to 8 QB's to take and yesterday may have boosted his stalk even more.

 

[Koya]

I think if you were a gm and you were going to start a franchise next season and had to take everything into consideration like playoff appearances and performanc there, regular season, stats, age, durability etc, I think Eli would be fairly high up the list. Does that make him elite? I don't know. Here is what I think a top 10 list might look like:Tier 1 arbuablly two of the best to ever play1)a) Brady1)b) P.ManningTier 2 Palmer is probably the purest throwing QB in the leauge.2) C. PalmerTier 33) D. Brees played on playoff teams and put up some great stats4) B. Rothlisberger has put up some nice stats and has a SB to his nameTier 45) T. Romo he is proving to be well worth the money6) E. Manning with all of the pressure the kid is succeeding 7) M. Hasselback consistently good won't wow you but is a good player8) P. Rivers showed a lot of guts this yearTier 59) J. Culter developing into a nice gunslinger10) V. Young he wins and has shown improvements to his gameI know TD's thrown is not everything but here is the total of TD's thrown over the last 2 regular seasons ....1) Brady 74 (2 playoff appearances)2) P. Manning 62 (2 playoffs)3) Palmer 54 (1 playoffs)4) Brees 54 (1 playoffs)5) Romo 55 (2 playoffs)6) E. Manning 47 (2 playoffs)7) Favre 46 (1 playoff)8) Hasselbeck 46 (2 playoffs)9) Rivers 43 (2 playoffs)10) Rothlisberger 40 (2 playoffs)The last 3 seasons...1) Brady 100 (3 playoffs)2) P. Manning 90 (3 playoffs)3) Palmer 85 (1 playoff)4) Brees 78 (2 playoffs)5) E. Manning 71 (3 playoffs)6) Hasselbeck 70 (3 playoffs)7) Favre 66 (1 playoff)8) Bulger 49 (0 playoffs)

Derek Anderson, Donovan McNabb and Marc Bulger - what tier(s) are they in?

It I was a GM I would have a hard time justifying taking McNabb and Bulger ahead of the other guys on the list due to their injury concerns, age, etc. I think Bulger is a good QB but very overrated; he is been below average in 2 of the last 3 years one due to injury and the other he was just not that good. McNabb is definitely not the player he once was.I love Anderson, but I think he needs to show that this year was no fluke for him to be on a top 10 list of GM's to acquire as a QB for their future. The point I was trying to make though, was Manning is definitely in the top 6 to 8 QB's to take and yesterday may have boosted his stalk even more.

Yesterday HAS to improve his (stock?). One of those great intangibles is ability to win a Super Bowl (and luck comes into play, but you must MAKE your fate.. i.e. Mannings bad throw to Tyree on the sideline which was just a few inches too high for Samuel to get a near clinching INT... but it didnt happen that way and Manning comes back on that drive with the Spin-Throw-Catch to Tyree, capitalizing on the chance).Some QBs get in the way of their teams talent, and even their talent, but the fact is Eli HAS done it. He's climbed this mountain and was not along for the ride... he was steering the ship. You can not discount it because somewhere in every GMs mind is "can this kid not only win the big game, but win 3-4 of them, in a row"Palmer might be the better "thrower" and perhaps Romo is more exciting, Brees has thrown for a ton of yards and Rivers showed us a lot this year. But NONE of them has proven they can win in the postseason (though Rivers did show something for sure in his valiant effort). That is not even to say that they have proven the ability to win it ALL. Say what you want, Eli (and Roeths, though he played pretty poorly in that one game) have.

 

[Despyzer]

Say what you want, Eli (and Roeths, though he played pretty poorly in that one game) have.

The only thing Eli proved yesterday is that he is the quarterback of a team with an excellent defense.

 

[Clifton]

I think Eli is at the top of the second tier. Right there with Peyton.

 

[Jason Wood]

Say what you want, Eli (and Roeths, though he played pretty poorly in that one game) have.

The only thing Eli proved yesterday is that he is the quarterback of a team with an excellent defense.

