Should Eli Manning be the Quarterback which all Other Quarterbacks are judged?
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Well it hadn’t been 24 hours since the G-men took down the Patriots and I was already getting texts from family and friends/Ole’ Miss Faithful asking “How do you like them apples?” Well I don’t like them apples very much, not much at all, but in a move that shocked family and friends alike…I was rooting for the Giants. Before you judge let me explain that it was simply a lesser of two evils. I really could care less who won, but if the Patriots had taken home the Lombardi Trophy then my entire article and argument about defense being the key to the Super Bowl would have been proven wrong and I would have looked foolish. Just to let y’all know how much I didn’t care I fell asleep around the middle of the 3rd quarter and was woken up by Eli forgetting his MVP earned Corvette keys at the trophy ceremony.
Rooting for the Giants was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do as a Cowboys fan. I just flat out can’t stand the Giants. I’m not fond of Eli and I think Brandon Jacobs could be number one on my list of most annoying players in the NFL. But now that Eli has won his second Super Bowl, is he the most Elite QB in the game right now? At least till next year, the answer has got to be a resounding ‘yes’.
I hate to say it, but if Eli and Coughlin make it to the playoffs they are unstoppable, everything clicks and they come out of the gate swinging. The next time the Giants make the playoffs, and the Cowboys aren’t in it, I’ll take all odds that the Giants will make it at least to the NFC Championship. Eli is just that good. But unlike their improbable Super Bowl victory in 2008 over the Patriots, this year wasn’t a result of just ‘getting hot’.
At the beginning of the 2011 season, the Giants started out with what seemed like more players on IR than not. Osi Umenyiora missed 7 games, Ahmad Bradshaw and Justin Tuck missed 4, and Prince Amukamara missed some time as well. After week 5 when most players were let off IR, it was like a whole new team (after losing 4 straight that is). As Cowboy fans we have to give credit where credit is due (You don’t have to like doing it though) and the G-men deserve a lot of credit.
But is Eli Manning better than Tony Romo? I sure don’t think so. I think Tony Romo has the potential to be the best quarterback in the NFL. Unfortunately, potential doesn’t yield rewards like Super Bowl rings and Lombardi Trophies, a good balanced team does. And the Cowboys just can’t overcome adversity like these Manning led Giants can. It seems like if a single cog in our well oiled Cowboys machine breaks down, our entire season breaks down with it. If even one of our great receivers or linebackers goes down with an injury I worry about our entire season until said receiver gets back in the game.
Since not many Cowboys fans like to look at statistics when measuring the success of Tony Romo, I won’t bring numbers into the equation. Okay, I’ll bring up one number: Two, as in the amount of a certain Ole’ Miss alumni’s Super Bowl victories. Compare that to zero, the amount of a certain Eastern Illinois graduate’s Super Bowl victories. Or how about 1 (last number I bring up), the amount of playoff victories for the same Eastern Illinois alumni mentioned above compared to an over all 7-3 playoff record for Ole’ Eli. These numbers prove that Eli Manning is the best right now.
But let’s not forget that football is not singles tennis. It’s a team game and a Quarterback’s approval rating lives or dies by the collective play of the team. To quote Tom Brady’s wife Gisele Bunchen: “You have to catch the ball when you’re supposed to catch the ball. My husband cannot (bleeping) throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.” Gisele knows Tom can’t throw it to himself. Tony Romo can’t either, and I am almost positive he can’t play Quarterback and Defensive Back.
I understand Cowboy nation won’t like Tony Romo till he wins a Super Bowl. But we can’t blame him until we have a more balanced team on both sides of the ball. In 2009 we made it to the playoffs with an 11-5 record and after beating the Donovan McNabb led Eagles but we blew it against the Minnesota Vikings losing 34-3. It’s hard for me to blame a 34-3 loss on any one person, that’s a team loss. But I’ll tell you what; if we make it to the play-offs again and Romo chokes then I’ll change my stance completely and join in the call for a new Quarterback.
Until then, think positive, next year could be the year and if it’s not then maybe the year after that. Sound off in the comment section with how much you disagree with me.
Eli Manning is the best Quarterback in the game right now but I stand by Romo 100%. Go Cows.
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