The Final Days of Eli (Or Not. With Him, Who Knows?)

[Double Barrel]

The Final Days of Eli (Or Not. With Him, Who Knows?)

As the two-time Super Bowl winner stares down what sure feels like endgame, friends and family and former teammates try to see beneath Manning Face.
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One hundred sixteen wins—more than Bradshaw and Starr and Aikman. Three hundred sixty-two touchdowns—more than Elway and Unitas and Montana. Two hundred forty-one interceptions—more than all but 12 other passers ever; the league leader three times. And those two Super Bowl wins, each with last-second heroics that defied explanation. Nobody in the suite expects this outcome when they leave the stadium. They know the end will arrive at some point, of course. But there is hope that Eli, at 38, has one last trick left, one more improbable escape, one final surprise to reveal right as everyone declares him done.

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A question that I've occasionally pondered as a pro football fan: Is Eli a Hall of Famer?

My take is no. Yeah, he's got two rings and had great playoff runs, but he's never been an elite QB at any point of his career, IMO. (Jim Plunkett has two rings and he's not in the HoF.)

But, the media constantly refers to him as "future Hall of Famer".

So I'm curious, what do y'all think? Oh hey, a poll!

 

[JB]

Not

 

[eriadoc]

I have no idea. As you point out, Plunkett isn't in the HoF. But Lynn Swann is, based solely on his playoff performances, much like Manning. So is Art Monk, who was merely above average for a very long time, much like Manning. Guys that were real game changers for the Cowboys aren't in. Brazile only recently got in after decades of not improving his resume.

So I have no earthly idea.

 

[Speedy]

Had he played his career in San Diego, and even still won 2 rings, he's probably not in the HOF, but because he played that career in New York, he'll get in.

Is Philip Rivers a HOFer? Rivers has a better regular season winning percentage (Eli is .500), a much better TD/INT ratio than Eli, much better passer rating, better completion percentage, and more yards per game. He just doesn't have the postseason success.

HOF has just lost it's luster with me though. It's not about the no doubt elite anymore, it's the Hall of pretty good now. Baseball for example, it's hard to imagine Babe Ruth and Harold Baines being on the same plane of the game's greatest ever, but there they are, both HOFers.

Eli Manning on the same level of greatness as Joe Montana, John Elway, Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady?? Go ahead and give him his participation ribbon if you must, but I'll never ever consider him in that league. Hell, he's not even in the Warren Moon, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino league and they have a combined zero rings.

 

[edo783]

He is good. Close, but no cigar.

 

[OptimisticTexan]

Had he played his career in San Diego, and even still won 2 rings, he's probably not in the HOF, but because he played that career in New York, he'll get in.

Is Philip Rivers a HOFer? Rivers has a better regular season winning percentage (Eli is .500), a much better TD/INT ratio than Eli, much better passer rating, better completion percentage, and more yards per game. He just doesn't have the postseason success.

HOF has just lost it's luster with me though. It's not about the no doubt elite anymore, it's the Hall of pretty good now. Baseball for example, it's hard to imagine Babe Ruth and Harold Baines being on the same plane of the game's greatest ever, but there they are, both HOFers.

Eli Manning on the same level of greatness as Joe Montana, John Elway, Johnny Unitas, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady?? Go ahead and give him his participation ribbon if you must, but I'll never ever consider him in that league. Hell, he's not even in the Warren Moon, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino league and they have a combined zero rings.

Are you saying that the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL Hall of Fames may be willing to incorporate the all important "Participation Rule" into their hallowed halls?

 

[Texecutioner]

He'll be the biggest reject the HOF has ever seen if and when he gets in.

He'll only get in there because the sports media has become more narrative based with bias BS and bias misinformation than the political media. Eli played in NY which is the capital of that along with L.A. so they'll constantly boost his notoriety and the few accomplishments he holds which were fire shot through the best Dline the game had ever seen.

None the less I'll gag the day he gets voted in, especially the fact that he'll likely even be a first ballot HOFer.

 

[Double Barrel]

Great replies!

And I'm honestly glad we have a full consensus on this one. I thought there must be something that I'm not seeing with Eli's career, but now I know it's just the media bias that Tex is talking about.