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The Best of the Best?

This is it, Sunday afternoon, snacks on the table, buddies by your side, and the
voice of the sports commentators on TV; its game time. The NFL is one of the biggest
forms of entertainment for Americans. Who wouldnt want to watch the best of the best
athletes come together to play football on its highest level? While it takes a great deal of
skill to play in the NFL, naturally some rise above others. There is a term for this group
of people and it is elite. Elite can be applied to any position on a team but usually the
term is used with quarterbacks. But what separates the elites from the average player?
What does it mean to be an elite quarterback? A huge controversy surrounds these
questions, which seems to have originated following Eli Mannings Super Bowl
victory in 2011. All the sports channels buzz with responses towards
one important question; is Eli Manning an elite quarterback? Once the
qualities of an elite quarterback are determined, it will be evident that
Eli Manning does not fit this mold.
Lets start at what caused the controversy, winning the Super Bowl. An elite
quarterback must have a Super Bowl ring. The Super Bowl ring symbolizes the ultimate
level of achievement. A quarterback cannot be considered elite without completing this
achievement and having something to reinforce his abilities. Eli Manning fulfills this
criterion exceptionally well. He has not just one, but two Super Bowl victories. Winning
a Super Bowl without a skilled quarterback is not an easy task, so these victories prove
that Eli has a respectable skill level and that he contributes to his team in a positive way.
Eli is, without a doubt, better than average at the quarterback position and can prove it
with his two Super Bowl victories.

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Though important for an elite quarterback to possess Super Bowl rings, it still
represents a team effort and having incredible playmaking ability as an individual is just
as important. An elite quarterback needs to stand out as a player, specifically with big
play ability. Elite quarterbacks go above and beyond the duties of a regular quarterback.
This involves being able to deliver accurate passes in situations that an average
quarterback may not be able to, or escaping the pocket where a typical quarterback may
get sacked. Eli Manning does not provide such playmaking ability on a consistent basis.
Sure he might display a great play every now and then, but every quarterback has his
moments. To make it to the elites, you must be able to make great plays on a consistent
basis. Those who watched Super Bowl XLII were amazed when Eli escaped the pocket
late in the fourth quarter and delivered a deep pass to David Tyree. However, if Eli were
known to be a playmaker perhaps viewers would not have been so baffled but rather
expect such a play from him. Playmaking ability is essential for a quarterback to make
jump into elite status.
One of the most notable abilities that an elite quarterback possesses is being able
to execute his playmaking abilities under great pressure. Others may regard this as how
clutch a player is. During a live broadcast of a football game, I once heard a
commentator state, The fourth quarter is what separates the men from the boys. It is
clear that being clutch is a quality that is necessary for an elite quarterback to have. Elite
quarterback must be able to take the ball late in the fourth quarter with the game on the
line and be able to exemplify their best playing ability. While more recently than
previously, Eli has been doing just that. Eli has 28 total game winning drives with 11
being within the last two years (Pro Football Statistics and History). Eli Manning brings

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his best during the fourth quarter. An admirable quality that Eli possesses is his ability to
forget. No matter how rough the first three quarters, more often than not, Eli pulls himself
together and plays good football in the fourth. On top of that, Eli was clutch enough to
perform well throughout two playoff series and win the Super Bowl. Eli does satisfy the
quality of performing well under pressure, which is key for an elite quarterback to have.
Its true that elite quarterbacks play on a high level, but to truly be elite, the
quarterback must play on that level consistently. Elites should always bring their best to
the field and rarely have bad games. Consistency is the dividing line between lucky fluke
and true talent. Should an elite quarterback have a bad outing, he must bounce back
immediately the next game and continue to play on the chief level that is expected. This
criterion does not reflect Eli Manning. Looking at Giants playoff history, other than the
two Super Bowl runs, the Giants have not won a postseason game since 2000. The
Giants overall record ever since Manning has been under center seems to fluctuate every
year. Many times the Giants have gone into cold streaks including the breakdown of 2009
where they opened with an impressive 5-0 record only to lose their momentum and fall to
8-8 and miss the playoffs (Pro Football Statistics and History). Eli Manning cannot be
considered to be consistent which is a crucial quality for an elite quarterback to possess.
For an elite quarterback and his team to have consistency, the quarterback must be
able to control his team through exceptional leadership skills and attitude. Elite
quarterbacks know their offense inside and out and area able to change it when the
situation requires it. Elite quarterbacks are the masters of hurry up/audible offense and
are trusted to make good decisions that would benefit the offense. While every
quarterback knows how to run an audible offense, Eli just does not seem to show the

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mastery that is required. At times, when running the hurry up offense, he seems confused
and uncertain of what play he should call next. Another important feature of an elite
quarterback is his attitude. Elites have the ability pump up their team during the pre-game
huddle, rally their team and get them back on track when theyre losing, or even consult
the team after a devastating loss and bring them back stronger than ever for next week.
Eli Manning, on the other hand, boasts a dont-care attitude. Rarely do you see him on the
sidelines correcting the mistakes of other players or providing inspiration to those lacking
it. The leadership qualities needed to become an elite quarterback just are not present in
Eli Manning.
Elite is a class symbolizing the best; to belong to this class, Eli needs to match up
with the other members. Only a few quarterbacks hold each of the criteria defined above.
Without a doubt, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers can be
classified as elite. These four active elite quarterbacks revolutionize the game and
perform at a level higher than any other at their position (NFL Passing Leaders). If these
four quarterbacks are unarguably deemed elite, does Eli Manning fit into this picture?
Elite should represent the highest level of quarterback. With that in mind, it should be
arguably when deciding which one of the elite quarterbacks is the best. If Eli were added
to that group, the majority of those that are a fan of football would not be able to
effectively argue that Eli could be considered the best one. Each of the four other
quarterbacks would be picked before him. Eli does not belong with the elites due to the
fact that he does not match up with the others.
A comparison cannot be made without support, so we turn to perhaps the only
measurable quality in a player: statistics. The statistics of a quarterback can be most

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greatly represented by career completion percentage, total QBR (quarterback rating),
average passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions thrown per game, and career winloss percentage. Elis numbers for these categories in order are 58.6%, 82.7, 230 yards
per game, 1.54 touchdowns per game, 1.05 interceptions per game, and a win-loss
percentage of 1.37% (Pro Football Statistics and History). When compared to the
established elite quarterbacks, Eli fell short in every category. For comparison, the closest
value to Elis in each of the category was Tom Bradys 63.7% completion, Drew Brees
94.3 QBR, Tom Bradys 253 yards per game, Tom Bradys 1.89 touchdowns per game,
Peyton Mannings .93 interceptions per game, and Drew Brees 1.41 win-loss percentage
(Pro Football Statistics and History). The statistics themselves show that perhaps Eli just
does not have the numbers to be a part of that group. To be part of the elite group, the
statistics must be at least up to par with the other members.
Ultimately, Eli fell short of the title elite Though he has an impressive two
Super Bowl victories on his rsum and can play under pressure, he lacks other qualities
that an elite quarterback must have such as, unique play making ability, consistency,
leadership skills, along with the statistics to prove it. The title elite is not handed out to
anyone that poses strong ability. It is held for those who truly deserve it, and are able to
pass all the criteria that come with it. After all, if a quarterback truly is the best of the
best, deeming them elite should not be controversial.

Works Cited

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"NFL Passing Leaders." Playerfilters. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.
<http://www.playerfilter.com/>.
"Pro Football Statistics and History." Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference
LLC, n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2013. <http://www.pro-football-reference.com/>.