You can't honestly believe that, c'mon Despyzer. I hate the Giants, and I was ripping their chances left and right for the last two weeks. But objectively, as much as I'm disappointed in the outcome, I can't help but acknowledge what Eli did yesterday. The kid led his team on not one, but TWO 4th quarter go-ahead TD drives against the 18-0 Patriots. He had ice in his veins when it counted AND had a playoffs that were, demonstrably, better than the numbers Peyton put up in winning the Bowl last year.I always thought Eli was tough kid and a "good" QB, but I wasn't sure he had the makeup to make big plays at the most important time. He obviously can; something very few QBs even get a chance to prove much less do.

 

[moleculo]

Say what you want, Eli (and Roeths, though he played pretty poorly in that one game) have.

The only thing Eli proved yesterday is that he is the quarterback of a team with an excellent defense.

and he is capable of executing a drive in under 2 minutes for a game winning TD with all of the pressure in the world on his shoulders...

 

[Despyzer]

Say what you want, Eli (and Roeths, though he played pretty poorly in that one game) have.

The only thing Eli proved yesterday is that he is the quarterback of a team with an excellent defense.

You can't honestly believe that, c'mon Despyzer. I hate the Giants, and I was ripping their chances left and right for the last two weeks. But objectively, as much as I'm disappointed in the outcome, I can't help but acknowledge what Eli did yesterday. The kid led his team on not one, but TWO 4th quarter go-ahead TD drives against the 18-0 Patriots. He had ice in his veins when it counted AND had a playoffs that were, demonstrably, better than the numbers Peyton put up in winning the Bowl last year.I always thought Eli was tough kid and a "good" QB, but I wasn't sure he had the makeup to make big plays at the most important time. He obviously can; something very few QBs even get a chance to prove much less do.

Without that defense, here is what we would be saying today: "Manning fumbled twice, threw an INT, and was lucky to not have three or four more picked off. He added a couple late TDs when it no longer mattered."

 

[Texasmouth]

Say what you want, Eli (and Roeths, though he played pretty poorly in that one game) have.

The only thing Eli proved yesterday is that he is the quarterback of a team with an excellent defense.

You can't honestly believe that, c'mon Despyzer. I hate the Giants, and I was ripping their chances left and right for the last two weeks. But objectively, as much as I'm disappointed in the outcome, I can't help but acknowledge what Eli did yesterday. The kid led his team on not one, but TWO 4th quarter go-ahead TD drives against the 18-0 Patriots. He had ice in his veins when it counted AND had a playoffs that were, demonstrably, better than the numbers Peyton put up in winning the Bowl last year.I always thought Eli was tough kid and a "good" QB, but I wasn't sure he had the makeup to make big plays at the most important time. He obviously can; something very few QBs even get a chance to prove much less do.

Without that defense, here is what we would be saying today: "Manning fumbled twice, threw an INT, and was lucky to not have three or four more picked off. He added a couple late TDs when it no longer mattered."

Exactly what I was going to say. Eli made one great play the entire day. Tyree saved a crappy pass making him look good. He hit a WIDE open Plax in the end zone and Samuel dropped a freebie. Eli was not the MVP and DID NOT win this game for the team. This was all Giants defense. 17 points would not beat the Pats and other game.

 

[Koya]

Say what you want, Eli (and Roeths, though he played pretty poorly in that one game) have.

The only thing Eli proved yesterday is that he is the quarterback of a team with an excellent defense.

You can't honestly believe that, c'mon Despyzer. I hate the Giants, and I was ripping their chances left and right for the last two weeks. But objectively, as much as I'm disappointed in the outcome, I can't help but acknowledge what Eli did yesterday. The kid led his team on not one, but TWO 4th quarter go-ahead TD drives against the 18-0 Patriots. He had ice in his veins when it counted AND had a playoffs that were, demonstrably, better than the numbers Peyton put up in winning the Bowl last year.I always thought Eli was tough kid and a "good" QB, but I wasn't sure he had the makeup to make big plays at the most important time. He obviously can; something very few QBs even get a chance to prove much less do.

Without that defense, here is what we would be saying today: "Manning fumbled twice, threw an INT, and was lucky to not have three or four more picked off. He added a couple late TDs when it no longer mattered."

Exactly what I was going to say. Eli made one great play the entire day. Tyree saved a crappy pass making him look good. He hit a WIDE open Plax in the end zone and Samuel dropped a freebie. Eli was not the MVP and DID NOT win this game for the team. This was all Giants defense. 17 points would not beat the Pats and other game.

