Ditto Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Has Eli Manning actually gotten overrated? By MJD Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008 11:14 am EST It's an interesting question, originally posed by SI's Andrew Perloff, who points to Ben Roethlisberger, Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, and Kurt Warner as quarterbacks who won a Super Bowl with a stout defense, and then almost immediately reverted back to mediocrity. Some quick facts that might support the "Eli is now overrated" hypothesis: • In the regular season, he ranked 25th in passer rating, sandwiched between Vince Young and Kyle Boller • Again in the regular season, he threw 20 interceptions, tied for the league lead with Jon Kitna and Carson Palmer • He also completed just 56.1% of his passes, which ranks him right between Trent Edwards and Cleo Lemon But there are also things I'd point out that weaken the "Eli is overrated" argument: • Obviously, that bad-ass leather jacket. • You can throw out the Roethlisberger comparison, or better yet, use it to Eli's advantage. Yes, Large Benjamin had a down year after winning the Super Bowl, but he also nearly died in a motorcycle accident, which was probably a factor. He's also rebounded quite nicely, and I don't think anyone doubts his ability to be a very good NFL quarterback in the long-term. • Johnson, Dilfer, and Warner were all much older than Eli at the time of their Super Bowl wins. Eli's still learning, and certainly hasn't peaked. I don't think the same could be said of any of the other guys mentioned. • It wasn't just a good Super Bowl that Eli produced. His last five games this year, including the postseason, he had ten touchdowns against two interceptions and averaged a QB rating of over 100. He played well over an extended period of time. Is Eli going to perform as well throughout the entire 2008/2009 season as he did in this year's playoffs? Probably not. Eli's not done growing as a quarterback, and he's not done having bad games. But I also don't see any reason to think that his last five games this year were a fluke, either. Overrated? I guess it depends on where you're rating him. If you're sticking him in the elite group with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, then yes, you're overrating him, and you should stop freebasing immediately. But I think there's definitely room to squeeze him into the sub- grouping that includes Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, Drew Brees, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 And so it begins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lubeck Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Is Eli going to perform as well throughout the entire 2008/2009 season as he did in this year's playoffs? Probably not. Eli's not done growing as a quarterback, and he's not done having bad games. But I also don't see any reason to think that his last five games this year were a fluke, either. No quarterback ever is. Peyton threw 4 picks in a game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandolphScott Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 No quarterback ever is. Peyton threw 4 picks in a game. Six. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I like the article. I'm afraid winning hides a lot of problems. It's true I've been big on Eli. I think he's "solid". Not a superstar... Eli is exactly where I thought he was... nothing more nothing less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMFP Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 To me, it begins and ends with this - I waited 17 years between Super Bowls. Eli is a Made Man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGBLUE01 Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 I like the article. I'm afraid winning hides a lot of problems. It's true I've been big on Eli. I think he's "solid". Not a superstar... Eli is exactly where I thought he was... nothing more nothing less. He is, who we thought he was!!! ...............oops, sorry, having Denny Green flashback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 He is, who we thought he was!!! ...............oops, sorry, having Denny Green flashback. I thought I was the only one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gateb Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 He was underrated in September-December and may be overrated now. Such is a life of a quarterback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sephiroth Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 It's an interesting question, originally posed by SI's Andrew Perloff, who points to Ben Roethlisberger, Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer, and Kurt Warner as quarterbacks who won a Super Bowl with a stout defense, and then almost immediately reverted back to mediocrity. Wow... I had never realized that the "Greatest Show on Turf" moniker was for the Rams' defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nesta Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Eli will certainly have more bad games. Fact of life. 'If he's now overrated', will have to wait til next season to be determined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishgutmartyr Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Wow... I had never realized that the "Greatest Show on Turf" moniker was for the Rams' defense. Agreed. He lost me with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Treehugger Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 Isn't that the same list of reasons why Eli couldn't match Brady's play in the Superbowl? We had an up-and-down regular season, it means jack shit now, as does the Pats' 16-0 season. What counts was one of the best play-off runs in history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nas Posted February 15, 2008 Share Posted February 15, 2008 He is, who we thought he was!!! ...............oops, sorry, having Denny Green flashback. oh shit.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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