Super Bowl XLVI Aftermath: Why Eli Manning Still Isn't "Better" Than Peyton

Stop it. 

Please, producers of Around the Horn, PTI, and Sportscenter, stop asking the panelists, commentators, and hosts if Eli is better than Peyton now.

This article is not meant to disparage Eli Manning or the New York Giants in any way. Both Eli and his team had incredible years. Eli had the best season of his career and is more than likely headed toward the Hall of Fame now when all is said and done. 

Even as an Eagles fan, I found myself rooting for Eli in this one. I respect guys who have that "it" gene when the game is on the line, especially when they have been written off before. So just like I've been rooting for the second coming of Timmy Tebow all year, I became somewhat of an Eli groupie this postseason.

That being said, he is not suddenly "better" than Peyton Manning.

"But he has two rings," you say, "and Peyton has but one!" Steve Young only has one ring, along with Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Brett Favre, Joe Theismann and Drew Brees.

Aaron Rodgers only has one ring.  Would you rather have Eli, or Aaron Rodgers as your quarterback next year? 

Football is a team sport—you don't win championships by yourself. Did Eli put Tom Brady under duress and force a ridiculous intentional grounding/safety on the Patriots' first offensive play?  Was it because of Eli that the Patriots forgot how to count and had a 12 men penalty negate their recovery of a key Giants fumble early in the game?

Eli Manning proved he had what it takes to get it done on the final drive under amazing amounts of pressure, but he wasn't the only guy on the field. This Super Bowl was also determined by a lot of big plays from non-Manning factors.

The Giants wouldn't even have been in the playoffs if they had been in most other divisions in the NFL—you know, where a team actually won 10 games or something.

The next debate point I've heard is that Eli's record-setting, 15 fourth-quarter touchdowns this season prove he is more clutch than Peyton ever was. In Peyton's defense, you don't get many opportunities to throw fourth quarter touchdowns when you are busy doing things like kneeling and handing the ball off.

Peyton didn't have to orchestrate such a streak of fourth-quarter comebacks, because his teams were too busy winning 11, 12, and 13 games every year. Yet, he was clutch, and coaches were scared of him; just ask the dark lord of hoodies Bill Belichick, who infamously decided to go for it on fourth and 2 in the Patriots' own territory, because he didn't want to give Peyton Manning the ball back at the end of the game.

Peyton is one of the best statistical quarterbacks of all time. This one is so clear that it doesn't even warrant much debate. Compare Eli and Peyton's stats for yourself.

I will offer one statistical comparison here: Eli's best completion percentage over an entire season was 62.9. Peyton has had a higher completion percentage than that every season since 2002.

The last point I am going to make is more emotional, but it's something I can't let go. Eli and his father Archie basically came out and said that they had no intentions of taking the little brother show to San Diego (the Chargers had the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft), and more or less forced the Chargers to trade Eli to the Giants.

Maybe there were good reasons for this, maybe it was as selfish and whiny as it seems; regardless, I think it strikes a key blow to the "Eli is better" debaters.

For those arguing on the basis of clutch over statistics, of playoff runs over regular season dominance, of Eli being better than Peyton because he has "it": Is forcing your way to a bigger market and a better team really what someone with "it" does?

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but for those arguing the winner/respect/it-factor/clutchness/character card for Eli, consider what you would think of him if you were a Chargers fan in 2004 and your team wasn't good enough for him.

So Eli Manning is a great quarterback, I would even call him elite. He is probably going to the Hall of Fame, and still has plenty of years left to build his resume even more. But please do not say he is better than Peyton Manning right now.

The Colts won 14 games two years ago and 10 last season. How did they do without Peyton this year?