Some people laughed last off-season when New York Giant quarterback Eli
Manning classified himself as an elite quarterback. The same people that
laughed at Manning were the same ones that were waiting to see him fall
flat on his face this season. While those haters were waiting to see
Manning fall, the nine-year veteran from Ole Miss didn’t even stumble.
Manning has led The Giants to six fourth quarter comebacks this season.
Manning threw for 4,933 yards which was good for fourth in The National
Football League. These numbers were good enough to help The Giants win
The NFC East.
Critics constantly want to compare him to his brother Peyton who is
the quarterback of The Indianapolis Colts, but this postseason Eli has
been closer to Joe Montana. In three playoff games, Manning has thrown
eight touchdowns to only one interception. In The Wild Card Round, The
Giants showed The Atlanta Falcons the door with a convincing 24-2 win.
The only flaw for Manning was that he was sacked in the end zone for a
safety. In The Divisional Round, Manning led The Giants into historic
Lambeau Field to face The Green Bay Packers who finished the regular
season with a 15-1 record and who won last season’s Super Bowl. Manning
torched The Packers secondary for 330 yards as The Giants dominated
Green Bay 37-20. Outside of The Giants locker room not too many people
believed that Manning and The Giants could beat The Packers. In the
process, Manning outplayed Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers who is
considered an elite quarterback by most people. Manning then faced the
fiercest pass rush that he has seen all season in The NFC Championship
Game in the form of The San Francisco 49ers. The Niners knocked Manning
down 12 times and sacked him six times during the game. In the mold of
Rocky Balboa, Manning picked himself up off of the canvas every time and
came back for more. That determination and resiliency carried over to
his teammates as The Giants found a way to knock off the pesky 49ers in
overtime by a score of 20-17 for the franchise’s fifth NFC Title..
Manning has The Giants back in The Super Bowl for the second time in
his career. Manning will become the first Giant quarterback to start in
multiple Super Bowls for the franchise. Prior to the season Manning
already answered the question about his elite status. Manning entered
The NFL in 2004 as the first overall selection in the draft by The San
Diego Chargers. Manning told The Chargers “no thank you” to the notion
of him playing professional football in Southern California. Manning
sought a trade to The Giants and he welcomed pressure that came along
with it. Manning is a quarterback in the biggest and toughest media
market in America and he looks unflappable doing it.
In his career Manning has 30 game-winning drives and since 2005 The
Giants record is 68-44 which is the best in The NFC. Manning did the
impossible in Super Bowl 42 when he led The Giants to a victory over The
New England Patriots who entered the contest with a record of 18-0.
Manning found wide receiver Plaxico Burress in the end zone with under
one minute left in the game to secure the victory 17-14. For his effort,
Manning was named Super Bowl MVP.
For the past few seasons, Manning has stood by why all the praise in
The Big Apple has gone to New York Jet quarterback Mark Sanchez.
Sanchez was drafted by The Jets in 2009 and in his first two seasons
Sanchez and The Jets reached The AFC Championship Game. Manning had
become a forgotten man as if he had never accomplished anything in his
career. In week 16 this season, The Giants and Jets squared off at
MetLife Stadium. Manning only completed 9 passes, but his biggest one
was late in the second quarter when he found wide receiver Victor Cruz
for a 99-yard touchdown pass to tie a NFL record.
Since 2006 Manning has stood by and watched praise heaped upon
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo as the “flashy” quarterback of
“America’s Team”. These two met in The 2007 Playoffs with Manning and
The Giants showing Romo the door. Being an elite quarterback is all
about answering the bell every single time and Manning has already
accomplished that. His name should be mentioned in the same breath with
Drew Brees of The New Orleans Saints and Tom Brady of The Patriots. Like
Brady and Brees, Manning is a Super Bowl MVP. Manning has defeated
Brady once in The Super Bowl and he will have an opportunity to do it
again in a matter of days. If The Giants win Super Bowl 46, Manning will
only be the 11th quarterback to win multiple Super Bowls. To quote
Michael Irvin of The NFL Network ” You cannot spell elite without Eli”.
Manning’s track record speaks for itself. Win or lose in The Super Bowl,
he is already an elite quarterback.
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