5 Reasons Why Eli Manning Is Not in the Same Class as Tom Brady

When you first took a glance on this article's headline, I'm sure that you thought it was a typo—it's not.

Eli Manning, not Peyton Manning, has recently spoke out and stated that he believes that he's in the same class as Tom Brady. 

Manning made his bold remark Tuesday as a guest on ESPN New York 1050 and not only compared himself to Brady, but said that he's in the same class: 

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"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."

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Really now, Eli? You're definitely not in the same class as Brady, and it's certainly debatable that you're even a top five quarterback in the NFL.

Here are five reasons why Eli Manning is not in the same class as Tom Brady. 

Interceptions

Throughout Eli Manning's seven year career he has thrown an astounding 113 interceptions, that's pretty much 16 picks per season. 

Tom Brady, on the other hand, has played four more seasons than Manning, but has only thrown 103 interceptions—10 less interceptions when Brady has four years on Eli. 

I'm sorry, but if you're going to label yourself as an elite quarterback, then you need to take care of the football. 

Great quarterbacks like Brady and Peyton Manning rarely make mistakes and are always near-perfect in each and every game that they play—once in a blue moon Brady or Peyton will have an off game while Eli has his fair share of those games. 

Eli Is Not Accurate, Whatsoever

Elite quarterbacks in the NFL have at least a career 60 percent completion percentage—guess what, Eli Manning isn't even close to 60 percent, he's sitting at 58.0 percent. 

Manning simply does have an elite arm. Sure, he has flashes of brilliance but more often at not, he's struggling to make throws that elite quarterbacks have to make in the NFL. 

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are arguably two of the most accurate quarterbacks to ever play the game: Brady has a career 63.9 completion percentage while Peyton has a 64.9 completion percentage, much more impressive than a lousy 58.0 percent. 

Eli Has Never Been Named NFL's Most Valuable Player

Isn't it strange that a player is claiming that he's in the same class as a future Hall of Famer, when that player has never been named NFL Most Valuable, or even been brought up in the discussion for it? I think so.

Over the course of Eli Manning's seven-year career, there's not one season that sticks out and yells "MVP caliber season." There really isn't.

Sure, Manning was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl when he tossed 21 touchdowns and threw 10 interceptions.

Until Manning finds a way to emerge as a potential MVP candidate, there's no reason why he should be in the same class as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. 

There Have Been Questions Regarding Eli's Leadership

Over the course of Eli Manning's career, there has always been questions regarding his leadership. 

Do I think that Eli is a leader? I honestly couldn't tell you—but I do know that Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees are all leaders of their football teams. 

That's the problem with Eli, it's so unclear if he's the true leader of the New York Giants. It's not because he's not vocal like his brother Peyton, but it's just because he's almost so emotionless that he never gives us a reason to believe that he's a leader. 

Tom Brady Is in a Class of His Own

No quarterback in the league today has more Super Bowl rings than Tom Brady. 

How can Eli Manning be comparing himself to a walking legend? Manning does have one ring, and it was one of the greatest upsets in sports history, but it's still only one ring. 

Manning was named Super Bowl XLII Most Valuable Player, I'll give him that—but Brady has been named Super Bowl MVP twice. 

Even if you take a look at the top five quarterbacks in the league, Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning—Brady still stands alone due to his three Super Bowl rings. 

Conclusion: Eli Is Not in the Same Class, but I Like What He's Doing

There is no way that Eli Manning is in the same elite class as Tom Brady, but what do you expect him to say? Do you really think that Eli should have said, "yeah, I'm not an elite quarterback, I think I'm just good, nothing special." 

I love the confidence that Eli is giving us—it's definitely a change of the past.

You may feel that Eli's comment was absurd, but I actually love it. Eli is showing that he's not messing around and he's truly dedicated to the game. 

Eli Manning is clearly not in the same class as Brady, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees—but he's saying the right things, and if I'm a New York Giants fan, that is exactly what I wanted to hear out of Eli. 

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