When we last saw Eli Manning, he was drawing comparisons to Joe Montana with his fourth-quarter brilliance in leading the New York Giants to the upset victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
It’s easy to forget that Manning had a miserable regular season and was viewed as a liability to the Giants’ postseason chances just a few weeks earlier.
Manning was the 25th ranked passer in the NFL during the regular season. He threw 20 interceptions, tied for the most in the league. And his lowly 56.1 completion percentage was tied for 29th.
But the Manning who showed up for the playoffs was exceptional. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2004 draft -- the man former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi called a once-in-a-lifetime talent -- lived up to the lofty expectations that have accompanied him since arriving in the nation’s Number one media market.
During the playoffs, Manning threw six touchdown passes with only one interception (a well-thrown pass that bounced off a receiver’s hands). He out-dueled the Patriots’ Tom Brady in the Super Bowl.
Manning became the only quarterback other than Montana to throw two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a winning Super Bowl effort. His 13-yard scoring pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds remaining supplied the winning points in the Giants’ 17-14 victory.
With the 27-yard-old Manning’s confidence at an all-time high, the Giants expect his memorable fourth quarter to be a preview of what’s to come.
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3 months ago
"The way to evaluate is a Quarterback is if he can lead your team to victory in the 4th quarter of a Super Bowl"-- Ernie Acoursi (Former Giants GM who traded for ELI on draft day 2004) I really think he now has the confidence to try and play within Offensive Coordinator Kevin Gilbride's system.. I don't see him putting up Tom Brady or Peyton Manning type numbers, but if i think the INT's will drop and the TD will increase...
2 months ago
To answer the question posed in your headline... no.
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