By Jimmy Cunningham, howiGit New York Writer, Manhattan, NY
Writing this one was fun. After I finished celebrating by dancing and taking my shirt off… wait that was Rob Gronkowski and Matt Light. But after drinking 30 Bud Lights and hugging anyone I could get my hands on, I started to think about the article I was going to write about 2-time Super Bowl MVP Elisha Manning. Eli’s gotten plenty of shit on this blog, I decided to go back and find it all. And my God there was a lot. I wanted to write this on Monday, but my hangover got in the way. So I sat down on Tuesday to find it all. Going back from the most recent article to the beginning of this blog is the behavior of a psychopath, but it allowed me to see, 1) How much shit Eli gets, and 2) How great this blog is. It let me go back and see many great posts by Geoff and other contributors, great arguments, simply asinine arguments, and how far this blog has come. I am truly proud to be a small part of it. But enough of fluffing Geoff’s already JPP wingspan sized ego – let’s rip him to shreds.
I was able to find 18 articles in which Eli was somehow bashed. Geoff tries to write an article a day, usually not on weekends, so that is almost a full month of Eli bashing. Let’s get to the highlights. The Eli pot shots started August 17, 2010 with the very appropriate title of “Eli Manning- Lets Take Some Pot Shots.” Most of these have to do with the very mature argument “He looks dumb.”
” I didn’t have to wait long (big surprise) to see Eli’s ever-present whining-panicked-crying look return to his ugly mug.” -howiGit
“There’s no defending Eli….he could be an MVP and lead the league in TD’s but he’d still be a huge idiot, just becasue of his dumb face… his stats dont matter…hes a clown. He could be the best QB in the league (which he’s not even close) and hed still be the worst just casue of his dumb face.”
-Teck
Expert analysis guys, I much prefer the picture above. Next came the August 20th article, written by the best looking blogger on this site, yours truly.
“I don’t know about calling Eli a “star” quarterback. Come on. Even if he was in the top 10 in the league, that doesn’t necessarily make him a star. Stars are stars because they stand out in ability compared to their peers at the same position.” -howiGit
Our own howiGit called Eli elite this week. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a star.
And it continued when the new planet Gliese 581g was discovered.
“After finishing a particularly troublesome argument this morning, in which some people tried to favorably compare “elite” quarterback Eli Manning to Tom Brady, I decided I’d had enough. I can’t share a planet with the likes of Eli and A-Rod, no way. They don’t deserve to live in a galaxy with a being as supreme as myself. I’m tired of having them bring me down.”-howiGit
Hope you got your space suit ready.
I was at it again on October 27th with a Giants article. From the comments:
“I think Eli Manning is overrated, but the rest of the Giants are pretty damn solid. Hence my CC Sabathia comment. The Giants wouldn’t be much worse with him in there for Eli. Throw any B- quarterback in there and you’re still a good team. I agree on all fronts. Please just don’t use “Eli” and “Leader” in the same sentence again.”-howiGit
I am itching for Mike Vick or another B- QB. And then came this gem:
“All of the above is irrelevant, for this reason. When you have a pussy leader, like say….Iran, your country sucks. Sure there are millions of good and decent people in Iran, but Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes you forget about all of them, and chalk up Iran as a silly state. Same goes for Quarterbacks in football, the Giants have some serious talent and skill, but Eli manning is a moron, and thus follows, his team will not make it to the super bowl, just like Iran will not be a respected government in the next 15 years or ever on the UN Security Council. Sorry Giants fans.”- Mr Alan Weeks
I still have no idea what this means, but to use the same incoherent rambling metaphor; Eli Manning just went America all over everyone’s ass.
On December 20th and on December 21st, after an awful Giants loss Mr Kevin Youkillis wrote this:
“Oh j-bone, so predictable.. im surprised you havent’ brought up the giants winning the super bowl yet. it’s time for some new material. geeze Jimmy.. really resorting to the Giants winning the super bowl again? i feel like im watching ground hogs day.” -Kevin Youkilis
Well congrats Bud, I got some more material. The Eagles, they can give Bill Murray a call because its the same ole shit for them.
