by John Furgele (The Concussed 228)
Eli Manning is a two-time Super Bowl champion. He has played in two Super Bowls and was the MVP both times. In 2007, the 10-6 Giants went on an incredible run by beating Tampa Bay, Dallas and Green Bay on the road before vanquishing the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl 42 in an epic game for the ages.
In 2011, the Giants finished 9-7 and again, went on a similiar run. No Super Bowl winner had a worse regular season record than these Giants. In the playoffs, they defeated Atlanta at home and then went on the road to beat Green Bay and San Francisco. Like they did in 2007, they won the NFC Championship Game in overtime.
Manning, in 2007, was sublime in the playoffs. In the NFC title game, whenever he needed to complete a pass, he found Plaxico Burress and in the Super Bowl, when he needed to, he found Burress again as well as Steve Smith and of course, David Tyree. In 2011, he found Mario Manningham and within four seasons, Peyton’s younger brother was a two-time Super Bowl champion.
Manning’s Giants have kept Tom Brady’s Patriots from being 7-0 in Super Bowls. Sure, the Patriots have played and won many close games in the Super Bowls, but their two losses to the Giants were agonizing. Because Manning has those two Super Bowl rings, most consider him a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But is he? Does winning two Super Bowls ensure enshrinement/football immortality?
If you look at Manning’s numbers, they’re very good. In 14 total seasons, he has passed for over 51,000 yards, has 338 touchdown passes, 227 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 83.6. The numbers are good, but not gaudy in this passer-friendly era.
His teams have won, then lost. After 2007, the Giants didn’t make the playoffs in 2008, 2009, or 2010 and after 2011; they failed to qualify from 2012-2016, droughts of seven years in total. His won-lost record is 110-103, 51.6 percent. Jim Kelly played 11 seasons for Buffalo and his record was 101-59 (63.1 percent). And, Kelly’s Bills made the playoffs in 8 of those 11 seasons.
Is it possible to play one’s way out of the Hall of Fame? Now, this is the dumbest game of all to play, but what if Manning had no Super Bowl titles? Or one? Would he still be a lock for Canton? The great quarterbacks are supposed to put teams on their back and carry them to the playoffs. We have seen Aaron Rodgers do this with Green Bay and we have seen Tom Brady do this with New England and when healthy, Andrew Luck with Indianapolis. His brother Peyton played on some very average teams in Indianapolis and every year, they won at least 10 games and made the playoffs. He was knocked for losing playoff games, but when he sat out 2011, the Colts went 2-14.
In 13 full seasons, Manning and his Giants have made the playoffs just six times. He has played on teams that finished .500 or worse six times in that span. Joe Namath played 12 seasons for the NY Jets and made the playoffs just twice, but because he and Manning have those Super Bowl titles and MVPs, they do not get that negative scrutiny that guys like Moon and Fran Tarkenton have.
Namath played in a different era, but if you look at stats and stats alone, you might wonder why he is in the Hall of Fame. He threw 173 touchdowns, 220 interceptions and completed just 50.1 percent of his passes. But, he was the gunslinger, the swashbuckler and in 1969, he put the old American Football League on the map. If a player can make the Hall of Fame on one game, Namath was that guy.
Jim Plunkett won two Super Bowls with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders and despite that is never going to the Hall of Fame. So, for those who argue it’s all about rings, it really isn’t. If it were, why are Dan Marino and Warren Moon in and Plunkett out?
Manning’s career is a strange one. In two postseasons, he played beyond himself—he outkicked his coverage. He has been a very good quarterback, but if you watch he and his Giants, he has frustrated. He has never been a dink-and-dunker in this, the dink-and-dunk age and that has resulted in some sloppy play and many an interception. He has led the NFL in interceptions three times, with a high-water mark of 27 in 2013, a 7-9 season.
I dislike the dink-and-dunk era; it’s one of the many reasons why Andy Reid and his Eagles/Chiefs have never won a Super Bowl. I have always admired Manning and his coaches for not succumbing to that style. But, I wonder if Manning could play that way? I don’t think he can and that is just another one of his shortcomings.
2018 will be an interesting one for Manning. It will be tough for the Giants to let him leave, even though it’s probably the best thing for the organization. Most think Manning could join a ready-made team and make a deep run in the playoffs. Some say he would be a great fit in Jacksonville, where he would be reunited with his old coach and mentor, Tom Coughlin, who is in the Jags’ front office.
I’m not sure Manning would be a great fit there, or anywhere, for that matter. He can still play, but can he play in certain systems? It never ends well for most quarterbacks. Peyton Manning won a Super Bowl in his final season, but Denver had to carry him across the finish line. John Elway was the Super Bowl MVP in his final game, but he was struggling at the end, too. Thankfully, he had Terrell Davis and a great defense to help him out.
When his career is over, Eli Manning will have a bust in Canton, Ohio. He will never buy dinner in New York again for those two Super Bowls, and he outplayed and beat the best all-time quarterback Tom Brady twice on the biggest stage in North American sports—the Super Bowl.
Manning has had his ups and downs, more than most Hall of Famers. It won’t prevent him from enshrinement, but it does keep him off the list of all-time greats. Was he better than Brett Favre? Ken Stabler? Terry Bradshaw? Troy Aikman? Kurt Warner? That’s the beauty of sports. All of those quarterbacks are in the Hall of Fame. Manning will be too and once they’re there, there are no levels in the Hall—they’re all just in. Fans can do the rankings. They can rank him low but because he’s a Hall of Famer, they have to rank him; something that one doesn’t do with players like Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason, two very good players who are not, nor will be Hall of Famers.
I would stop short of calling Manning an enigma, but he has been puzzling for sure. Puzzling, yes, but still, a Hall of Fame quarterback.