Joe Flacco Comments: Should They Be Compared to Eli Manning's?

When Joe Flacco told Baltimore radio station WNST 1570 that he believes that he is the best quarterback in football, people compared it to the comments that Eli Manning made last offseason. These comparisons are inaccurate and unfair to Manning.

Last August Eli Manning took part in the Michael Kay show on ESPN New York 1050 radio and was asked if he is in the same class as three-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

Manning said: “I consider myself in that class. Tom Brady is a great quarterback, he’s a great player and what you’ve seen with him is he’s gotten better every year. He started off winning championships and I think he’s a better quarterback now than what he was, in all honesty, when he was winning those championships.”

“I think now he’s grown up and gotten better every year and that’s what I'm trying to do. I kind of hope these next seven years of my quarterback days are my best.”

“I'm not a 25-interception quarterback, I know that. That's going to be fixed and it should be a good year.”

Breaking down Manning’s comments, notice that he said he considers himself in that class. He did not say that he was. He then supported his argument with he is trying to grow up and get better every year like Brady.

Manning then addressed one of the main things he wanted to work on and said that it would be fixed.

Joe Flacco was recently asked by Baltimore radio station WNST 1570 if he agreed with the comments his agent, Joe Linta, made about him being a top five quarterback.

Flacco said: “I assume everyone thinks they’re a top five quarterback. I mean, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’m top five, I think I’m the best. I don’t think I’d be very successful at my job if I didn’t feel that way. I mean, c’mon. That’s not really too tough of a question.”

Instead of answering the question, Flacco started off with an assumption. He then continued to not only answer the question, but upped the ante. Then Flacco talked about himself some more and then put down the person who asked him the question.

Ravens fans have talked about how hard the Baltimore media is on Joe Flacco and have said that people just need to give him a break. That is pretty funny considering that Manning, who plays in a tougher market, answered a more difficult question without being arrogant or disrespectful.

Eli Manning also has a better argument than Flacco does. Prior to Manning’s comments, he had already been to a Pro Bowl and was named MVP of a Super Bowl that they won over Tom Brady and the then undefeated New England Patriots. Prior to Flacco’s comments, he had done nothing to warrant being a top five quarterback.

The only thing similar between the comments made by Eli Manning and Joe Flacco are that they are both quarterbacks who consider themselves to be at the top. Comparing Flacco’s comments to Manning’s is inaccurate and unfair to Eli.