Being completely honest here, I don't know how anyone can come up with these conclusions. First, Eli made many good plays. Outside of Plax's TD (and that was a GREAT throw, and a very good chance for a TD even had the DB not fallen down. Perfect high fade for a tall WR), Eli had to thread the needle time and time again. His play to toomer on the sideline was a work of art - and you can't call luck seeing as he does it once or twice every week of late. The throws over the middle in traffic - all day. The Tyree throw was far more than a lucky escape and a chuck. Eli simply willed himself to keep spinning, churing, putting away when he jersey was being tugged only to actually find a guy who was single covered - and he three a perfect pass which tyree made into history.For anyone to even mention the INT tells me that they arent watching the same game most of us were watching. Very good throw and terrible job by the WR to "drop" the ball up into the air and into the arms of the DB. The fumbles absolutely were the big concern (and although he has not fumbled the past month, it was a big issue during the season at times) but Eli was without question the leader and the reason the Giants win this game outside of the amazing team defense. If the Giants don't win, we are talking about a vailant effort and a near upset of historic proportion with Eli on the verge of maybe becoming what had been hoped for. We are talking about how if Smith doesnt drop that ball and if the DB doesnt fall down on the Moss TD maybe the Giants win and Eli would be the hero.But Eli IS the hero. He DID come through - and while it was not a perfect game, you seem ok with the BAD throws by Brady, a couple f which were so terribly underthrown that they could easily be interecepted. But Eli, the clear MVP of the SB and more importantly the playoffs did not perform? Eli the kid was magic.

 

[Koya]

BTW... crappy pass on the tyree pass.

It's hard to take anything after that seriously - it was a wonderful pass to a guy who is maybe 5'9". He was single covered, Eli got away, backed up, threw a perfect strike before the other defenders could converge.

You have to be looking for stuff against Eli to find ANY fault on that play. Seriously.

 

[jonessed]

He had a great playoff run, but it takes more than that to become "elite". I think he has deservedly moved from average to good, but when I think of elite I think of Brady and Peyton.

I'm not so sure I would even put him in the top 10. That's not to take away from a magnificent performance, but I think he needs to follow this up next year with some more consistency.

 

[Jason Wood]

I think "elite" should be reserved for a select few, so Eli still doesn't fall into that category. But he's clearly among the best of the rest.

 

[switz]

No. There are two elite quarterbacks in the league right now. Their names are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

Favre is better than Manning.

ROFLMAO - still drinking to get over the pain of the Patriots loss? I would consider that as an excuse if this post hadn't been written before the SB.

 

[Koya]

He had a great playoff run, but it takes more than that to become "elite". I think he has deservedly moved from average to good, but when I think of elite I think of Brady and Peyton.



I'm not so sure I would even put him in the top 10. That's not to take away from a magnificent performance, but I think he needs to follow this up next year with some more consistency.

If you drafted today, I would be hard pressed to find 10 QBs in the league I would choose ahead of Eli.Brady (duh)

Peyton (this "Eli is better than Peyton" stuff will fade in a month or two)

Palmer (the potential is immense. At some point you need to go from potential to playoffs, to playoff wins to super bowl - he's hardly made progress where it counts)

Those are the definates. Who else?

Roeths - He had a lot of TDs this year, and has the SB ring, but Eli did a lot more to get his team the ring than Roeths did during their run. Cant argue someone taking Big Ben though, at least not at this point. But is he progressing, and is he a leader enough as he matures?

Romo - Very close, but Eli has proven the mettle to make it through the NFL SB gauntlet, would have to go Eli.

Brees - Im just not 100% convinced. Again, numbers are nice but is he a SB winning QB? Could be.

Hasselbeck - He's solid. I would rather have eli

Of the above guys, I could see an arguement for them, but Eli has some big advantages at this juncture. The question is will what Eli has shown us this past month plus be indicative of future success. If the guy can play good enough to get them to the playoffs and raise his game, that is perfect for a QB. Romo and Brees have really not gotten close.

Bulger - not getting younger, always hurt. Is he even THAT good?

