Eli Manning may never be seen as the greatest of all time, but those still saying he isn’t a Hall of Famer are just plain wrong.
Defending the Hall of Fame credentials attached to New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, the most under-appreciated player in NFL history, is a yearly tradition if only because so many seemingly want to discredit his legacy whenever presented the opportunity.
Some fans of the Giants took Manning for granted for so long, it wasn’t until he was unceremoniously benched in favor of Geno Smith, a decision that absolutely played a part in multiple individuals within the organization losing their jobs, that those supporters realized how good they’ve had it for so long.
On the morning of Aug. 2, ESPN.com offered arguments and votes for and against Hall of Fame candidates, Manning included. Unsurprisingly, knowing popular opinions about the 37-year old, Manning came up short in the eyes of the panel. From Jeff Legwold:
"The HOF debate for Eli will be fiery, but Manning’s four Pro Bowl appearances will pale in comparison to his peers, and his career interceptions (228) will weigh heavily in the discussion as well. It’s also important to note that he and Ben Roethlisberger, who was also drafted in 2004 and has two Super Bowl titles, will likely be considered at roughly the same time, so that will potentially split some votes among the Hall’s board of selectors. Ultimately, the voters will be asked if Manning was one of the best quarterbacks in an era of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Roethlisberger. He could find himself the Jim Plunkett of his time, with two Super Bowl rings, a pretty good argument and no gold jacket."
Quarterbacks are reliant and dependent on systems as much as teams rely on signal-callers. All things equal, Aaron Rodgers may, physically speaking, be the best to ever do it. Rodgers owns one Super Bowl ring. He may never earn another. Meanwhile, Tom Brady, the greatest to ever play the sport’s most important position, is a five-time champion who won all of those rings under the regime of Bill Belichick. Analysts will discuss who, among the two, deserve more credit for the New England dynasty well after both ride off into the sunset.
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Manning was never Brady or Rodgers. He didn’t play the bulk of home games inside of a dome as has Brees. He’ll never be your fantasy football icon. Those who believe any Hall of Fame should be reserved only for the elite and best of the best could, understandably, keep Manning off their ballots. If you think every Hall of Fame vote should be a yes or no determined in under ten seconds, Manning is probably a “no” for you.
Intelligent people in the football world understand that’s not how it actually works. Personal opinions, interactions writers have had with players and other outside influences affect how voters feel about candidates. It turns out sports writers are, in fact, human. They can’t help themselves, even if they want to.
The numbers, as offered by ESPN and Pro-Football-Reference, show any Hall of Fame without Manning included isn’t worth the ground it’s built on. 210 consecutive starts, a streak that should still exist to this day, in a league that spits players out on a yearly basis. Sixth in all-time passing yards. Sixth in all-time completions. Eighth all time in passing touchdowns.
Manning is the greatest offensive player in the history of a franchise established over 90 years ago, and he there isn’t a close second. Tiki Barber isn’t in the conversation. Frank Gifford essentially played a different sport in a different era. Odell Beckham Jr. could overtake Manning one day, but he’s not in Manning’s rear-view mirror as of August 2018.
Even Manning’s detractors cannot ignore his postseason accomplishments. Three road victories in January 2008. Two of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history. The only man to have a pair of Super Bowl wins over Brady. Two championship-winning drives, one of which occurred against an undefeated opponent advertised as unbeatable, and two Super Bowl MVP trophies. As ESPN’s Jordan Raanan wrote: “The list of players who have won multiple Super Bowl MVPs is exclusive. It’s Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and … Eli Manning. Talk about elite company.”
Non-believers conveniently forget about the 2008 season. Manning guided that side to a victory that propelled it to a record of 11-1 days after wide receiver Plaxico Burress suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but Big Blue couldn’t overcome losing its best player at the position in the playoffs. There’d be no questions about Manning’s Hall of Fame status had Burress stayed home that fateful evening, and the Giants went on to win a second consecutive title as so many believed the team would heading into Thanksgiving Day.
Voters won’t say the real reason they won’t back Manning for the Hall of Fame because doing so would make them look bad: Eli isn’t Peyton. Switch Eli’s name with Philip Rivers and keep everything else the same, and the conversation changes. Eli deserves better, but that’s nothing new. He deserved better from his former general manager and from teammates. Manning also deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Anybody who has closely followed his career knows it.