Is this what he needed to get the soo called monkey off his back and literally jump start his career or does he remain in the shadows of his brother? Do we expect him to take the Giants to the playoffs each season know that he has "arrived"? We expect greatness each year from Brady, Favre, PManning. Does he join this elite class or is he still on the outside looking in? Interesting situation lies ahead for him. I still would take Peyton in a heartbeat before Eli.
BTW he has takin them to the Playoffs in each of his 3 years starting and already has a Ring
He can play awful for the next two years and still no one will question his abilities
I believe Eli will be a top 5 QB from here on out and will go down as th best QB from his draft calss, ahead of Big Ben and Rivers
I think this should give him a big boost in confidence, although I feel he was very confident anyway. I saw him play against the Chargers out here, and the crowd was all over him as were the Chargers. But he sucked it up in the second half and brought the Giants back in the game when even a seasoned QB might have packed it in.
NEWSDAY:
Eli Manning has never been better
<DL class=byline>Tom Rock <DD>10:02 PM EDT, October 7, 2008 </DD></DL>
Eli Manning points out defenders before taking a snap in the Giants' 44-6 win over Seattle at Giants Stadium. (Newsday / David L. Pokress / October 5, 2008)
Tom Coughlin might not have even noticed he was doing it. A few weeks ago, after the win over the Bengals, he was asked about Eli Manning's play. He spoke about the progress the quarterback is making and some of the things he is able to do in leading the team. But while he was saying these words, his right hand flattened out and took off like an airplane at a 45-degree angle.
Up, up into the sky. Just like Manning's status in the NFL.
It's getting so you can't spell "elite" without Eli. The Giants quarterback is finally finding his place among the NFL's top passers, making a strong case for his first Pro Bowl invitation, and, oh, by the way, leading the team to its first 4-0 start in nearly two decades.
There are others in the league who have slightly better stats, some who have been better for longer, but a compelling case can be made right now that Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL.
Got someone better? The usual two contenders, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, are both dealing with injuries. Drew Brees? Carson Palmer? Philip Rivers? Donovan McNabb? All of them are on losing teams right now. Brett Favre has the top passer rating in the NFL, sure, but his adjustment to the Jets is still a work in progress.
That leaves Tony Romo, and unless you routinely wear a 10-gallon hat to work, it's a no-brainer. Especially in games 17 through 20.
More telling than any of the gaudy stats or plays that came from this Sunday's laugher over the Seahawks, however, were Manning's postgame words. In nearly every interview, in answer to just about every question, he used the F word: fun.
It wasn't always fun, but an eight-game winning streak can have that effect on a quarterback's outlook. In this case, however, it's also affected how people look at the quarterback. No one had the word "skittish" come to mind when he stood in the pocket and took a hit from Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu on Sunday, absorbing a hit just as he released a 29-yard pass to Amani Toomer that set up another Giants touchdown. He didn't look indecisive when he looked and pumped to his left to freeze Seattle safety Brian Russell before calmly returning to the middle of the field and hitting a wide-open Sinorice Moss with a 23-yard touchdown pass.
Critics said the Super Bowl run last winter was helped by Manning's one good month of football. Now he's had two good months, and there's no reason to think it will stop there. He has thrown only one interception this season and none in the last three games, a stretch of 105 passes without a pick.
Now that's fun. And so is watching Manning play these days. He's blossomed before the eyes of Giants fans, who knew him when he was a tiny bud dangling on the edge of a brown branch. Perhaps that makes their affection for him, the enjoyment they receive from him, all the more stronger. Nothing tastes better than a homegrown tomato.
Then there are the subtleties of his position that no one sees. The way he has evolved into a chess player at the line of scrimmage, checking in and out of plays and usually finding one that works.
"He really did an outstanding job with his ability to audibilize and get us with alerts into the right place and to get away from things, plays, whether they be run or pass, that had less opportunity for success according to what the defense was doing," Coughlin said of Manning this week. "He played very well. He was confident. He was poised. He was under control. He was utilizing the full offense to get us out of bad situations and into better situations. His management of the game was very, very good."
What more could you possibly want?
Besides, of course, for it to continue. Up and up, into the stratosphere of quarterback gods, not only of today but all-time. Just the way Coughlin's right hand was pointing that day a few weeks ago
Eli Manning has never been better
<DL class=byline>Tom Rock <DD>10:02 PM EDT, October 7, 2008 </DD></DL>
Eli Manning points out defenders before taking a snap in the Giants' 44-6 win over Seattle at Giants Stadium. (Newsday / David L. Pokress / October 5, 2008)
Tom Coughlin might not have even noticed he was doing it. A few weeks ago, after the win over the Bengals, he was asked about Eli Manning's play. He spoke about the progress the quarterback is making and some of the things he is able to do in leading the team. But while he was saying these words, his right hand flattened out and took off like an airplane at a 45-degree angle.
Up, up into the sky. Just like Manning's status in the NFL.
It's getting so you can't spell "elite" without Eli. The Giants quarterback is finally finding his place among the NFL's top passers, making a strong case for his first Pro Bowl invitation, and, oh, by the way, leading the team to its first 4-0 start in nearly two decades.
There are others in the league who have slightly better stats, some who have been better for longer, but a compelling case can be made right now that Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL.
Got someone better? The usual two contenders, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, are both dealing with injuries. Drew Brees? Carson Palmer? Philip Rivers? Donovan McNabb? All of them are on losing teams right now. Brett Favre has the top passer rating in the NFL, sure, but his adjustment to the Jets is still a work in progress.
That leaves Tony Romo, and unless you routinely wear a 10-gallon hat to work, it's a no-brainer. Especially in games 17 through 20.
More telling than any of the gaudy stats or plays that came from this Sunday's laugher over the Seahawks, however, were Manning's postgame words. In nearly every interview, in answer to just about every question, he used the F word: fun.
It wasn't always fun, but an eight-game winning streak can have that effect on a quarterback's outlook. In this case, however, it's also affected how people look at the quarterback. No one had the word "skittish" come to mind when he stood in the pocket and took a hit from Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu on Sunday, absorbing a hit just as he released a 29-yard pass to Amani Toomer that set up another Giants touchdown. He didn't look indecisive when he looked and pumped to his left to freeze Seattle safety Brian Russell before calmly returning to the middle of the field and hitting a wide-open Sinorice Moss with a 23-yard touchdown pass.
Critics said the Super Bowl run last winter was helped by Manning's one good month of football. Now he's had two good months, and there's no reason to think it will stop there. He has thrown only one interception this season and none in the last three games, a stretch of 105 passes without a pick.
Now that's fun. And so is watching Manning play these days. He's blossomed before the eyes of Giants fans, who knew him when he was a tiny bud dangling on the edge of a brown branch. Perhaps that makes their affection for him, the enjoyment they receive from him, all the more stronger. Nothing tastes better than a homegrown tomato.
Then there are the subtleties of his position that no one sees. The way he has evolved into a chess player at the line of scrimmage, checking in and out of plays and usually finding one that works.
"He really did an outstanding job with his ability to audibilize and get us with alerts into the right place and to get away from things, plays, whether they be run or pass, that had less opportunity for success according to what the defense was doing," Coughlin said of Manning this week. "He played very well. He was confident. He was poised. He was under control. He was utilizing the full offense to get us out of bad situations and into better situations. His management of the game was very, very good."
What more could you possibly want?
Besides, of course, for it to continue. Up and up, into the stratosphere of quarterback gods, not only of today but all-time. Just the way Coughlin's right hand was pointing that day a few weeks ago
