Has Eli Manning Earned the Right to Be Called Elite?

Had Eli Manning thrown an interception in the Giants’ final drive against the Patriots on Sunday, the answer among fans might be different. Short memories, small sample sizes and high emotion are not a recipe for rationality.

After Manning finished with 25 interceptions last season, our Andy Barall wrote that Giants fans would miss him when he was gone — not a popular opinion at the time.

Then came August, and Manning was asked in a radio interview if he was in the same class as Tom Brady.

He replied, “I consider myself in that class.”

Cue the laughter.

Shutdown Corner, while praising Manning for his confidence, also called it “the irrational, delusional kind”:

Eli is wrong, of course. Tom Brady is a better quarterback than Eli Manning, and that’s not a criticism of Eli or even a statement of opinion. That’s just the way it is. The sun rises in the East, two plus two is four, and Tom Brady is a better quarterback than Eli Manning.

Manning had a chance to match up with Brady on Sunday, and just as he did in the 2008 Super Bowl, he outdueled him and rallied the Giants to victory with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes.

Still, Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports  wasn’t ready to give Eli an “E”:

Is it time to vault Manning into that class with guys like Brady, his brother Peyton, Drew Brees) and Aaron Rodgers? Can we somehow elevate him to a status that stats and moments don’t quite justify?

No, not yet.

If you’re looking for a bottom line answer to whether New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is the equal of New England Patriots counterpart Tom Brady, the answer is still no.

Extra point Forget about Sunday, as exciting as it was. It was one game. Is Eli one of the top five quarterbacks? Is he truly elite?

Here’s a sample of Manning’s discussion with reporters after the game (the full transcript is at the Giants’ Web site):

Q: Did you see any of the signs in the stands saying you were not an elite quarterback?

Eli: I did not. I don’t make it a habit of looking into the stands and reading signs. If I did, I don’t think I would have thought they were the experts to make that decision.

Q: Are you surprised that the question about where you rank has become a season-long debate?

Eli: I just don’t worry about it; it doesn’t affect my performance, my preparation or my mindset on what I need to do each week. If someone wants to put me in that class or not doesn’t bother me. It’s not going to get me depressed or get me cocky. I just try to prepare each week and go out there and try to win each game.