Apparently it only takes five months and a Super Bowl run to change how a quarterback is perceived. Eli Manning entered the 2011 season coming off a year in which he missed the playoffs and led the league in interceptions (25). It was laughable when Manning suggested at the beginning of the season that he should be considered among the elite quarterbacks in the league.
But now it seems laughable to question Manning’s elite status. He’s even being compared to this generation’s top two passers: three-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady — whom Manning has an opportunity to defeat for a second time on the game’s biggest stage — and bigger brother and four-time NFL MVP Peyton.
Eli has had the best season of his career. He threw for 4,933 yards, 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions and set an NFL record with 15 fourth-quarter touchdowns. But it seems a bit premature to put him in the same class as Brady and Peyton.
Eli’s career passer rating (82.1) is worse than those of Matt Cassel, Jason Campbell and Joe Flacco. Since his first full year as a starter in 2005, Eli has finished in the top seven of the league in interceptions five times, including two seasons in which he led the NFL.
Let’s not forget how consistently dominant Brady and Peyton have been over their entire careers, which may never have been more apparent than this season. Brady will be making his fifth Super Bowl appearance, this time on a team with the 31st-ranked defense. And after Peyton led the Colts to nine straight double-digit win seasons, Indianapolis had just two victories without its star quarterback in 2011.
Legacies are built in the postseason and at the end of games. That’s when Eli is at his best, which makes it easier to overlook his past blunders.
Eli has stepped out of his brother’s shadow. He has become one of the best late-game quarterbacks. And he has emerged as a top passer in the league.
But only time will tell whether Eli truly deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Brady and Peyton.
– Jeffrey Tomik
