At the start of the 2011 season, nobody viewed New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning as a future Hall of Famer. In fact, we all laughed when he dared to say he was in the same class as Tom Brady.
Manning then proceeded to shut us up by having the best season of his pro career, and now he's just a week away from playing in the Super Bowl for the second time in his career.
So that future Hall of Famer idea? It's not looking too outlandish right about now. On the contrary, it's an idea we should start coming to grips with.
As things stand right now, Manning is not a Hall of Famer. His win in Super Bowl XLII is a huge feather in his cap, as is his Super Bowl MVP, but the rest of Manning's resume is lacking. His career passer rating of 82.1 is not impressive, and the fact that he has twice led the league in interceptions is not a good thing at all.
So as great as Manning was in 2011, his resume is not that of a Hall of Fame quarterback. Nothing is being decided today, but Manning would not be a Hall of Famer if we were.
The big picture could be significantly different a week from today. If Manning leads the Giants to a win over the Patriots on Super Sunday, we're going to be looking at his career in an entirely different light.
There are only a small handful of quarterbacks in NFL history who have won more than one Super Bowl. Most of them are in the Hall of Fame, and some are going to get there some day. Tom Brady will be a Hall of Famer, and Ben Roethlisberger probably will be too.
At the very least, a second ring would put Manning in the discussion. The debate will be heated, but rest assured this is a debate people will have. Compared to where we stand with Manning right now, that's a step up.
The scary part is that, win or lose, there's a lot
more to come from Manning. He's only 31, meaning he has a few seasons
left in him. The possibility exists that he will get a couple more
cracks at the Super Bowl. Even if he doesn't, he's going to continue to
build on his numbers.
As strange as it may seem, we could eventually come to see Eli as the better of the two Manning brothers. He already has as many rings as Peyton, and Eli is going to catch up to him numbers-wise in the coming years. Right now, I'm already willing to bet that Eli is going to have more rings when all is said and done.
So one way or the other, Manning is going to be in the Hall of Fame discussion. He'll be there right away if he's hoisting the Lombardi Trophy a week from today, but he'll be there eventually even if he isn't.
Manning then proceeded to shut us up by having the best season of his pro career, and now he's just a week away from playing in the Super Bowl for the second time in his career.
So that future Hall of Famer idea? It's not looking too outlandish right about now. On the contrary, it's an idea we should start coming to grips with.
As things stand right now, Manning is not a Hall of Famer. His win in Super Bowl XLII is a huge feather in his cap, as is his Super Bowl MVP, but the rest of Manning's resume is lacking. His career passer rating of 82.1 is not impressive, and the fact that he has twice led the league in interceptions is not a good thing at all.
Manning at the Pro Bowl in 2009.
Pro Bowl selections don't mean as much as we think they
do, but Manning has only been selected to the Pro Bowl twice in his
eight seasons, once in 2008 and again this year. That's a pretty good
indication of how up and down Manning's career has been. And indeed,
there have been more downs than ups.So as great as Manning was in 2011, his resume is not that of a Hall of Fame quarterback. Nothing is being decided today, but Manning would not be a Hall of Famer if we were.
The big picture could be significantly different a week from today. If Manning leads the Giants to a win over the Patriots on Super Sunday, we're going to be looking at his career in an entirely different light.
There are only a small handful of quarterbacks in NFL history who have won more than one Super Bowl. Most of them are in the Hall of Fame, and some are going to get there some day. Tom Brady will be a Hall of Famer, and Ben Roethlisberger probably will be too.
At the very least, a second ring would put Manning in the discussion. The debate will be heated, but rest assured this is a debate people will have. Compared to where we stand with Manning right now, that's a step up.
As strange as it may seem, we could eventually come to see Eli as the better of the two Manning brothers. He already has as many rings as Peyton, and Eli is going to catch up to him numbers-wise in the coming years. Right now, I'm already willing to bet that Eli is going to have more rings when all is said and done.
So one way or the other, Manning is going to be in the Hall of Fame discussion. He'll be there right away if he's hoisting the Lombardi Trophy a week from today, but he'll be there eventually even if he isn't.
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