Does Eli Manning Belong In The Hall Of Fame?
I saw this clip and it has reignited an argument in my head: Does Eli Manning actually deserve to be in the hall of fame?
On its face, it might feel like a "no shit" type of argument. He has 2 super bowl MVPs from wins against the best dynasty in football history and decent bulk stats. That alone, at least to me, means that he is going to make it. Lets break down if he should, though.
To me, I think you need to look at a few factors:
1. Their career achievements.
2. How they stacked up vs the other players at their position in their respective era.
Let's start with the achievements: 2 Super Bowl MVPs against arguably the 2 best teams of the Patriots dynasty. So let's look at those games.
Super Bowl XLII. The Giants go into the game against the undefeated Patriots, who had one of the most unbelievable offenses of all-time. They set the records for touchdowns scored, first downs made, points on the road, point differential, passing touchdowns, receiving touchdowns and more. As of today, they are were the second highest scoring offense in NFL history with 36.8 points a game. How much did they score on the Giants? Fourteen. Brady, who had been sacked 21 times all year, was sacked 5 times. They were averaging 116 rushing yards a game and ended with 45. It's impossible for me to look at that game primarily as anything other than one of the most clutch defensive performances in NFL history. Eli escaping that sack was incredible but the catch by Tyree was nothing short of a miracle. So, looking at this game, do I view it as Eli's doing? No. I'd give him NFCC MVP but, if it was possible, that Super Bowl MVP should have gone to the entire defense. They are the ones that slayed the dragon.
Super Bowl XLVI. Once again, the Patriots were a monster on offense. They had 5 pro-bowlers and 3 All-pros just on that side of the ball. They scored 34.8 points per game making them the 6th highest scoring offense in NFL history. How many points do they score on the Giants? Seventeen. The Giants defense again put up one of the most clutch defensive performances in NFL history. However, this time around, Eli played a lot better both in this individual game and the run leading into it. It's a much more deserved MVP although I still think that defense does not get the credit they deserve for that historic performance.
As far as other achievements go, there isn't much. He has 4 pro bowls(Reserve x2, Alternate x2) not a single All-pro nod or MVP vote. No regular season NFL records of note. Never lead the league in anything but interceptions (which he did three times). He's outside the top-10 in passing yards and TDs. Just not a ton there relative to a HOF conversation.
So now lets look at how he stacked up against the other big time QBs of his era, which I'd say is 2005-2018
Dead last in every category.
Eli is just a weird case. He was consistently solid, always available and had two really good runs into historic super bowls. However, was he ever a top-20 player in the NFL? No. Was he ever a top-10 offensive player in the NFL? No. Was he ever, in any year, really considered a top-5 QB in the NFL? No. So, on paper, how do you justify letting a player who was never considered top-5 in his position into the Hall of Fame?
Again, Eli is going to make it. He's got the rings, the name, and the NFL clearly wants him and Peyton to be integrated with the future of the league. Outside of the NFL politics end, I also think he probably doesn't get enough credit for the lack of offensive team building he had comparative to the other QBs. And, at the end of the day, he quarterbacked the team that slayed the dragon. That's something basically every non-patriots fan can get behind.
I went into writing this blog willing to sway myself in either direction. I think my conclusion is as follows: Eli probably doesn't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. But does him being in the hall diminish the honor? Not really, so why do I care.
