Yes, Eli Manning Belongs In the Hall of Fame

That was quite a nice game Daniel Jones had against the Redskins. 28 for 42, 352 yards, five touchdowns and, most importantly, no turnovers. Whatever else you can say about this abysmal season, one thing's for certain: the Giants have found their quarterback. Jones is the real deal. Going into week 17, he has thrown for 2726 yards and 23 touchdowns - both franchise records for a rookie QB, going all the way back to Charlie Conerly in 1948. While he has had a problem with fumbles, his TD to Int ratio 23 to 11 is better than what Sam Darnold - his counterpart on the Jets - posted in his rookie year. It's now all too apparent that he was the best QB taken in the 2019 draft. Imagine where this team might've been if they had had any defense this year.

But while the future certainly looks bright with Jones under center, the man who started his last game for the team against the Dolphins last week will likely be out of football when the season comes to a close. And when that happens the discussion will immediately pivot to whether he belongs in Canton. Let me just cut right to the chase here. Yes, Eli Manning deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Just compare and contrast his stats with another Hall of Fame QB: Joe Namath.

Manning:
Completion %: 60.3; TD-Int ratio: 366-244; Total Yards: 57,023.

Namath:

Completion %: 50.1; TD-Int ratio: 173-220; Total Yards: 27,663.

Yes, Broadway Joe will forever be remembered for his "guarantee" win over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, and, yes, he was hobbled by injuries throughout his career, but Eli beat the greatest quarterback in NFL history not once, but twice in Super Bowls 42 and 46. And he was the MVP in both games. You wanna say he was lucky? Fine, but was he lucky twice? I doubt it. Consider this: as incredible as Ron Swaboda's catch in the '69 World Series was, there's no way in hell he makes that catch again. Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.

My point is that every successful athlete at some point has lady luck shine on them, but the truly great ones, more often than not, make their own luck. And Eli, when his team needed him the most, came through in the clutch. No he wasn't as prolific as his brother Peyton, but in the postseason he was a better quarterback than Peyton. And as I wrote in an earlier piece, had this franchise done a better job of providing him with the weapons he needed, he might've had a third ring.

The sad truth is that Eli is going to be judged for the last six years of his career; a period that admittedly wasn't as spectacular as his first ten. And that's both unfortunate and unfair. Show me one potential hall of fame quarterback who could win with the team Eli was saddled with. I doubt even Tom Brady would be able to overcome this level of incompetence. What John Mara and Steve Tisch have allowed to happen to this once proud franchise is a disgrace. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Look, if it was up to me, Eli would be in the Hall of Fame in a heartbeat. Pound for pound, he was the best signal caller the franchise has ever had. He belongs in the Hall of Fame, right up there with fellow Giant Lawrence Taylor. To not punch his ticket to Canton would be to do a disservice to a good man who has done nothing but distinguish himself for an organization that in my opinion never truly appreciated what it had.

Daniel Jones Has Earned the Right To Start

Before we go any further, let me just reiterate what I wrote back in April. The decision to draft Daniel Jones with the 6th overall pick was a big mistake. By all accounts, not one NFL team had Jones rated that high on their board. The Giants could’ve drafted Josh Allen 6th overall and Jones would’ve still been available at 17. Having said that, and after having seen him in the preseason, it’s clear that of all the quarterbacks taken in the 2019 draft, Jones is by far the best of the lot. It’s not even close.

Just look at the stats. After 3 preseason games, Jones’s passer rating of 140 is off the charts. He has completed an astounding 83.3 percent of his passes, going 25 of 30 for 369 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Compare and contrast him with Dwayne Haskins – the quarterback everyone wanted the Giants to take. He’s completed just 22 of 41 passes – a 53.7 completion percentage - for 305 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions and a passer rating of just 66.

And Jones has looked good both in the pocket as well as in the shotgun. He has thrown the deep ball well, which was a huge question mark with him, and more importantly, he has thrown the ball where only his receivers can catch it; a feat that Eli Manning still hasn’t mastered after 15 seasons. The kid has handled himself better than could be expected, given the controversy surrounding his drafting. If there’s such a thing as ice water in a person’s veins, Jones’s nickname should be Mr. Freeze.

Based on his performance, he has earned the right to start the regular season under center. Yes I know Manning is the starter, and yes I know he’s getting paid over $23 million. You don’t pay that kind of money to a bench player. But let’s be honest here for a moment. Unless Eli and the Giants get off to a fast start, you and I both know the boo birds will be chanting “We want Jones” every incomplete pass or interception Eli throws. Do Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur – not to mention John Mara and Steve Tisch – really want that nightmare hanging over this team the entire year. Face it, if the plan is to not sign Eli for 2020, then it’s only a matter of time before the kid takes over the reigns. The longer this drags out, the more painful it will be for all involved.

Loyalty is a good thing; and this franchise has certainly been loyal to Eli. And he has repaid that loyalty by being a good soldier. But there comes a point where loyalty has to take a back seat to common sense. If Jones had had, say, an average preseason like Haskins, then I would say sit him for a year and let Eli play out the string. But Jones has had anything but an average preseason. In fact, he’s been exceptional. With a revamped offensive line in front of him, the best running back in the league in Saquon Barkley behind him and a number of talented receivers who are more than capable, Jones will have plenty of weapons at his disposal. It’s not like he’s going to be Kyler Murray out there.

Deep down, Manning knows the end is near. 15 years ago, he was the new kid on the block who took over for a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Football, like all other sports, is a business. And that business can be cruel and exacting. But it is what it is. Mara’s responsibility, first and foremost, is not to consider the feelings of any one player, but to look after the long-term interests of the team. And those long-term interests are best served by making Jones the starter now.

This Thursday, Jones will start against the Patriots in the last preseason game. It'll be the toughest test of his brief NFL career. If he continues to perform the way he has so far, Shurmur will be faced with the toughest decision of his coaching career.

Look, what Eli Manning has done for this franchise is incalculable and will be hard, if not impossible, to replicate. After all, it isn't every quarterback who can boast that he beat Tom Brady twice in the Super Bowl. Those accomplishments notwithstanding, he shouldn't be allowed to determine when he rides off into the sunset.

Who Will Win Super Bowl 48?

Let's get something straight. If I really knew who was going to win the big game in February, I wouldn't be writing this silly blog; I'd be in Vegas planning my next villa in the south of France. But, if recent history is any indication, the winner will most definitely NOT be the number one seed in its conference.

Going back to the 2005 season, only two Super Bowl winners earned a first-round bye. They were the '08 Steelers (#2 seed) and the '09 Saints (#1 seed). The other SB winners were either low-seed division or wildcard teams. The '06 Colts, '11 Giants and '12 Ravens were low-seed winners while the '05 Steelers, '07 Giants and '10 Packers were wildcard winners. That's six out of eight winners that were not even favored to get to the conference championship game, much less the Super Bowl.

What that tells you is that in today's NFL, anything goes. Parody is the key to what drives the sport. It's what makes things so interesting and predictions so hard to make. In fact you could say the only predictable thing about the NFL is its unpredictability.

So, with that in mind, let me go on record as saying who ever wins Super Bowl 48, will NOT be the top seed in its conference. That means no Denver Broncos and Houston Texans (my picks for #1 and #2 seeds respectively in the AFC) or San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons (#1 and #2 seeds in the NFC).

The likely teams to represent the AFC are: The Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens (again). In the NFC, I like the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants.  Since the big game is being played in New York, I'll go with the Giants over Ravens at Met Life Stadium.

Don't bet the ranch.  Remember, I'm a Mets' fan.