“Would the Giants be a better team with Jay Cutler as their QB instead of Eli? That questions is officially on the table for discussion’s sake people, so run with it.” -howiGit
Short answer no, long answer no. It continues two days later.
“Ok it was a shot at Eli, but that’s one of my specialties.”- howiGit
That was it all in the 2010 season; to summarize the best Boston sports blog around wrote 6 articles of note about the New York Giants QB, who the Pats did not play that year. The creepy obsession with Elisha made Sundays all the more enjoyable.
But to think that no football would stop the Eli bashing would be more accurate than Tom Brady’s loud mouth wife telling him he played the best game of his life.
On Feb 2 Tom Brady is named to GQ Cool Athlete list and howiGit for the roughly the sixth time tells me the tapes of Tom Brady dumping the ball into the flat are in the mail – they must have gotten lost. If you want I can mail you the last two Super Bowls he played in, because he did not play well in either. There is a lot of Eli vs Brady in this one if anyone is interested.
http://www.howigit.com/2011/
The next article takes us to June 16th when the city of Boston started to pretend to be Bruin fans. This one doesn’t have much to do with Eli at all but it was an epic argument that still holds very true. Tom Brady has never won a Super Bowl with out the benefit of defensive signals. Every Super Bowl team Tom Brady has been on cheated to get there. When I mentioned this then, it was called a witch hunt and alot of just silliness was demanded, such as me having to show the tapes in order for it to be considered cheating. But this one still holds true, and to quote the old Boston Sports Guy before he went to LA and howiGit took his throne, “The Giants made this happen. And to a lesser extent, so did the Jets — without them, Spygate never happens, and neither does that “You’ve never won anything since Spygate” crap, which technically isn’t crap because it’s true.”
We almost made it through the whole summer with out an Eli shot. When Albert Haynesworth signed and I said it was a bad fit (I am such an idiot for thinking that by the way) Eli was brought up out of nowhere. Even when he hasn’t had to watch him in months Eli is still on howiGit’s mind… in retrospect it actually is kinda cute.
http://www.howigit.com/2011/
This is my second favorite one. Chad OchoCinco is signed. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Who could have seen this one coming? Here’s my favorite part:
“Branch on one side, Chad on the other and Welker in the slot. Even if the Jets sign Nhamdi (I dont think they will) the addition of Johnson gives Patriots the best recieving corps in the league. Especially when you add in Hernandez and Gronk.”- Williams
You just f’n nailed this one kid, right on the money as usual.
“Jimmy nothing you say holds any weight in regards to the Patriots.” -Williams
My suggestion of using the $12 mil spent on Fat Albert and OchoNoShow on the secondary seems pretty spot on now. Muppet.
Now this one was my favorite. Eli Manning says he is ELIte, you would have thought someone said Larry Bird really wasn’t all that good with the reaction this got.
You can go read the article to see how wrong our Editor In Chief was but I will just use one line, “In other words, shut your mouth Eli – you’re just making yourself looks stupid.” It is now your time to shut your mouth about Eli, because all your bashing just made you look stupid.
Now on to some final comments:
Mr. Sportsglutton:
“BTW J-Bone….Eli’s a bum”
We will get to you in a second.
Kevin Youkillis:
“Eli is not even a top 10 qb. In no order i would rather have VIck, Rodgers, Peyton, Brady, Brees, Rothleisberger, Rivers, Bradford, Cutler, Flacco and Ryan. each of these qbs is either better or has a significant upside to their game that Eli does not have. I suppose yo could argue he is in the very bottom teir of that top 10, but i don’t see it. and dont give me the “he has a ring” nonsense.”
Yes Kevin Youkillis put Bradford, Flacco, Ryan, Cutler, and Vick ahead of Eli.
“i have bradford because of his age, cutler can be cut and replaced with freeman.”
Now add Josh Freeman. Todd McShay better get his resume ready because when evaluating talent like my good friend Kevin here you should be getting paid for your opinions.
Shmi:
“I would also drop Cutler and Bradford off this list, but I would also add Josh Freeman and Kyle Orton to QBs that are better than Eli.”
WOW. Josh Freeman threw 16 touchdowns and 22 picks. Kyle Orton got cut.
