I want to preface this article by saying that I think Phil Simms is one of the best to play the game, especially in New York. Now that I got that out of the way…. I am stunned that Phil Simms would say that current Giants quarterback Eli Manning is not elite! Why are we back to this word elite for the millionth time?!?! Everyone reading this let’s make a pact to not use the elite word with Eli. He is great, clutch, spectacular, but no one is to use the “e” word.
However, my problem with Simms is that ever since commentators started noticing that Eli was closing in on his touchdown record, he has been completely bashing Manning. How can you say a guy who is about to pass your record is not that good? It just does not add up. This is what Simms exact quote was, “No, he is not one of the elites,” Simms said on NFL Monday QB. “Because when I hear the word elite, I’m thinking about guys that can make unbelievable plays on the field by themselves. There are very few quarterbacks in that category.
Yes, we can all agree that Manning has not been good at all the past few games, but no one can take away what he has accomplished. Does anybody really believe that the Giants would have even made the playoffs if Manning was not under center? No. Of course not. Manning led that team to the Super Bowl from the first game of the season. There is no other quarterback that you can trust more to make a great throw in the fourth quarter with 10 seconds and no timeouts left than Eli right now. The man is 2-0 in the Super Bowl and unfortunately for Patriots’ fans has Tom Brady’s number. However, just as a reminder for anybody who agrees with Phil, here is a reminder of just how good Eli really is:
