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Clay Travis on Eli HOF

nygfaninorlando : 1/24/2020 10:12 am
I've been listening to Clay Travis the past few days on my drive to work and like him or not, he has been outstanding with his Eli being a slam dunk to the HOF argument.

Perhaps his most compelling argument is that if you think John Elway belongs in the HOF, then so does Eli. Career comparisons; Eli has a higher completion %, more TD's, more yards (almost identical attempts per game) both win 2 Super Bowl wins and with Eli having 1 more Super Bowl MVP. Taking into account the teams Eli beat during the Super Bowl runs in some of the toughest environments (beat both Favre and Rodgers in Lambeau, a #1 seeded Cowboys team, 49ers on the road in a game he was getting abused), he says it's a no brainer.

He also feels that most people view Eli as the best #1 overall draft pick in the 21st century and after hearing him read thru the list, I agree. In addition, only 4 QB's drafted #1 overall have ever won a super bowl (Elway, Aikman, Peyton and Eli). Orchestrating 2 come from behind Super Bowl wins vs Brady/Belichik the greatest Coach/QB and team dynasty in history also will carry a lot of weight. Not to mention never missing a game in 16 years, doing it on the biggest stage in NY and all the off the field charity work.

Whether your for or against Eli in the Hall, I recommend giving it a listen.
What gets me is that so many  
ATL_Giants : 1/24/2020 10:31 am : link
influential opinion 'swayers' haven't even watched Eli's play through his best years. So much of their argument is box-score history.
The clutch, stress-filled, high-pressure successes he had are worth so much more than what's recorded in statistics. His SuperBowl playoff runs were f'n unbelievable to watch through the sway of momentum.
Great stuff  
KDavies : 1/24/2020 10:31 am : link
But what Giant fan could be against Eli in the HOF? They should have their fandom revoked
I've said it on these boards before  
HoodieGelo : 1/24/2020 10:32 am : link
countless times. I feel HOF voters in every sport just need to use the eye test. Enough with this numbers crap. It will never change but if you look at things at face-value, Eli is no doubt a hall of famer.
An Eli stat I'd like to see/know.  
David B. : 1/24/2020 10:42 am : link
How many times at the end of games did Eli do HIS job and march the Giants down the field and get the go-ahead score, only to see the Giants Defense NOT do their job, and blow the lead on the ensuing possession.

Seems like there were an awful lot of those.
Google any random HOF class over the years  
bceagle05 : 1/24/2020 10:42 am : link
and you'll find a couple of players comparable to Eli - not legends, not MVPS, but very good to great players who were consistent over a long period of time. Agree or disagree, that's where the bar is set.

There's been some chatter about Frank Gore this year - I think his career compares favorably to Eli's, even at a different position. Never an MVP or top three at his position, but consistently very good for a long period of time. Tough, respected leader who represented the game well and compiled some great numbers. Gore will get into the Hall of Fame without anyone raising an eyebrow, but Eli will be subjected to a billion hot takes on social media and talk radio, as well as PFF deep dives into every statistic that can be spun negatively.
Thanks for the heads up.  
BBelle21 : 1/24/2020 10:48 am : link
The naysayers have some strange arguments. Ryan Dunleavy has been going at it with fans on Twitter claiming the voters are split down the middle. And yet didn’t Dan Duggan run a similar poll a few months back showing how the majority of the voters said Eli IS a HOFer and would vote him in? No idea what Dunleavy is talking about.
forget Elway  
Enzo : 1/24/2020 11:04 am : link
The bar is even lower than that. If Moon is in, then Eli should be a slam dunk.
I can't take anyone seriously...  
bw in dc : 1/24/2020 11:06 am : link
who compares Eli's HoF card to John Elway.

RE: An Eli stat I'd like to see/know.  
an_idol_mind : 1/24/2020 11:15 am : link
In comment 14792007 David B. said:
Quote:
How many times at the end of games did Eli do HIS job and march the Giants down the field and get the go-ahead score, only to see the Giants Defense NOT do their job, and blow the lead on the ensuing possession.

Seems like there were an awful lot of those.


I count 12.

Criteria: Eli led a tying or go-ahead drive, but the defense crumbled and he didn't get the ball back with time to pull out a win (in this case, less than 30 seconds on the clock).

2005 @Dallas, tied the game with a touchdown pass, Dallas won on the first possession of overtime

2005 vs. Minnesota: TD drive capped by a Tiki Barber run and two-point conversion to tie the score, Minnesota kicked a go-ahead field goal on the next possession. (Giants got the ball back with 10 seconds left, and the attempted desperation play failed.)

