I don't buy it. Doesn't mean you aren't right -- just I can easily tell the story of the NFL without Eli Manning. He has two defense focused SB runs. That's it. The rest of his career is a study in mediocrity.
https://sports.yahoo.com/no-eli-mann...005406042.html
"Manning will finish his career as a .500 quarterback with a 116-116 record. Aside from the two Super Bowl runs, the Giants never won another playoff game during Manning’s 15-season tenure as starter."
"The junior Manning is a zero-time All-Pro and three-time NFL interception champion with a career quarterback rating (84.2) on par with Joe Flacco (84.1)."
"But his name is Manning. He played a long time for one of the NFL’s glamour franchises in the nation’s biggest market. And his Giants twice defeated the greatest villain in NFL history.
These are all standalone accomplishments that are rightfully celebrated. But just because a story is a good one and an integral part of the NFL fabric, it doesn’t make it Hall worthy."
Eli Manning's career is essentially a version of Joe Flacco or Andy Dalton or Alex Smith. Only he did it in New York for a long time and with a famous last name. If his name was Eli Jones and he played in Tampa we wouldn't be talking about this because he would've been benched 3 seasons ago at least. He struggled with accuracy throughout his career. He, outside of two games, rarely made his team better in the biggest moments.
Put it this way, if you could magically have any QB from the last 2 decades in their prime to start your own NFL franchise -- how many guys would you list before Eli's name came up? I came up with 10 or 12.