Eli Manning is the third member of the reputed 'Manning family' to make it as a professional football player in the NFL. He was the starting quarterback for the New York Giants for over a decade and led them to two Super Bowl rings while winning Super Bowl MVPs on both occasions. Football and quarterbacking were always in his genes, as he has known ever since he was a small kid, playing outside with his father and older brothers.
The Manning family has produced three excellent signal callers, starting with the father, Archie Manning, who played mostly with the New Orleans Saints in the 1970s and early 1980s. Then came his eldest brother Cooper, who was actually a really good wide receiver but had to cut short his football career even before he could play for his college team due to a condition called spinal stenosis. After Cooper came the most famous and decorated Manning, Peyton, who had a stellar career of his own. Hence, it was only natural for Eli to follow in the footsteps of his father and siblings to carve out his own legacy in the game. That brings us to the topic at hand.
Is Eli Manning a Hall OF Famer?
Answering this question is not as simple as just stating yes or no. The problem with Eli Manning and his career is that an argument can be made from both sides as his career has seen the highest of highs and while maybe not the lowest of lows but certainly much more mediocracy than he would have liked.
Of course, it is not easy when you have a brother like Peyton Manning who has set a ton of records in the league and has won the most NFL MVPs in league history. But still, leaving aside Peyton and his illustrious career, the path towards the Hall of Fame may be a long time in coming if at all it is to come.
One thing is for sure though, Eli Manning retired from the game in 2020. The earliest the Pro Football Hall of Fame allows entries for players and coaches is five years after retirement, which means Eli will get his first shot only in 2025.
Why should Eli Manning not be in the Hall of Fame?
As stated earlier, cases can be made on both sides of the argument in this situation, so let us first see why a case for him not being in the HOF may arise. Eli Manning throughout his 16-year career was more or less an average to above-average quarterback year in and year out. Of those 16 years, he managed to get his team to the playoffs on only six occasions, and what's more surprising is that he and the Giants lost in their first round four of those six times.
In addition to that, if we are to take a look at what the stats have to say, then his all-time career regular season record stands at an even 117-117, which is not good by any means. Furthermore, he is missing some of the most important accolades on his NFL resume by never earning an All-Pro recognition, never winning the NFL MVP, and only managing four Pro Bowl selections. As for his passer rating, it stands at 84.1, placing him beyond the top 50 in the history of the game.
As a matter of fact, not many even consider him to be one of the top five quarterbacks of his era. In all fairness to him, though, his era was filled with some of the best quarterbacks to have ever graced the game, including Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rogers, and of course his brother Peyton. Considering all of the above arguments that go against him, there are many experts and fans alike who are quite confused about whether or not Eli Manning should be a Hall of Famer.
Why should Eli Manning be in the Hall of Fame?
On the flip side of the argument, there is a strong case that Eli Manning deserves to be a Hall of Famer, as he has won not just one but two Super Bowls in his career. Add to that the fact that both times he was named the Super Bowl MVP, which is a tremendous accomplishment in itself. To give an idea of how big that is, just consider that he is only one of six players to win the award multiple times. This short list puts him in the company of legends of the games and includes Tom Brady (5), Joe Montana (3), Terry Bradshaw (2), Bart Starr (2), and Patrick Mahomes (2). Even greats such as Aaron Rogers and Peyton Manning have not done it.
Moreover, his case is also strengthened by the fact that both he and the Giants met the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl and came out on top on both occasions. The Patriots have been the biggest dynasty in football, especially in recent years, winning a total of six titles in the past era. Boasting arguably the greatest coach in the NFL in Bill Belichick, the greatest quarterback in the league in Tom Brady, and an all-around spectacular team, the Patriots were not easy to beat. In fact, one of the most prominent feats in the history of the NFL occurred when Eli and the Giants stopped the Patriots from going 20-0 in Super Bowl XLII, as up until that point, New England was 19-0 on the season.
To make his case even stronger, we have to stick to his postseason play, as his regular season just doesn’t quite hold up in the argument. Nevertheless, the two runs he had to the Super Bowl were also every bit as difficult as they could have been. For instance, his road to Super Bowl XLII consisted of all tough away games, including the number-four-seeded Carolina Panthers, followed by the number-one-seeded Dallas Cowboys, and then the number-two-seeded Green Bay Packers, before meeting the number-one-seeded Patriots from the AFC.
His Super Bowl XLVI run was equally tough, as the Giants were on the road in two of three games prior to the final showdown. Once again, Eli had to go through the number-one-seeded Packers at Lambeau Field, followed by the number-two-seeded San Francisco 49ers, and finally the number-one-seeded AFC champions, the Patriots. After considering such triumphs, this side of the argument also has valid points.
While many debate whether Eli’s long regular-season stats measure up to a Hall of Fame career or not, it is worth noting that he does have over 57,000 career passing yards and 366 passing touchdowns to add to his two rings and two Super Bowl MVPs. So until the day finally arrives when Eli Manning will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it looks like this debate will remain at the heart of discussions.
FAQs
A. Eli Manning has a 117-117 win-loss record in the regular season. Manning’s career towards the latter stages saw many more losses than wins resulting in an even record at the end.
A. There is no rule which states that a Hall of Fame inductee cannot return to play professional football, but with a five year gap between retirement and HOF induction, it makes it very difficult for a player to make his return.
A. Eli and Peyton Manning’s father, Archie Manning who was a very good quarterback, but he is not inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is, however, an inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame.
A. Eli Manning has won two Super Bowl rings in his career with the New York Giants.
A. Eli Manning in his 16-year-long career as the quarterback for the New York Giants, never won the NFL MVP.
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