Eli Manning Won Two Super Bowls. Is That Enough for Canton?

Since 1970, there have typically been six or seven active Hall of Famers at any given time. The number shrank to as few as four in 1981 and 1982, and grew as high as eight from 1991 to 1994, but, in general, we have an idea of how many quarterbacks of any given era are typically rewarded with induction.

Could Manning live up to a standard of being one of the six to eight best quarterbacks of his era? Not likely.

His career overlapped with two current Hall of Famers (Brett Favre and Kurt Warner) and with a group of five quarterbacks who almost assuredly will be elected once they are eligible (Peyton Manning, Brady, Drew Brees, Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers).

Russell Wilson of the Seahawks, despite being only 31, already has a Super Bowl ring and seems capable of collecting more, and there is a case to be made that both Philip Rivers of the San Diego and Los Angeles Chargers and Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons have been better quarterbacks than Manning even if they have not had similar postseason success.

That results in at least 10 of Manning’s contemporaries potentially being positioned ahead of him for a spot in Canton even before one accounts for a younger group of playmakers (Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff, Lamar Jackson) who eventually could play their way into the conversation.

Unless voters are willing to break with precedent, some tough decisions will have to be made among this crowded group of passers, and that standard could affect more than just Manning.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/23/sports/football/eli-manning-hall-of-fame.html?emc=rss&partner=rss