The 50 voters who make up the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee will soon meet via Zoom to select the 15 modern-day finalists who will be enshrined in Canton.
Eli Manning is one of the five players eligible for voting for the first time. surely? Certainly not.
Based on conversations with multiple voters, the former Giants quarterback and two-time Super Bowl champion appears to be a long way from winning this year. The debate surrounding Manning's candidacy is expected to be polarized and may include “some fireworks,” as one member of the selection committee estimated. .
While there are statistical data to support Manning's case, there is also plenty of eye-test evidence and a lack of honors and awards hurt his case. His biggest claim to fame, of course, is the rare accomplishment of being multiple Super Bowl MVP. The award was won after the 2007 and 2011 seasons, when the Giants defeated Tom Brady twice in four years, en route to the Patriots adding two more Lombardi Trophies. A glass case at the team facility. Without those two playoff performances and Super Bowl heroics, Manning would fall short of the Hall of Fame despite his longevity and career passing numbers.
Of course, quarterbacks are often measured by championships, and Manning has won two of them, one of which came in a huge upset over an undefeated Patriots team considered one of the best teams of all time. did.
“Eli Manning is a Hall of Fame quarterback, and in my opinion, he's a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback,” ESPN's Sal Paolantonio, a Hall of Fame voter for the past 12 years, told the Post. told. “I think what puts him in that category is winning two Super Bowl MVPs. I think the fact that Eli won two Super Bowls against the Patriots dynasty is important.
“I haven't talked to too many people about it. I just want to go in with a completely open mind and listen to people's arguments and try to have an open mind about the discussion. All I know is what my opinion is based on and what the facts are, and I will make that case on the committee. I wholeheartedly support Eli Manning's candidacy. I intend to.”
All voters contacted by the Post listened with open hearts to the presentation, which was given by former Newsday NFL columnist and Giants representative on the committee, Bob Glauber, and the discussion that followed. He emphasized that he would participate. But it's clear there are differing opinions on Manning as a candidate, especially whether he deserves a first shot.
“I'm a big supporter of people voting first,” said Rick Gosselin, a former Dallas Morning News NFL columnist and voter. “I'm probably an extreme. I think there's probably been 15 to 20 first-ballot Hall of Famers in the history of the game. I'm talking about Jim Brown. [Johnny] Unitas [Dick] Butkus, Lawrence Taylor, Jerry Rice, Deacon Jones, Reggie White. We're talking about a very small number of players who should be given first-ballot honors. Hall of Famers are not all built the same. Curtis Martin was no Barry Sanders. Both have gold jackets and busts, but Curtis Martin was no Barry Sanders. I believe players like Barry Sanders and Walter Payton are a step above.
“I feel very strongly that there are players who go into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, and there are players who go into the Hall of Fame later on. When I introduced Emmitt Smith, I stood up and said, 'Emmitt Smith is the best player in the history of the NFL. “He carried the ball more times, scored more yards and more touchdowns than any other player.” Any questions? That was my presentation. I believe that there are the greatest of greats, and that there are also great men. ”
All Gosselin has to say about Manning's candidacy specifically is that “Eli Manning made the biggest pitch of his life and won the biggest game of his life.”
The modern list of 15 nominees was reduced to 10, then seven, with each player required to receive at least 80 percent of the votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. If no players reach 80%, the top three vote-getters will be selected. Three, four or even five modern-day players could be selected.
The first-ever finalists are Manning, linebacker Luke Cushley, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, offensive lineman Marshall Yanda and kicker Adam Vinatieri. The other finalists are cornerback Eric Allen, defensive end Jared Allen, offensive tackle Willie Anderson, guard Jahri Evans, tight end Antonio Gates, wide receiver Torrie Holt, wide receiver Steve Smith Sr., running back Fred Taylor, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, and safety. Darren Woodson.
The 2025 Hall of Fame class will be announced on February 6th.
“Honestly, you don't know what's going on in the room when the conversation is taking place,” Glauber said. “Listen, Eli Manning is not the kind of guy who goes into a meeting and says, 'Thank you, Eli Manning,' and throws the microphone away.”
Manning's 57,023 passing yards and 366 passing touchdowns remain among the top 10 all-time. His 210 consecutive game appearances are tied for 10th place.
Manning cannot be inducted into the Hall of Fame if he is judged only as a regular-season quarterback. The total record is 117 wins and 117 losses. His career passer rating of 84.1 ranks only 60th all-time. He was selected to the Pro Bowl only four times in 16 seasons, was never named an All-Pro, was never voted for the MVP award, and was never a candidate for the All-Decade team. there were.
One voter called these regular-season eligibility “pedestrian.” Other voters, unlike Mr. Gosselin, have no regard for the exclusive right to enter the halls for first-time voters, and that first-time voters are treated no differently than those who have been voting for several years. He argued that it shouldn't be done. The voter acknowledged that Manning was a “special case.” Because he probably wasn't a top-five quarterback every season. However, he should be recognized for his two Super Bowl appearances.
Manning is one of only 13 quarterbacks to win two Super Bowls, seven of whom have already been honored. Manning is one of only six quarterbacks to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. Joe Montana, Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and Brady Mahomes and Patrick Mahomes will be inducted as soon as they are eligible.
That leaves Manning.
“I don’t want to be an outlier there,” Manning told the Post.
Will he be an outlier there?
“He's not Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, but the Hall of Fame isn't just made up of players like that,” Glauber said. “That's why I think it's going to be a long discussion. If you evaluate Eli Manning in this class, he's one of the top five players. The results are there.
“You can’t tell the story of the NFL without Eli Manning, period. [The Super Bowl for the 2007 season] It's comparable to Super Bowl III in terms of football. [Joe] Namaste etched his name in history. The man twice beat the best team, best coach, and best quarterback in pro football history. period. ”
It should help Manning that there are no other quarterbacks among the finalists. However, if he is unable to play this year, things could become difficult. Drew Brees and Philip Rivers are eligible in 2026, Ben Roethlisberger is eligible in 2027, and Brady is eligible and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2028. Aaron Rodgers will be selected five years after retiring. While multiple quarterbacks may be hired in the same year, it's often difficult to consider them second if you need to make a direct comparison.
Paolantonio said that when he was on the Centennial Hall of Fame Committee, committee member Bill Belichick set the criteria for inducting someone into Canton as “in a key championship moment, against the best opponent.'' “What kind of performance did you show?” he said.
“I wrote it down and saved it because I think it's very important,” Paolantonio said. “I put a lot of emphasis on winning the Super Bowl — I mean, I'm playing for it — and Belichick made that very clear. Eli was perfect. Super Bowl MVP. Having won the award twice, I think he is in a pretty high position.”
The Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins, a Hall of Fame voter in his capacity as president of the Pro Football Writers Association, said the debate is “very lively,” as he can already sense where some voters are leaning. ” I predict that it will be.
“Some people just say, 'No, I don't like him,' and I think that's wrong,” Watkins said. “If I had to handicap him, I don't think he'd be in. I think he'd be in, but I don't think he'd be in this round.” That's not the case right now. ”
Glauber plans to make Manning's case before the committee, saying his candidacy “checks the boxes as far as I can tell.” Another voter claimed, “There's a lot of empty boxes under Eli.”
Let's start the discussion.
