Love It or Hate It?
By Sarah Spain
Love of Sports Correspondent
He started off his NFL career by giving a figurative middle-finger to the organization that drafted him.
He’s been given a big-deal contract and tons of time to develop in part due to the promise suggested by his famous last name.
He’s pouted his way through countless stretches of inconsistent play, shrugging and grimacing with every inaccurate pass or fumbled ball.
His seemingly nonexistent leadership skills and goofy disposition stand in stark contrast to those of a prototypical NFL QB.
His own GM dubbed him “skittish,” and he’s regularly booed by his home fans. At the end of the regular season, his 73.9 QB rating was 25th in the league, he was tied for the league lead in interceptions and his 56.1% pass percentage was better than just three other qualifying quarterbacks — Cleo Lemon, Rex Grossman and Kellen Clemens.
And yet — love it or hate it — Eli Manning is going to the Super Bowl.
As a Bears fan, I’m in no position to proclaim a quarterback undeserving of a Super Bowl trip. Last year, I openly supported Grossman while haters everywhere deemed him unworthy. Of course, like most Chicagoans, I secretly wished we had a Hall of Fame signal-caller like Peyton Manning on our side.
This year’s Super Bowl features an equally unlikely duo: Tom Brady, the Homecoming King; and Eli, the Captain of the chess team.
Fortunately, for Giants fans, the Super Bowl isn’t a popularity contest, nor is it a beauty pageant. So, while the Jesse Palmers and Brady Quinns of the world watch from the booth or the sidelines, Eli will be one of two starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl XLII.
Fans of a good underdog story can appreciate the Giants’ unlikely drive to Glendale. The team started the 2007 season mired in controversy.
Was Michael Strahan’s lengthy preseason holdout going to affect his play? Was Eli ever going to live up to his paycheck or his perceived destiny as a franchise QB? Could the team recover from the loss of leading rusher Tiki Barber – not to mention the addition of his off-the-field barbs?
Not only did the team match last year’s 8-8 record — and subsequent wild card berth — they bested it, going 10-6 and defeating three division winners on their way to the desert.
New York used a record 10 straight road wins to earn their spot on the big stage, the last of which involved unseating the sentimental favorites, the Brett Favre-led Packers. Two Sundays from now, Eli will be in the biggest road game of his life, trying to tackle an even greater legend — the 18-0 Patriots.
They’re two-touchdown underdogs to New England, but Eli can’t be bothered with predictions. After all, early this season most people didn’t think his team would even make the playoffs. But now that all is said and done, Eli’s going to the Super Bowl.
Love it or hate it? You decide.
Comments
Brad Berreman on 01/21 at 06:52 PM
I think it seems Eli has now turned a corner to become a good NFL quarterback. He’ll never be his brother, but who really could be right now? We’ll find out next season if has truly matured and is ready to be a leader and make a jump into the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.
Tough Love on 01/21 at 07:27 PM
Tiki who??!!
Larry Brown on 01/22 at 12:37 AM
Hate it. Your opening line says it all. Good post.
JohnG on 01/22 at 12:55 AM
Hey, Kerry Collins got the Giants to the Super Bowl… so Eli’s gotta be at least on that level… which ain’t sayin’ much.
C.G. on 01/22 at 04:11 AM
Great stuff. Just another Super Bowl with a sub-par quarterback. This has to make Trent Dilfer proud. That said, I’d love to see the G-men knock those smug grins off the Pats’ faces.
brad on 01/22 at 04:50 AM
hate it. Enough of the damn Mannings already. Peyton the waterhead is on every commercial, Archie is on every pregame and postgame show, and Eli the slack mouth rides his brothers and fathers coatails to fame. To hell with the whole Manning family.
thadd on 01/22 at 05:21 AM
I agree with brad. I’m completely over anything that is
associated with anything manning.
miked on 01/22 at 06:46 AM
love it!!!
Happy for the guy. I don’t think they’ll win, but it’s good for him and the sport.
Tony B. on 01/22 at 10:29 AM
Wanted the Pack to win, but love the story:
1) Tom Coughlin IS a good coach. If players don’t like actually working & being the best they can be---BYE! Sweeter for him since tiki threw him under the bus
2) Eli IS a good QB. Like it or not...ask the Bears
3) Michael Strahan & his public divorce in the offseason. Who’s livin “lavida loca” now???
Doogan on 01/22 at 10:42 AM
Have to hate it. NFL quarterbacks that had a better QB Rating than Eli this season: Kyle Boller, Brian Griese, Damon Huard, and Joey Harrington. And last I checked, none of those guys had talent like Burress, Toomer, and Shockey to throw to, along with a solid offensive line.
J Dizzle on 01/22 at 11:24 AM
I wonder what the odds were that Eli would go further than Peyton this year? 100-1?
I love it! He beat Brett Favre in Green Bay and as a fellow Chicago Bears fan, how can I root for the Pack? Also, he beat the Cowboys, the most annoying franchise in football history. So annoying, they have a following of morons like the fighting Irish.
Unfortunately, Eli is going to be demolished. The Pats have 2 weeks to come up with blitz packages for this poor boy. He will be crying sooner than you know it. The 13.5 line is very accurate.
Daniel Bonderman on 01/24 at 08:40 PM
I think he’s due for a 3 or 4 int game and Ellis Hobbs, Asante Samuel, James Sanders, Eugene Wilson, Rodney Harrison, Randall Gay and co. are the people to make that happen!
Eli Wins on 02/06 at 10:21 AM
If by 3 or 4 Int game you mean beating the patriots 17-14 and a game winning 83 yard signature drive at the end, yea that happened.
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