It is funny what winning does to a quarterback's credibility. A couple months ago after the debacle against the Minnesota Vikings, Eli Manning could not walk anywhere in Manhattan without someone booing him. Now, all of the former naysayers love him like a "fat kid loves cake."
As a Giant fanatic, I was one of the Eli haters. Then again, what fan of Big Blue did not get sick of the stuff he was pulling? There was actually a time where fans were hoping Coughlin would give the "Hefty Lefty," Jared Lorenzen, a chance. During the past two seasons, Eli would lead the G-men to a great start but would then choke like George Bush on a pretzel.
It seemed like this would be a reoccurring procedure throughout the years, but Eli showed this was just part of the growing pains of becoming an NFL quarterback. He needed time to mature as the quarterback and leader of one of the most historic franchises in sports. There is no doubt that he is now ready.
Fans were calling for Eli's head ever since he was drafted. He was placed in an unfavorable position. Eli was drafted to the Giants, a team in a city that is quick to judge. He was compared to his brother and father ever since his first pass. When he struggled, everyone called for his head.
It is actually quite amazing that he was able to brush off all the pressure he faced. I believe most other quarterbacks would crumble in that situation.
Think about the last several draft classes and the quarterbacks drafted first. Immediate pressure was put on them, and they cracked. Tim Couch, David Carr, Alex Smith have all been drafted first overall in recent years, and have all turned out to be worse quarterbacks than Chad Hutchinson. They didn't face half of the pressure Eli has faced to begin his career.
It looked like Eli would end up on this list, but this season he turned it around. Eli had some struggles during the second half of this season, but he didn't totally collapse and the team came into the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in football. This set the team up with a great chance to actually do some damage in the playoffs.
Eli deserves the credit he's been given. Unlike his brother the year before, Eli actually deserved the Super Bowl MVP. He showed glimpses of old Eli on a couple throws but for the most part, this is a more confident quarterback. He set the tone of the game in the first quarter when he led the Giants down the field on a successful ten-minute drive.
And now the future is bright for Eli and the Giants. The defense is relatively young and Eli is not even in his prime. With mostly everyone returning, this will be relatively the same team as last year. Who is to say that Eli won't be the next most successful winning quarterback to Tom Brady?
During the Super Bowl, a new Eli emerged. He pumped his team up while driving them down the field effectively against the Patriots. The scramble and pass to David Tyree could go down as one of the best plays in Super Bowl history. On that play, Eli showed he had the heart to not only lead the team down the field, but also lead them to a Super Bowl victory.
The Giants are now confident that Eli is the guy to lead them to the Promised Land for years to come. I will go out on a limb and say the Giants could be the next Patriots. The pieces are in place for Eli to bring this team to the Super Bowl for years to come.
Am I saying Eli will play exactly like Tom Brady? Absolutely not. He will never be the quarterback Brady is. But the Giants don't need him to be outstanding. They just need a mistake-free quarterback that can occasionally hit the deep pass. If Eli can do this throughout the next couple of years, he will be the next successful quarterback that everyone loves to hate.
All that needs to be said about Eli is that he gets the job done. He doesn't pile up numbers like Brady or produce highlight reels like his brother Peyton, but he got what the Giants thought they were going to get when they drafted him.
Get ready for the Eli Dynasty.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