“What exactly is a “statistically lucky year?” What, did Vick accidentally let go of the ball a couple of times, and it ended up in the endzone 21 times? Conversely, Eli threw the ball a bunch of times, and by some unfortunate stroke of luck, he put it in an opponent’s hands 1.5 times per game?”
Mike Vicks career td/int ratio is 1.2, Mike Vicks 2010 3.5, Mike Vicks 2011 1.2. That is what is called regression to the mean.
“OK, if I win, you come to a Phillies game and wear Phillies gear, if you win I’ll go to a Yankees game wearing Yankees gear. Pictures and insults to be posted.”
Eli 1.8, Vick 1.2. I will have something special picked out for you, let me know what date you wanna go see 27 World Championship Banners.
howiGit:
“His career otherwise is defined by big passing yardage numbers followed by interceptions and choking.”
No his career is defined by being a multiple Super Bowl winner and MVP both times, both times outplaying Tom Brady. And as far as choking, Eli set the record for most 4th quarter comebacks in a season, he had 8 total if you count the NFC championships and Super bowl. And most 4th quarter touchdown passes ever by a QB in a season. He right now is the best big game quarterback and most clutch player in the league.
And finally after over a year of bashing we get to the last article I can find. This was exhausting and I am embarrassed how much time I spent looking back. Tom Brady talks about lube or something and mr glutton shows up again.
“The difference J-Bone is that Brady is a winner. Winners get to do whatever they want. Eli is and looks like a loser. Losers get picked on and beat up after gym class.”
I think Tom Brady is tired of playing Eli in gym class.
“I do it because of your blind allegiance to an average NFL quarterback. Yes, for better and for worse (usually worst) he is your New York Giants’ qb and you have to live with that. I could be wrong but I don’t recall you ever being overly critical, slamming Eli, or just being pissed that you have to rely on him to run your team’s offense. I find this particularly vexing given Eli’s propensity to pull “Romos” on a regular basis. Loyalty and trust like yours can be an admirable thing, but not when it’s comparable band members following someone from the Delta Tau Chi fraternity into an alley way and ramming themselves into a brick wall over and over and over. Be objective and admit Eli isn’t a great quarterback and we can move on (a miracle pass and having a great defense in the Super Bowl doesn’t count).”
And here is the thing on why all of you were so very wrong. Us Giant fans had “blind allegiance” to Eli because we have actually watched every game of his career. We have watched him raise his QB rating in the 4th quarter when it matters most, something Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger (his actually DROPS 15 points from any other quarter), Drew Brees, or Aaron Rodgers do not do. We have watched him average a 4th quarter comeback every 5.7 games and a game winning drive every 4.84 games in comparison to Brady’s 6.4 and 4.6. So Eli takes his team back more often the Tom and has a game winning drive almost as often but all we hear is Tom is clutch and Eli is a bum, choker, ugly, and dumb. We have watched him put his team on his back twice to win the Super Bowl to the tune of 15 tds, 2 picks, and 2073 yards, in comparison to Bradys 3 super bowls at 11 tds, 3 picks, and 1951 yards. And we have now watched this idiot get his team in the end zone twice with under a minute left, both times against Brady’s Patriots. When you know someone is wrong, especially when that person in question is your favorite football player on your favorite team you stick up for them, and in the end Eli backed us up. Now that Eli has finally shut your collectivity wrong mouths, I just hope we have something to argue about around here. I am sure we will find something.
Sure, Eli has proved many of his critics (myself included) wrong. But let’s ease up here – this doesn’t mean that anything you want to think about Eli is true.
First off, all of these comments took place BEFORE this season. I stand by them all as true before this Super Bowl run. Look at Eli’s career before this year. The only statistical category he’s ever led the NFL in is interceptions, which he’d done multiple times. That’s literally the single worst category you could lead in football.
Second of all, let’s cut the “Oh but we’ve watched him for his whole career, we knew he’d be awesome” crap. No, no you didn’t. You didn’t know David Tyree could catch balls on his head. You didn’t know that Eli had this Super Bowl season up his sleeve. May I remind you the Giants almost missed the playoffs this year, and all of you at the beginning of this season were talking about going 8-8 or so. You can’t watch year after year of turnover issues and say “Oh we saw the brilliance just about to come true.”
