NFL / eli manning

Big news out of the NFL today as long-time New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will retire from the league after 16 seasons in the Big Apple. Manning was the first pick in the 2004 NFL Draft - originally by the San Diego Chargers - who had a trade in place with the New York Giants, thanks to Manning & his dad originally squawking at the notion of playing for the Chargers. What embarked next was one of the greatest careers in the long, storied history of New York Giants football. - He broke through during his rookie season and started the final 7 games of the 2004 campaign, replacing Kurt Warner in the process. The younger Manning, who had followed in dad, Archie's footsteps and attended Ole Miss', quickly rewarded the Giants by leading them to 4 consecutive playoff appearances from 2005-2008. - Included in that run of playoff births, was perhaps one of the greatest upsets in NFL & maybe even sports history. The Giants squeaked into the playoffs following the 2007 season at 10-6, and had a daunting task in front them. But after a miraculous run that included a Divisional Round victory @ Dallas (the 1-seed) & then an OT victory @ frigid Green Bay (the 2-seed) led by Brett Favre, the Giants punched their ticket to the Super Bowl. - Awaiting them, however, was Tom Brady, Randy Moss and the 18-0 New England Patriots. The Pats were looking to become only the second team ever to finish a season undefeated & join the 1972 Dolphins who finished 17-0, and become the first to ever finish 19-0 (the league only played 14 regular season games in 72' instead of the 16 they do now). - A superb defensive effort, and of course, one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history later, and the Giants defeated the mighty Patriots 17-14. With under 2 minutes to play in the game, and New York trailing 14-10, Manning appeared to be swallowed up by the Patriots defense, but after somehow evading 3 defenders, he stepped up and launched a 32-yard pass to WR David Tyree, who somehow went up with one hand and managed to pin the ball to his helmet while going to ground for one of the most miraculous catches in Super Bowl & NFL history. The completion to the Tyree setup the Giants' game-winning TD just 4 plays later. - Four years later, Manning & the Giants once again met the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. Just like their previous meeting in Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots came in a heavy favorite after going 13-3, while the Giants were just 9-7. With Manning leading the way, they once again upset New England's bid for a Title in a 21-17 victory. Manning had one of the better games of his career - completing 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards with 1 TD and no turnovers. - The two Super Bowl victories will forever be the lasting legacy for Eli Manning. After a long career, in which he made 210 consecutive starts, good for 3rd best all-time, behind just Philip Rivers (224) & Brett Favre (297) & 2 ahead of brother Peyton's 208, there is one question left to ask about the younger Manning brother's career - is it Hall-of-Fame worthy? - Manning made 4 Pro Bowls, and led the Giants to the playoffs on 6 occasions, compiling a career 8-4 record in the postseason. He threw 18 TD passes to 9 INTs in those 12 playoff games, and of course, won the two Super Bowl Titles (XLII, XLVI), while being named MVP in both. - He finishes his career ranked in the top 10 in NFL history in the following categories: passing attempts, completions, passing yards, and passing TDs. So, the question begs is Eli a Hall-of-Famer? Well, I'll let you be the judge, as we take a closer look at his remarkable career by the numbers: - Eli Manning's Career By the Numbers: - *16 seasons - *4 Pro Bowls - *30+ TD pass seasons (3) (2010, 2014, 2015) - *3,000+ yards passing in 14 consecutive seasons (2005-2018) - *Led the league in INTs 3 times (2007, 2010, 2013) - *(7) - 4,000+ yards seasons - including career high 4,933 in 2011 - also averaged a career-best 8.4ypa that season - *366 career TD passes - 7th on the all-time list, two ahead of Aaron Rodgers - *244 career INTs - 12th on the all-time list - *57,023 career passing yards (7th all-time) - *8,119 career pass attempts (6th all-time) - *4,895 career completions (7th all-time) - *(117-117) record for his career as a starter - *7 seasons with a winning record - *.500 or better record in each of his first 8 full seasons as a starter - *6 playoff appearances; including 4 consecutive from 2005-2008 - *2x Super Bowl Champion (2007 & 2011) - defeated the New England Patriots on both occasions - including the 2007-08 18-0 team - *2x Super Bowl MVP (XLII & XLVI) - *8-4 record in 12 career playoff games 18/9 TD/INT ratio in those playoff games - *19/34/255/2/1 stat-line in Super Bowl XLII - *30/40/296/1/0 stat-line in Super Bowl XLVI - *210 consecutive starts (3rd most all-time behind Philip Rivers (224) & Brett Favre (297) & 2 ahead of his brother, Peyton Manning (208) ---- Hats off to Eli for a superb career, filled with some very spectacular ups & at times, some frustrating downs. Through it all, he was a class act, and while he was highly inconsistent & prone to throwing a tad too many picks at times, he still had one heck of an NFL career, and came up clutch when it mattered the most. Congrats Eli, maybe we can all look forward to seeing you in the broadcast booth on Sundays instead of down on the field in the near future...