When Michael Kay asked Eli Manning the question "Are You an Elite Quarterback?," the response Eli Manning gave caused many people to chuckle, snicker, and maybe even guffaw at the open answer that he presented. "Yeah, I am," he said. And when Michael Kay followed up by asking him "Do you think you are in the same class as Tom Brady?," Manning's response caused debate, controversy, and lots of people to laugh at the thought of such a prospect, "Yeah, I think I am..."
Well? WHOSE LAUGHING NOW???
In arguably the best year of Eli's career, he not only proved he was an elite quarterback, he took his team back to the Super Bowl, beat the same team (New England Patriots) in the same fashion he did four years ago (fourth quarter comeback), won his second Super Bowl MVP, and mounted his place as the greatest quarterback in New York football history...
Oh yeah, and he also made Tom Brady contact his therapist once again.
When you think about all he has done this year, it almost sounds like a Hollywood script. Eli has bested arguably the best team in the Modern Era of the NFL TWICE in the biggest game in American Sports. He's had more fourth quarter comebacks this year than any other quarterback, and has passed for more touchdowns in the fourth quarter than any other quarterback in the NFL this year. He's also won more neutral site/ on the road playoff games than any other quarterback in the history of the NFL. Is this for real??
Numbers don't lie, but what people have a hard time getting passed is his humble "aw shucks" demeanor, that some find it hard to take him seriously as an elite quarterback. Its almost the same as if Alfalfa was playing quarterback for a professional team.
But that's just Eli, and part of his brilliance is what lies beneath his unorthodox elite personality. He's calm, cool, collected, focused, and when the fourth quarter comes, he's someone you can always rely on.
This year it was like poetry in motion. When the fourth quarter came up and the Giants were down, Manning played at his best every single time they needed to win, and the run to the Super Bowl after the loss to the Redskins was evidence of his brilliance and HUGE clutch genes courtesy of his parents.
Eli Manning may not be a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, and he doesn't have to be. He's definately proven himself and shown that he is indeed an elite quarterback in today's NFL, and that's something that no one will ever ask or question him about it again.
For Eli Manning, it's not about having the last laugh, it just comes along with winning another Super Bowl ring for your teammates, and that is NO joke.
http://1045theteam.com/the-greatness-of-eli-manning/
I always find it amazing how one question-and-answer exchange can have such an impact. We see it every now and again in sports, and in sports journalism, and the Eli 'elite?' question definitely fit the bill. It was one of several questions in a radio interview months ago, and here we are still talking about it in February! Goes to show you that sometimes the simplest of questions can bring out the most memorable - and talked-about - responses. So never shy away from asking what might seem like a silly question, because you really never know what it's going to lead to.
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