Against the greatest coach and the greatest quarterback Eli Manning led the Giants downfield to score winning touchdowns in two Super Bowls. It’s enough for the Hall. As for Plunkett he’s not in because he’s black. He too should be in.
Plunket is black? I thought he was Native American. I saw him play in college and the pro’s he always seemed to be much better than the QB on his opposition. He won a lot of big games and 2 Superbowls and has my vote for the HOF.
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It's beyond bizarre that this article never mentions the fact that most of the teams Eli played on were absolutely terrible. That is what accounts for the large number of losses, and many of Eli's more pedestrian statistics. And while the article says the Giants' two Super Bowl wins under Manning were driven by the defense, this totally neglects Manning's heroic performance in both games--including leading touchdown drives of over 80 yards in the waning minutes of both games for a come-from-behind victory against a highly favored Patriots juggernaut. That is why he was named Super Bowl MVP both times. And that is why he deserves to be enshrined in Canton.
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The goal of any pro football player is to win the Super Bowl. Eli Manning won two. Just four NFL QBs have won more. Manning should be in the NFL HoF.
And, for the same reason, so should Jim Plunkett...
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Manning had a good career.
Does he actually belong in a real hall of fame? No. Will he get in? Yes. And here is why:
1. He played in NY
2. His last name is Manning
Other than that I think another reader put it best. He’s the Eddie George of quarterbacks. He was good and very good a couple times when it counted. Did he ever sustain greatness over any long period of time? Not even close.
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Don't ignore the Big Apple factor. being a staple in the city where NFL headquarters is cant hurt.
Eli won 2 Super Bowls so how can he not be named to the Hall of Fame ?!?
Another pundit who doesn't know football is a team sport. Anyone could catch Manning's passes and get open. The offensive line and running game has no influence on the winner of games or passing. Defense is irrelevant. Only quarterbacks win games. LOL When will the nonsense stop?
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Consider who he beat with each Super Bowl win.
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Anybody on a team that beats the pats in a Super Bowl should get into the hall of fame.
Your analysis about Hall of Fame quarterbacks coming in bunches is nonsense. It is like that old nonsensical theory that whether the Dow Jones average was up or down in the previous year should predict whether the American or National team would win the next year's Super Bowl. It was true until it wasn't. In the last 50 years there have been more than one thousand starting quarterbacks in the NFL. if you flip a fair coin 1,000 times there will be bunches where heads or tails comes out 5, 6, 7 or 8 times in a row. Then there will be periods where they alternate perfectly. The same is true to a greater extent with Hall of Fame selections. They can never be fair, because they are always subject to a feedback loop. A fair coin never knows how it flipped before.
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He should be in... and so should Plunkett ...Football is not Baseball where stats are seemingly more important, there is that X factor in football of doing that underdog thing, that magical thing... but doing it greatly... even if the stats don't show it. It'll be a shame if he doesn't get in. I think having bad years playing for non-winning teams hurts player's chances as well as their stats. And it's not everyday one wins a Superbowl... we need go beyond expected dynasties and counting how many rings one can win...
Regardless of what side you are on, the NFL committee who votes on the HOF have no choice but to put him in. Bradshaw is in because of his rings. He played with at least 7 hall of famers, was never an MVP during the regular season, and never won a passing title. Joe Namath? Really? Staubach had a slightly above average career, but he also lost to Steelers twice in the big game. NFL opened the door years ago for players who don't really deserve to be in. Let Eli go in along with the "Greatest QB"(apologies to Joe Montana) to ever play the position, his brother. Number 18
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Plunkett did not play in NYC, which may explain his not been inducted.
It seems odd that 2 great playoff runs (helped by a defense perfectly suited to stopping the Patriots) can result in a 11-117 QB whose playoff success was otherwise minimal being inducted, but stranger things have happened and I wish him well.
Was Jeter ever the best Shortstop in MLB? Did he ever win a league MVP? I often ask if in any one year was he the best Yankee on the team? When he lost the circle of Great players around him, before the Yankees bought A-Rod, did he win a World Series? Nonetheless, he was a great player and a clear Hall of Famer.
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Eli won't pass the "Who Test" as time unfolds ....
Hall of Fame QB's should be memorable -- for continuous outstanding and inspiring performance.
If he is elected to the HOF, in five years most people will be saying "Eli who?" ... "Oh yeah, he was Peyton's brother ... "
Answer to the headline's question: NO!
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I admit to being a big fan of Jim Plunkett. He was just about destroyed from a physical standpoint by the weakness of his early teams. He resurrected his career with the Raiders. But, his stats are nothing special. I think the HOF stuff is so overblown but, since it's a big deal, I hope that someday the veteran's committee recognizes Jim.
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Manning is receiving credit for longevity and good health. His stats are related to playing many games for many years. Otherwise, he was never close to the top of the heap. And playing in NY was good publicity. Were his career in a small city, I suspect this debate wouldn't be occurring. Pretty good? Yes. HOF, no way.
