A great performance in the Super Bowl, could allow Eli to take his brother's place as the league's best Manning |
Yesterday was not Eli's finest game, by any means. But A, he didn't turn the ball over and B, he made two big plays that cemented the game. One, a TD pass to Bear Pascoe of all people, answering the Niners previous one play touchdown drive. Then on a third and 15 on the Niners 17 and with the game's momentum hanging in the balance, Eli reached back and throw an absolute missile to the much maligned Mario Mannigham in the back of the end zone, giving the Giants a 17-14 lead.
Sunday's performance should surprise no one. Eli broke the record for the most 4th TDs in a season with 15. That's almost a TD for every 4th quarter of the season. Eli has been exceptionally clutch, but most importantly he's been safe with the football. He only threw 16 INTs in the regular season, and only has thrown 1 INT in 3 playoff games so far. The Giants are finally in winning because of Eli Manning, and not inspite of him.
With his big brother's career in question due to injury, Eli has a perfect opportunity to snatch the Manning name and run away with it. A win in the Super Bowl would put Eli at the top, and probably for good. This is especially true if you consider the fact that he'd be defeating arguably the best QB of our generation, Tom Brady, for the second time, something his brother Peyton rarely could do. Eli has literally come out of nowhere to put himself in this position. No one ever questioned his skills in the past, however they questioned his mental fortitude and they wondered if he could lead a team. I'm pretty sure 19 games of NFL football in 2011-12, have proved those questions to be true. Though Peyton will probably end his career with superior numbers, Eli could have two Super Bowls and still is young enough to win one or two more.
We've talked all through the years whether Peyton or Tom Brady were the best QB of our generation, we could very well be talking about Eli or Brady in the coming years. Eli is, what we call in America, a late bloomer. Fortunately for the Giants he hasn't simply bloomed, he's blossomed.
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