2005 @Seattle: That frikkin' Seahawks game. The defense did their job, but the kicker didn't.

2006 vs. Dallas: Eli tied the score with a pass to Burress, the Cowboys scored the game-winning field goal on the next possession.

2006 @Eagles in the playoffs: Eli threw a touchdown to Burress to tie the score, the Eagles put together a five-minute drive to end the game with a winning field goal.

2011 vs. Packers: Tied the game with a pass to Nicks and two-point conversion, defense gave up a game-deciding field goal as time expired.

2013 vs. Dallas: Tied the game with a TD pass to Louis Murphy and two-point conversion, defense gave up a five-minute drive to set up a last-second field goal that lost the game.

2015 vs. New England: Set up the go-ahead field goal, but the defense gave up a two-minute drive that ended with the Patriots kicking the game-winning field goal. (And I will hate this game forever. Beckham should have scored the winning touchdown but started celebrating before securing the ball, and Landon Collins dropped the easiest interception in the world on the next drive.)

2015 vs. Carolina: Tied the game with a late touchdown pass to Beckham, defense gave up a drive that set up Carolina's game winning field goal.

2017 vs. Tampa Bay: Took the lead on a touchdown pass to Rhett Ellison, defense gave up a field goal as time expired.

2018 @Carolina: Took the lead with a touchdown pass to Barkley, Panthers moved downfield to kick a 63-yard field goal to win it (because of course they did).

2018 @Philadelphia: Tied the game with a late field goal drive, the Eagles marched downfield and won it with a field goal of their own. (Eli got the ball back with 22 seconds left and an attempted desperation play failed).
Not saying Eli isn't deserving of the HOF  
BestFeature : 1/24/2020 11:16 am : link
But you can't compare his stats to Elways when they played in completely different eras.
Phillip Rivers has stats -many QBs have  
Gettledogman : 1/24/2020 11:16 am : link
a lot of stats, Tony Romo, Dan Fouts has a lot of stats, Dan Marino has a lot of stats, Matty Ice has a lot of stats -none have championships. Eli has 2.
To me the best stat on Eli is  
weeg in the bronx : 1/24/2020 11:22 am : link
the lack of pro bowl let alone all pro talent he played with. Strahan will be the only HOF player he played with. Compare that with his contemporaries, in particular the Steelers and Chargers. Its amazing what he did with so little around him.
For those that argue the Giants carried him too long, no one ever said that about Aikman, who was done after their last SB. After a disappointing SB hangover season on a team loaded with talent, they had one more last hurrah, lost in first round of the playoff and then he stayed for two more lost seasons. He finished his career much like Manning, albeit physically a mess unlike Eli, who never missed a game due to injury
aikman  
hitdog42 : 1/24/2020 11:32 am : link
bradshaw, namath, stabler

...  
christian : 1/24/2020 11:34 am : link
Are there any recent credible analysts or journalists who have said Manning shouldn't belong in the HOF? There was that one character at PFF on Twitter, anyone else?
RE: Not saying Eli isn't deserving of the HOF  
Mike from Ohio : 1/24/2020 12:22 pm : link
In comment 14792095 BestFeature said:
Quote:
But you can't compare his stats to Elways when they played in completely different eras.


Agree with this. Passing stats in the past 10-20 years are inflated vs. what they were before because of the changes in the rules and the way the game is played. Elway was always one of the top QBs during his era.
They asked Plax about how Eli might be a HOF  
PetesHereNow : 1/24/2020 12:28 pm : link
Plax said, “might, my ass.”
RE: Great stuff  
Brown Recluse : 1/24/2020 12:35 pm : link
In comment 14791992 KDavies said:
Quote:
But what Giant fan could be against Eli in the HOF? They should have their fandom revoked


You'd be surprised.

I had a Giants fan tell me on Twitter yesterday that Eli is basically just getting into the HoF because his last name is Manning and he won 2 Super Bowls...totally dismissed everything else.
Plunkett and Bradshaw also #1 picks  
Saquads Barkley : 1/24/2020 12:51 pm : link
To win a SB.
Brandon Jacobs  
BBelle21 : 1/24/2020 1:40 pm : link
On voters who don’t think Eli is a HOFer, “They should be out of a job.” I miss Brandon lol
The Elway argument is a great one  
islander1 : 1/24/2020 2:41 pm : link
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