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I don't know how you don't include Eli in the Hall. The only real blemish is his .500 winning percentage during the regular season, but two super bowl MVPs against the greatest team in NFL history should be enough to overcome that.
He may have not been a statistically phenomenal QB year-to-year, but the author already said that stats sort of went haywire the last decade. Class act in a city that hounds you, two Super Bowl MVPs against the GOAT, and career stats that add up to impressive numbers should get him in the Hall.
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Let's hope that Hall voters are savvy enough to recognize that his .500 record includes a dozen or more games that the Giants led in the final minutes, but lost thanks to a defense that couldn't stop a sink. And that's just in the last few years.
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The Manning Era formally ends tomorrow. #10 will be in the ring of honor at MetLife. The article justifies both sides of the argument. That is why there is a five year waiting period. I hope he gets to Canton...
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He's thrown for over 50,000 yards, and thrown 366 TDs. Every QB with those throwing stats are in the HOF. It's a no-brainer when you combine that with 2 Super Bowl MVP honors and 2 Super Bowl rings against the most dominant franchise in NFL history, if not of all sports.
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With 117 losses the only way he gets into the Hall is if he buys a ticket
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@Patriot And you probably still think Brady smashed his phone just because he wanted a new one, not to hide his incriminating text messages.
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Only five quarterbacks have been twice named M.V.P. in the Super Bowl. Eli Manning is one of them. Along with outstanding lifetime statistics and his rare durability over 18 years, Manning is a no brainer for first ballot induction.
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Winning two super bowls should no more qualify a quarterback for the hall of fame than winning two super bowls should qualify a linebacker or offensive tackle for the hall of fame. There are already too many quarterbacks in the hall, nearly 9 percent of all inductees, even though they are only 4.5% of starters (1 out of 22).
As for Eli. Well, here's a simple question: At any point in his career, was he one of the best five quarterbacks in the league?
The answer is no. 2011 was probably his best season, and it's pretty clear that Brees, Brady, Rodgers, Romo, and Stafford were better in 2011. Congrats to Manning for beating some of those players in the postseason that year, but it's more accurate to say the Giants defense beat them.
Eli was the Eddie George of quarterbacks. He was always just there. Good enough to start for a long time, good enough to compile big career stats, not good enough to be among the best.
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@Locho He was the MVP in those Super Bowls, he wasn't just along for the ride.
Warren Moon played for 16 years and has less passing TDs and less passing yards than Eli, no SB's and no SB MVP awards. Moon is in the HOF.
Eli has over 50,000 yards passing and over 360 passing TDs. Any QB with those types of stats is in the HOF.
It's a no brainer when you add it to his SB accolades against the most dominant franchise in NFL history against the GOAT QB in NFL history.
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@Locho I agree 2011 was his best season, and he did not get the credit he deserved. And NO WAY the win the super bowl that year without him. Why?
1) Running game was ranked 30th that year
2) Defense was ranked 26th that year
3) Eli set the record for most 4th quarter TDs in a season, only to be broken by Russel Wilson more recently.
I would love to ignore the stats. Its' the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Stats. His actions were legendary. He belongs in the Hall.
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@Locho How about winning two majors for a golfer? Definitely not an automatic qualifier or Angel Cabrera would not still be waiting.
Thank you Eli !
They were flukes.
Much as I liked Jim Plunkett, he didn't do anything particularly heroic in winning his Super Bowls. If the comparison is Joe Namath, who got in to the Hall of Fame largely because of his Super Bowl victory, then the case is even greater for Eli Manning, who did heroics in two Superbowl victories and did them in a greater manner than Joe Namath did.
@TO Namath was an occasionally great quarterback whose brash Ali-like prediction of Superbowl victory (which he backed with a victory) changed the NFL in fundamental ways. It was the change and the glamour that got him in.
I have no objection to that, but I don't think he makes a good point of comparison in evaluating someone else's worthiness for the Hall.
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The best argument for Eli in HOF is that he DID lead two deep-underdog teams to Super Bowl trophies.
And along the way, he beat Darth and the Emperor to achieve the Federation's only victories over the NE Empire.
Oh, and he's top-10 in all those pesky stat categories. This despite having less-than-average supporting casts for the bulk of his career.
Is Eli actually Luke Skywalker?
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I love Eli, but I don't think he is a Hall of Famer. Of the QBs mentioned in the article, I would only support Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rogers. However, I will not complain if Eli does get in. It would be a travesty if Rivers or Roethlisberger is elected and Eli is not.
I had a similar conversation at work yesterday regarding Tom Coughlin. To me, if Bill Cowher is in the Hall, then Coughlin 100% belongs there too.
One last thing: why isn't Joe Jacoby in the Hall? And how on earth did Jim Covert get elected while Jacoby waits?
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Stats I don't care.
