When Eli Manning was leading the New York Giants to improbable Super Bowl championships, the popular debate centered around whether or not he is considered an elite NFL quarterback. This year, he’s just another guy — one who has thrown more interceptions (20) than touchdowns (16) and has a passer rating of 74.2. Like the rest of the Giants, Manning has played poorly this season. His father Archie Manning is here to remind us that it’s not all his son’s fault.
“That’s one of the problems we have in analyzing football now,” Archie told the NY Daily News on Tuesday. “We kind of put the quarterback in an individual thing. When Eli led the Giants to championships here, it’s because they had a good team and they ran the ball. They balanced the offense. They got after the quarterback. For various reasons, the Giants haven’t been able to do that this year. And Eli’s done his part — he hasn’t played as good, but the Giants haven’t played as good. I don’t individualize a quarterback.”
Plenty of people gave Eli credit when he won his Super Bowl MVPs, and I’m sure Archie had no problem with that. In fairness, he’s right. New York’s offensive line has been horrendous, which has caused a number of rushed throws from Manning. Still, great quarterbacks find ways to take care of the ball no matter who they’re surrounded by.
“I don’t put it (on Eli),” Archie said. “Everybody is ranting and raving about Peyton. Peyton is having a good year because the Broncos offense is having a good year. That’s the way I look at it.”
True. Such is life as a quarterback in the NFL. When the team wins, you’re elite. When you throw 20 interceptions in 13 games, you stink. You have to own the bitter to enjoy the sweet.
H/T Shutdown Corner