McNabb - getting older, on the downside although could have another couple good seasons in him with the right surroundings

Favre - maybe one more year?

D Anderson - way too soon, showed some concerning cracks at end of last season

Garrard - I like the guy, but he could not do what Eli did this postseason.

I could see some arguement for the above guys, but Im taking Eli over any of them, without much question right now.

Now, I am a Giants homer, but trying to be as objective as possible here. I think Eli moved from that bottom group somewhere to the top of the middle group - certainly below the two elite guys, and Palmer needs to change production into important wins, and soon.

 

[switz]

I think Eli is at the top of the second tier. Right there with Peyton.

Wow is this thread drawing out the Manning haters.

 

[houndirish]

Apparently fault can be found in any performance if you're looking for it, which some in this thread obviously are. Did Eli get lucky on a few throws? Sure. But that can be said of a lot of QB's on the winning side of games. But the first 4th quarter touchdown drive was manfuactured by some precision passes into tight spots. The 45 yarder to Boss was beautiful. The TD to Tyree had no margin for error. How the heck can anyone come away from that performance and say Eli was ordinary?

The Giants D played great and were the true heroes of the game, but don't use that as an excuse to take away from a magical performance by Eli under incredible pressure.

 

[Koya]

I think "elite" should be reserved for a select few, so Eli still doesn't fall into that category. But he's clearly among the best of the rest.

Well put. As a Giants fan, I don't think he has "elite" in him, as far as regular season production and numbers.BUT, I do believe Eli might have that intangible. He might be able to will his team to these playoff wins. Come from behinds. Crazy plays. A sense of calm whereby the entire offense is more relaxed and able to make a play when the pressure is on the most.I could see Manning being an above average regular season QB, and a good to great post season winning QB sooner than I could see him like a Brady or Peyton. Sorta QB in the old school sense... find a way to lead the team and win the game, stats and how it looks be damned.

 

[Ghost Rider]

BTW... crappy pass on the tyree pass. It's hard to take anything after that seriously - it was a wonderful pass to a guy who is maybe 5'9". He was single covered, Eli got away, backed up, threw a perfect strike before the other defenders could converge.You have to be looking for stuff against Eli to find ANY fault on that play. Seriously.

I think "elite" should be reserved for a select few, so Eli still doesn't fall into that category. But he's clearly among the best of the rest.

 

[jonessed]

He had a great playoff run, but it takes more than that to become "elite". I think he has deservedly moved from average to good, but when I think of elite I think of Brady and Peyton.



I'm not so sure I would even put him in the top 10. That's not to take away from a magnificent performance, but I think he needs to follow this up next year with some more consistency.

If you drafted today, I would be hard pressed to find 10 QBs in the league I would choose ahead of Eli.Brady (duh)

Peyton (this "Eli is better than Peyton" stuff will fade in a month or two)

Palmer (the potential is immense. At some point you need to go from potential to playoffs, to playoff wins to super bowl - he's hardly made progress where it counts)

Those are the definates. Who else?

Roeths - He had a lot of TDs this year, and has the SB ring, but Eli did a lot more to get his team the ring than Roeths did during their run. Cant argue someone taking Big Ben though, at least not at this point. But is he progressing, and is he a leader enough as he matures?

Romo - Very close, but Eli has proven the mettle to make it through the NFL SB gauntlet, would have to go Eli.

Brees - Im just not 100% convinced. Again, numbers are nice but is he a SB winning QB? Could be.

Hasselbeck - He's solid. I would rather have eli

Of the above guys, I could see an arguement for them, but Eli has some big advantages at this juncture. The question is will what Eli has shown us this past month plus be indicative of future success. If the guy can play good enough to get them to the playoffs and raise his game, that is perfect for a QB. Romo and Brees have really not gotten close.

Bulger - not getting younger, always hurt. Is he even THAT good?

McNabb - getting older, on the downside although could have another couple good seasons in him with the right surroundings

Favre - maybe one more year?

D Anderson - way too soon, showed some concerning cracks at end of last season

Garrard - I like the guy, but he could not do what Eli did this postseason.

I could see some arguement for the above guys, but Im taking Eli over any of them, without much question right now.

