Eli Manning: The Most Unappreciated Player in NFL History

Everybody should appreciate New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning while Manning is still playing in the National Football League.

Eli Manning is the greatest quarterback in the history of the New York Giants, one of the best National Football League players of his time and will one day be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Those are not hot takes, nor are they meant to cause a rise out of readers and generate clicks. They are statements of fact. Eli Manning will never be confused for Peyton Manning. That’s fine. Both Manning brothers have multiple Super Bowl championships on their resumes, both possess multiple Most Valuable Player awards, and both will be in the Hall of Fame.

Yet here we are in 2016, and there are still some out there who continue to underrate Manning. They look for instances of “Manning face” so that they can leap onto websites such as Twitter and Facebook and have a laugh. Individuals such as Nathan Jahnke of ESPN Insider refer to Manning as one of the “most overpaid veterans” in the NFL.

Please.

For starters, there is no such thing as a “overpaid” franchise quarterback. It doesn’t exist. A franchise QB is worth his weight in pure gold. Ask the Cleveland Browns about that. The Browns have been searching for a franchise quarterback since 1999. Cleveland took chances on the likes of Brady Quinn, Colt McCoy, Brandon Weeden and Johnny Manziel hoping to hit a single bullseye on multiple blindfolded dart throws.

It’s why the San Francisco 49ers gave Colin Kaepernick a contract that looked better at first glances than it is in reality. It’s why the Miami Dolphins are hoping that Ryan Tannehill will ultimately do what Dan Marino could not do and win a title. It’s why the Cincinnati Bengals need Andy Dalton to take that next figurative step and match the accomplishments achieved by Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco.

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Manning’s current contract did not prevent the Giants from overspending in free agency earlier this year to strengthen a defense that was downright lousy in 2015. Manning restructured his contract back in 2012 to give the Giants some salary cap relief. His latest deal also saved the Giants some salary cap space. Yes, Manning has (deservedly) been paid millions upon millions of dollars, but he has also been generous and a team player throughout his career.

Eli Manning is, of course, not your average franchise QB. Manning is a two-time Super Bowl champion, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, a future member of the Hall of Fame and a player who should have his number retired by the Giants at some point within the next decade.

Head on over to Pro-Football-Reference.com or any similar website and examine Manning’s legacy as it pertains to others who have played QB for the Giants. Manning holds every meaningful franchise record. Wins. Touchdowns. Passing yards. Completions. Even longest pass. Manning has every one of those records.

Manning has admittedly had some tremendous weapons in his figurative arsenal over the years. Plaxico Burress. Steve Smith. Hakeem Nicks. Victor Cruz. Odell Beckham Jr..

It is here where Manning is somewhat similar to an international soccer star: Gareth Bale. Bale, who features for Spanish giants Real Madrid and for the Wales national team, has a history of burying highlight-reel free kicks and astonishing goals. Those goals have, however, often been followed by journalists, analysts and fans suggesting that the goalkeepers should have done better to prevent those shots from becoming goals.

When does it become a matter of Bale simply being good enough to beat goalkeepers? In that same light, the question should be asked: At what point should everybody start suggesting that Manning is responsible for helping former and current teammates reach their bests?

No reasonable football minds out there raise any questions whenever it is suggested that New England Patriots QB Tom Brady makes those around him better. Brady has had the pleasure and good fortune to play with two of the best tight ends of the past decade and an all-time great at the position in Rob Gronkowski.

When will the majority of observers start remarking how Manning has helped those around him improve? You likely didn’t know anything about a guy named Victor Cruz until he started working out with Manning during summer sessions. Beckham is obviously physically gifted, but one can only guess what he would be had he been drafted by the Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles or a different team that does not have a franchise QB on its roster.

There are even pockets of Giants fans out there who take Manning for granted. Go on Twitter during a regular season Sunday, and you’ll see supposed Big Blue supporters lash out at Manning whenever he throws an interception or makes a miscue during a game. These people who have been able to celebrate a pair of championships since February 2008 have no idea how good the Giants have had it since Manning first guided the club to a playoff berth a decade ago.

Manning turned 35-years-old earlier this year. The prime of his playing career is dwindling and may already be fading. We learned with his brother that Manning is but one hit away from potentially being sidelined for a significant amount of time. Even if Manning never suffers such a hit, odds are that he won’t be playing for the Giants come September 2020.

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The Giants will be lucky – very, very lucky – if they find the second coming of Manning between next spring and the end of his tenure with the Giants.

Maybe it will take Manning no longer being an active player for people to appreciate all that he contributed to the Giants and to the NFL. There will likely be some who will never, to steal the phrase, put respect on his name.

Whether or not anybody wants to acknowledge it, Manning’s Hall-of-Fame legacy is already set it stone.