Finally, sure I’ve said we can call Eli one of the league’s elite QBs. But I think 1) you’re discrediting the rest of the Giants, who are a damn good team, and 2) I think if you put Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, etc against the Patriots defense in the Super Bowl you have a massive blowout – not a game that the Pats let get away and the opposing QB capitalized on.
No one has ever said Eli is the best in the league, the two biggest things that have been argued are the elite thing, you were wrong, and choker, you were wrong. By watching the guy have to deal with problem “leaders” in tiki shockey and burress early in his career, and by watching him play his best in the 4th quarter his entire career we knew you were wrong. Elite is an just a term and can not be proven, but I have asked for years for any stats to back up the choker claim, none ever provided by the way, and this year he just went nuts with it.
keep pointing at turnovers all you want, we watched it, we said it, it happened so yes i can say that, and have said that as you can see by the 2 year plus arguments we have had about it.
rodgers could have beaten them but eli beat him, brees could have beat them but they lost to a team eli beat.
and isnt that the pot calling the kettle black by giving all the credit to the qb.
I’m not giving all the credit to the QB. I’m saying that sure Eli beat Rodgers, but look at the team both guys had around them. You’re discrediting the Giants real strength, which is their defense.
The giants real strength this year was anything but the defense. So you are saying if Aaron Rodgers or Brees play the Pats they blow them out? But Eli won because of his defense? You’re doing this two sided nonsense again and its every time we talk about Eli. When Eli wins, the defense is the reason. But if its any other QB they would have done it. Fact is Eli got us here this year, and Eli won it for us this year. I’ll take 4 games, 4 wins, 1219 yards, 9 TDs, 1 INT, 65% complettion %, and a 103.3 QB rating superbowl MVP while facing teams that were 10-6, 15-1, 15-3, 15-3. Thank you very much.
Yes, I’d take it too. My point is not that the defense did it all for Eli whatsoever. My point is Eli was on a team whose defense was so good, that he didn’t need to be as good as a Rodgers, a Brees, etc. His numbers weren’t close to as good as theirs, but he was still able to win because of his defense. Yes, I 100% think that if Brees or Rodgers is the Giants quarterback they are a better team. Eli was surrounded by a pretty phenominal team this year, which takes nothing away from what he did. Tom had a pretty awesome defense when he was winning as well. My argument for Tom, as it’s always been, is that he had literally no offensive weapons when he was winning whereas in your own words, Eli had the best receivers in the league (not to mention Ahmad Bradshaw).
Surrounded an an offensive line that couldn’t stay healthy, TEs that nobody heard of until this year, no running game, a definite #1 receiver in Nicks, then Manningham who definitely is good and an undrafted FA rookie that no other team would look at. The Giants team came together well at the end of the season but without Eli they win 4 games this year. Who are all these “phenominal players” that Eli was surrounded with?
Best receiving core in the league, your words not mine. 1400 yards and 15 touchdowns from your running backs the previous season. The third best all-around defense in the NFL this year. Yes, I’d call that surrounded by a shit ton of talent.
The Giants were last in the league in rushing yards. The Giants were 25th in points allowed. None of the teams you keep throwing out there were worse then the Giants in either of those.
the giants 27th in total defense, what stats are you reading?
Having the best receiving core at the end of the season has nothing to do with before the season started. He groomed cruz into the receiver he became by working with him in Hoboken HS during the entire lockout, with Nicks there as well. How are you talking about a running game that was ranked dead last in the league and trying to saw he was loaded with weapons?
You are now becoming the flip flopper. All I heard about this year from you guys was how good his receivers were, and last year how good Ahmad Bradshaw was. Yet suddenly Eli has no weapons?
and HOLY SHIT i missed that part. Did you really just saw they had the THIRD overall defense in the NFL this year? Is that a joke Geoffrey?
An honest mistake on my part.
