Early Verdict on Eli Manning Contract: He's Worth Every Penny

When Eli Manning was awarded with his substantial contract, most of us as fans justified it by pleading with people to ignore the stats from his early career, as well as telling people to consider the fact that he is a winner.

Well, he is proving he can be that and more.

Manning unloaded on the suspect Dallas Cowboy secondary all night in route to a come-from-behind upset in Dallas; a win that ruined opening night at the new Texas Stadium and sent an NFL record crowd home disappointed.

The coaching staff is showing confidence in Eli by opening up the playbook to allow him some much needed freedom. So far this season, it seems like when they are expected to run, they run a deep pass play, and vice versa

They are keeping teams guessing and are proving that they don't necessarily need to have an effective rushing attack to score. However this does seem to cause a problem when deep in opponent's territory.

He has shown—beginning with the playoff run in 2007—that his inefficiencies are a thing of the past, as he has yet to throw a legit interception—the one in the Washington game was tipped off a receiver's hands.

One thing that hasn't changed with Eli in recent history is that he has the three C's—cool, calm, and collected. He doesn't get rattled any more when he makes a mistake. He just picks himself up, dusts himself off, and takes to the field as confident as ever.

Something that Eli rarely is given credit for is his ability to handle the New York media because, plainly put, there is none like it.

Say what you want, but the media definitely has an effect on some players, and he has passed the media test with flying colors. He is the perfect fit for Big Blue.

Prior to the 2009 season, there were plenty of skeptics claiming he would not succeed without Plaxico Burress, noting his failures at the end of last year as the reason.

It is hard to argue either way at this point. While Eli is moving the ball extremely well, the team has struggled mightily inside the 20 yard line.

At this point, the team is 0-8 in red zone opportunities. That being said, they are still averaging 28 points per game. So while it is certainly a concern, there is little reason to panic...yet.

Another reason to justify Eli getting so much money, even before this season, was his ability to score late in games when behind or tied. He runs the no huddle to near perfection and he has the full trust of his teammates when they enter that situation.

They KNOW they are going to score, even if it doesn't turn out that way all the time.

As other quarterbacks have their contracts expire, I'm sure Eli will not remain the highest paid quarterback in the league. It is ludicrous to make the claim that "he is paid the best so he should be the best."

NFL contracts are always increasing and the next guy will get paid even more as the sport evolves.

It will be exciting to watch Eli and his new targets evolve into a scoring machine. They have developed a measure of chemistry that even I didn't expect.

Nothing has been more satisfying this season then watching Eli silence the critics, and I'm sure he feels the same way.

If you need any more reasons beyond the ones given in this article, you simply need to remember this: He has a Super Bowl ring and a Super Bowl MVP in his repertoire. 'Nuff said.