ELI Can still be the Man in New York
11:31 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 21, 2007
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The Big Apple might be growing impatient with Eli Manning. But Giants coach Tom Coughlin isn't.
Yes, Manning throws too many interceptions. And yes, he is winless in his two playoff appearances. But at 26, Manning remains a young quarterback.
Clearly, Eli is not his brother Peyton. A three-time NFL passing champion, two-time league MVP and the Super Bowl MVP last February, Peyton is the best quarterback in the game today. Eli just doesn't stack up with Peyton.
At least not the 2007 Peyton.
But let me take you back to Peyton's first three seasons. He won only 21 of his first 39 career starts with 50 interceptions and an 0-1 record in the playoffs. Eli has won 20 of his first 39 starts with 44 interceptions to go with his 0-2 playoff record.
"I hope it doesn't take Eli six years to win his first playoff game like it took me," Peyton said.
Yes, it took awhile for Peyton to achieve his greatness. But the Colts showed patience with him and were rewarded for their tolerance. Internally, the Giants are following Indy's lead.
"At the end of last season, we all talked about consistency being a big factor," Coughlin said. "Eli hasn't done it as consistently as he would like or we would like.
Getty Images Eli Manning led the Giants to the playoffs in his first two full seasons as a starter. "But now he's had three years of learning, understanding, competing, studying and playing against the best. These things are going to come to bear for Eli as he matures as a football player. I'm expecting him to do some outstanding things."
Quietly, Eli has already done some outstanding things. When you talk about the game's best quarterbacks, his name never comes up. But when you talk about the game's most productive quarterbacks, like it or not, his name must enter into the discussion.
Only four players quarterbacked their teams to the playoffs each of the last two seasons: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Matt Hasselbeck and, yes, Eli Manning.
Here's a list of the winningest quarterbacks in those last two seasons:
Quarterback Team Starts Wins Peyton Manning Indianapolis 32 26 Tom Brady New England 32 22 Matt Hasselbeck Seattle 28 20 Drew Brees San Diego/New Orleans 32 19 Eli Manning NY Giants 32 19 Carson Palmer Cincinnati 32 19 Ben Roethlisberger Pittsburgh 27 18
Here's another list of the quarterbacks with the most touchdown passes the last two seasons:
Quarterback Team TDs '06 '05 Carson Palmer Cincinnati 60 28 32 Peyton Manning Indianapolis 59 31 28 Tom Brady New England 50 24 26 Drew Brees New Orleans/San Diego 50 26 24 Eli Manning NY Giants 48 24 24 Matt Hasselbeck Seattle 42 18 24 Jake Delhomme Carolina 41 17 24
Inconsistency has indeed been the issue. Eli has had some flat tires, like his four-interception performance against Minnesota in 2005 and his 9-of-25 passing effort for 74 yards in 2006 against the Saints. But Manning has had some exhilarating moments as well. There was his four-touchdown performance against St. Louis in 2005 and a 371-yard passing effort in Philadelphia in 2006 when he rallied the Giants from a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit for an overtime victory against the Eagles.
Peyton was worth the wait for the Colts. The Giants believe Eli will be worth the wait as well.