Eli was not the greatest QB but he won the Super Bowl twice.
How many others have done that?
When he got the chance, he performed.
It's a tough call. I don't put Eli in the same class as Peyton, Brady, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Brees or Wilson who are more or less his contemporaries. He deserves some credit for durability and should not be punished for playing for some pretty poor Giants teams. His numbers might have been better in the last couple of years if the Giants had not let Beckham go.
But in a completely qualitative and subjective measure, the other QBs in that group always made the players around them better and I don't get that feeling with Eli. He is unlucky to have played in an era of three truly superlative QBs and several other great ones. In that sense he is like another Giants QB who also won two SBs (I know, only started one) and did not make it to the HoF - Phil Simms.
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it's a close call. so close that if he does get in i won't be upset and if he doesn't get in i won't be surprised. the good news is that most QB's are totally forgettable and at least Eli will be someone who gets discussed for the next few years.
He's also number three on the list of QB with the most consecutive starts (210, behind Brett Favre and Philip Rivers). That in itself doesn't make him an HOF QB but it's worth mentioning.
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Manning absolutely deserves to be elected to the pro football Hall of Fame. He was the face of one of the league's premier franchises for 15 years. He's in the top 10 in the important career QB stats. Not only did he lead his team to two improbable Super Bowl wins against the powerful Patriots, his performances were largely responsible for the playoff wins that got them to those championship games. Manning was never the best quarterback, he had his negatives, but he achieved more than enough to get elected. And he's famous; that counts too. After all, it is a hall of fame.
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He has been a solid quarterback for a long time. Nobody feared playing him.
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Probably playing for a New York team, and the accompanying media fandom, will be enough to tip him in. But there are lots of players who win Super Bowl rings who do not make it in. Roger Craig, the star running back for the 49ers, won three Super Bowl rings (one more than Eli), and was selected to four Pro Bowls (same as Eli). He's not in the Hall. If Roger Craig can't make it in, in my book, then Eli is a fringe candidate.
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@Bryan
Roger's most famous play though is still a fumble against the Giants.
Fans will remember Eli's two throws in the SB (the first a "do or die" 4th down play scrambling under heavy pressure; the second a high arc perfectly placed to avoid two converging defenders) as long as the game is played.
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@Bryan
I live in SF and I am from NY and couldn't agree more.
If Montana had played in NY,(actually NJ) there would be statue's in every borough.
That's just the way it is.
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Statistics are fine, but presentation and selling are sometimes
either relegated to the background or pushed to the forefront. Statistics are boring. Presentation attracts. Eli has never been showy, even boring to a lot of people. But one of his strongest virtues is his levelheadedness and equanimity. He is just a pleasant football player and that will go against his election to the HOF.
So you are comparing Eli to Peyton and Brady and Brees, and then calling his numbers weak or his two championships insignificant. Game’s three biggest QBs!
Bree’s will likely only be at one, and don’t be so sure on Rodgers and Wilson, they may only stay at one too!
Eli won against Brady twice in super bowl and was the MVP both times. How many players let alone QB can say that!
I rest my case.
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@VS I would not rate Eli above Brees, Rodgers or Wilson.
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@VS So you're voting for Timmy Smith too? I rest my case.
@VS As long as Eli had receivers that were at least six and half feet tall - once he didn't have that, he became very average.
He was an adequate quarterback who played for 15 years. Maybe he gets extra consideration playing for New York?
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Eli Manning did not win two superb owls.He was on the teams that won them. As Locho says, why give him more credit than his teammates? Sure, the quarterback is probably the most important player on the team, but what would have happened if Eli hadn't had a strong offensive line for those games or
superb pass rushers, or, for that matter Tyree's miracle catch? Manning is a good player. He was wonderfully durable. But he also gave up a lot of interceptions. He cannot be compared to quarterbacks like Brees, Rogers, Brady, or Peyton.
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@Faria Yes of course it's a team sport, but he won the MVP award for both those SB's, he had a huge role in the wins.
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No way is he a HOF’er.
He was an above average career quarterback.
He was never the best QB in the league. I would say he was never in the top 5 QBs in the league in any particular year.
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Manning is no where HOF material. 500. QB’s have no place being in the HOF.
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@Gustavo Warren Moon was below .500 and he is in the HOF.
.500 record is definitely here and not there. Add stellar play-off runs with two MVP awards against the GOAT's near perfect, lol, and always awesome teams. Toss in class and Eli is a Hall of Famer.
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Eli Manning won two Super Bowls by defeating the New England Patriots. And one of those wins was when the Patriots were trying to have a perfect season like the Miami Dolphins had. Eli Manning (and the Giants) were the equivalent of David defeating Goliath. Eli belongs in the HOF.
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@susan Yes, ... but.
That Super Bowel turned on a not-very good pass caught by an otherwise unknown receiver with one hand, and against his helmet.
Not HoF stuff.
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