Now, I am a Giants homer, but trying to be as objective as possible here. I think Eli moved from that bottom group somewhere to the top of the middle group - certainly below the two elite guys, and Palmer needs to change production into important wins, and soon.

BradyPeyton

Hasselbeck

Romo

Favre

Ben

Garrard

Brees

I guess he could go in here, although I think you could argue for McNabb, Bulger, and Rivers as well

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

Eli Manning had an elite post season after having a slightly better than average regular season. If one had to argue that Eli Manning is elite you could definitely start formulating a better argument after his incredible playoff run this season.

I think if his last name was not Manning more people would be saying he is easily one of the top 5 NFL QB's going foward next season (not fantasy). I mean if any other 27 year old QB not named Manning just lead his team to the SB in the fashion Eli did I think he would have even more supporters saying he is elite. I am still a little sketpical calling him elite but his case could definitely be made.

Lets put things into perspective..... sure Eli had help on defense but offensively he was the main reason his team won three tough road games to get to the SB. Also, his team was an underdog in all 3 of those games and a heavy underdog in 2 of those 3 games. And for an encore he leads his 13 point underdog team in the biggest game of the year to a come back victory by scoring two 4th quarter TD's against a team that was 18 and 0 and had not surrendered a TD in 11 quarters of football. Oh yes and for those that missed it he was named the SB MVP. I mean talk about ice in your veins here people. Many more people would definitely not even blink naming him a top 5 QB and close to elite standards if he wasn't Eli. I mean what if Schuab or Cutler did what Manning just did? Would more people be giving him the props he rightly deserves? I mean haters are quick to claim that his defense won that game, whereas the nuetral vans realizes that Eli definitely was a huge reason the Giants won the championship. When you put things into perspective it seems even more apparent that he is closer to top 5 than many other QB's in this league not name Tom, Peyton or Carson.

 

[Koya]

He had a great playoff run, but it takes more than that to become "elite". I think he has deservedly moved from average to good, but when I think of elite I think of Brady and Peyton.



I'm not so sure I would even put him in the top 10. That's not to take away from a magnificent performance, but I think he needs to follow this up next year with some more consistency.

If you drafted today, I would be hard pressed to find 10 QBs in the league I would choose ahead of Eli.Brady (duh)

Peyton (this "Eli is better than Peyton" stuff will fade in a month or two)

Palmer (the potential is immense. At some point you need to go from potential to playoffs, to playoff wins to super bowl - he's hardly made progress where it counts)

Those are the definates. Who else?

Roeths - He had a lot of TDs this year, and has the SB ring, but Eli did a lot more to get his team the ring than Roeths did during their run. Cant argue someone taking Big Ben though, at least not at this point. But is he progressing, and is he a leader enough as he matures?

Romo - Very close, but Eli has proven the mettle to make it through the NFL SB gauntlet, would have to go Eli.

Brees - Im just not 100% convinced. Again, numbers are nice but is he a SB winning QB? Could be.

Hasselbeck - He's solid. I would rather have eli

Of the above guys, I could see an arguement for them, but Eli has some big advantages at this juncture. The question is will what Eli has shown us this past month plus be indicative of future success. If the guy can play good enough to get them to the playoffs and raise his game, that is perfect for a QB. Romo and Brees have really not gotten close.

Bulger - not getting younger, always hurt. Is he even THAT good?

McNabb - getting older, on the downside although could have another couple good seasons in him with the right surroundings

Favre - maybe one more year?

D Anderson - way too soon, showed some concerning cracks at end of last season

Garrard - I like the guy, but he could not do what Eli did this postseason.

I could see some arguement for the above guys, but Im taking Eli over any of them, without much question right now.

Now, I am a Giants homer, but trying to be as objective as possible here. I think Eli moved from that bottom group somewhere to the top of the middle group - certainly below the two elite guys, and Palmer needs to change production into important wins, and soon.

BradyPeyton

Hasselbeck

Romo

Favre

Ben

Garrard

Brees

I guess he could go in here, although I think you could argue for McNabb, Bulger, and Rivers as well

I overlooked Rivers too, who showed me a LOT this postseason.Personally, I dont think Eli will ever be an elite QB as in the total package - but he could be one of those "true winners" who gets more wins - and key wins in the postseason - than either his stats or his regular season play would dictate.