His receivers were very good this year. And a big part to his success, as all WRs are to their QBs. But coming into the season would anyone have talked about “all the weapons” Eli has? Does he have a big man to throw the ball up to? (Fitzgerald, Megatron, Brandon Marshall type) no. Does he have a TE that can dominate a game? (Graham, Gronkowski, Finley, Gates, Gonzalez, Witten, Davis) no. And I love Bradshaw and he is good. But when you’re offensive line falls apart and Bradshaw breaks multiple bones on his foot and can’t practice most of the season to suck it up during the games he becomes less of a factor. I’m not dumb enough to say Eli got us here on his own. But coming into the season he has anything BUT a “phenominal team” to start the season. Especially when you take into account the ridiculous amount of injuries occurred this year.
and when i say Bradshaw “suck it up” in the games I meant suck up the injury that kept him out of practice and play. I didn’t mean he sucked this year as his numbers in a split carry system and all his injuries show he is can be very very good next year if healthy.
So Eli has one of the worst defenses in the league by any statistical measure, and the worst running game in the league but lets make sure we dont forget about those guys. I didnt hear any of that when Tom’s three super bowls were discussed and he had top ten defenses every year he won. I heard Tom won three, Tom had game winning drives. Funny how that changes now.
Flippity flop to the flip flip flop!
it sounds like all of those comments really got to you. Typical emotional giants fan. Eli is fake life.
-Actually I must admit as of today and going into next season Eli is a top 5 QB, and thus by my own definition he is Elite. There is no way in hell i would have predicted that at the end of the last year or going into this year but when i do my rankings next Eli will be included among the elite. sleep well.
Fair.
Geoff I disagree with the fact that we didn’t see this coming this year. Can we find the comments section where you asked us what we thought his season numbers would be this year? I forget the exact numbers I gave but I was pretty sure I said 30 TD, somewhere between 15-17 INTS and 4k yards. He was 29 TD, 16 INTs, and 4900+ yards. So yes, we did see this coming. Part of it being you inparticularly, and others as well, that we were being homer biased stupid fans saying many INTs he had last year were drops and the receivers fault. To the tune of 7ish I would say. So I thought those unlucky ones go away and he gets better this year and what do you have? Great numbers.
I don’t disagree with the numbers that much. But you all seemed to think this team would go 8-8 or so, so don’t tell me you’ve all secretly known Eli is awesome and was going to win the Super Bowl.
I thought 10-6 or 11-5 until all the injuries and I thought 8-8 to 9-7 and I ended up being spot on. I knew (thought) Eli was going to be a top QB in the league pure by cutting down his INTs and he went way above that by throwing for almost 5k yards. No I didn’t know they were going to win the superbowl but I was hoping they found a way to get into the playoffs, then who knows.
we all seem to think they would go 8-8, they went 9-7. god damn we are dumb
Yea, you weren’t far off. But nobody predicts 8-8 and a Super Bowl win. But I forgot you are all super geniuses that watch the games unlike everyone else.
we were right about eli, you were wrong. and this isnt just about seeing him every game, the article is full of stats that up
Which I said over and over. Read boy.
*back that up
I am reading you saracstically calling us super geniuses
jbone you forget one important fact….eli has a dumb face….also you reference the picture but what you don’t know is that he is actually yawning because its past his bedtime.
Good job by Eli at this point. i like to make fun of him because i aspire to be like people from south philly, also the giants are fake and so is finoodler
I’M NOT FAKE! I’M A FLIP FLOPPER! And I’m not allowed to cheer for a team that says “New York” because thats what Philly fans say. And it doesn’t matter than I live 40 minutes closer to the my teams stadium than they are to theirs. Or that i’m 30 min closer to NYC than they are to Philly. I’m such a flip flopper
i can get you on sale at old navy for $5
Jersey Giants baby.
Its a good thing teams are named for the metro area they play in and not the state. North Jersey just happens to fall in the New York Metro Area. As does CT. so we don’t need these debates here.
Tell me about other teams this is the case for aside from the Jets.
Redskins, Cowboys to name two where the stadiums don’t lie in the city limits off the top of my head. And not one team is names after a state.
are we really talking about where the stadium is located?
“And not one team is names after a state.”
Tennessee Titans? you are so dumb noodler. geeze.
You did not have to prove me wrong to point that out. Just look at the grammar.
williams has been quiet….