Eli Manning Versus Peyton Manning: Who is really the best?
By Bo Martin
Incase you all missed it in the news, Eli Manning has won another Super Bowl. That gives him 2 rings, that’s right folks, putting him in elite Hall Of Fame Company. Another headline that you might of missed this week is that Colts QB Peyton Manning is in the middle of a ugly divorce with the Colts and might see his career start declining quite rapidly here in a year or two. Now this, the headline you need to look closely for: Eli is the better Manning.
Truth? I don’t think so, but there are bound to be a bevy of people who do. Some will write about it even if they don’t believe it just to boost ratings; that’s what the NFL world has come too lately isn’t it? Drama, Storylines, Love/Hate… The NFL has started to change from a game where a man sits, eats a brat, drinks a beer, and screams at his TV to a soap opera where a man and his wife can enjoy a Dr. Pepper 10 and get caught up in all the story lines. Don’t believe me? Tim Tebow… I just lured you into it, you either A) thought “I hate that guy, he gets all this attention for having bad mechanics” or B) said man I do love an underdog, and what character!
Lets put drama aside for a little bit, lets diagnose the Manning’s for what they are… NFL caliber quarterbacks with great ability. The quarterback position in the NFL is the most scrutinized in all of sports. Each win and loss lies completely on the QB whether he puts up great numbers or not, the player is based on wins, but primarily post-season wins. Is this fair? No, not at all- Tony Romo is a great quarterback statistically but he can’t figure out the big one and that will be his reputation. Regardless on if it’s fair, this is how it’s done. So I thought we’d take a look at the Manning’s and figure out who really is the best by comparing them in highly identifiable QB attributes: Accuracy, Game management, Efficiency, Clutch, Deep Play ability, Individual Contributions.
Lets get started:
Accuracy:
Peyton has often been considered a precision passer. He has great ability hitting his receivers in stride which is primarily why he has found so much success. He seems to be able to fit balls into the tightest of locations and is often the reason for his receivers individual accolades. Peyton has only posted 1 sub 62.1% completion percentage season and attempts a ridiculous amount of passes.
Eli has always been considered a gun-slinger. He’s a great quarterback but his accuracy hasn’t always been what we would consider good. He always seems to look for the deep ball which could greatly attribute to that but he has just recently grown into an accurate quarterback. In 8 NFL seasons, on half of his seasons have seen a completion percentage above 60%
Edge: Peyton
Game Management:
Peyton identifies defenses better than anyone I’ve ever seen at the line. He audibles nearly every snap and is practically the offensive coordinator for the offense that he’s in. He plays the game flawlessly and always seems to find success while managing good game plans.
If nothing else, Eli can deliver and execute a game plan. When they need to control the ball for 4 minutes, he can make sure that they have the ball for 4:22. Eli is still advancing and learning as a quarterback which can be dangerous, but at this point his ability to actually manage a game before the 4th, he’s still very much behind Peyton
Edge: Peyton
Efficiency:
Peyton’s career passer rating average is 94.9 and has delivered a respectable TD/INT ration just over 2/1. He has widely been referred to as one of the most efficient passers of all time and there won’t be any argument here.
Eli has posted a TD/Int ratio of 1.4/1 and a career passer rating average of 82.1. Eli, prior to this season, was always considered a roller coaster quarterback who had all the talents of being elite but often saw his mistakes take a snowball effect. In this case, the numbers don’t lie, and that’s that.
Edge: Peyton
Clutch:
Clutch by definition to me is when you come up with big plays when the game is on the line. You’re reliable and carry a certain confidence about that. Moreover, you’re just a pure winner. In this matchup, it’s about being clutch when it matters and pulling out the post-season wins. This is a story not told by small victories but rings and Eli has two. Not to mention, Eli has quietly become one of the most incredible 4th quarter passers of the last 10 years and he’s just starting to mold his legacy as a clutch performer.
Edge: Eli
Deep Play Ability:
There is no doubt that Peyton has been an efficient quarterback who makes all the throws and can methodically drive down the field. His ability to manage the game is unrivaled as I’ve stated which is why he doesn’t have need to make things happen through big plays. Reggie Wayne has been an absolute playmaker in his career and has definitely had some big gains but has been more consistent as a reliable mid range target.
Eli has 2 unfair advantages: Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. Now I understand this is Cruz’s first year but man was it a first year. He had a huge gain at least once every game and a 99-yard touchdown. Eli and the Giants are considered a big play offense. They aren’t efficient necessarily but they live and die by the deep play and they always seem to live more than die.
Edge: Eli
Individual Contributions:
This is hard to judge because Peyton missed this season and his team went 2-14, but Peyton’s ability to win games on his own is incredible. It has a lot to do with his ability to understand other teams and figure out how to beat them. Eli still has to develop this trait to be truly Legendary and it seems like Eli’s wins always come on the back of some game saving play by the defense.
Edge: Peyton
Now don’t misconstrue. Eli is a great quarterback and compared to a lot of other great quarterbacks he might be the better, but better than Peyton? not quite yet. One thing is for absolute certain, it doesn’t matter who is better, it is going to be a timeless debate, but both will the be in Canton one day. Bet on that.
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