The Hall of Fame used to be the ultimate achievement (outside of world championships) for every player or coach that stepped foot on an NFL field. Now more than ever eligible inductees are held hostage to the feelings of the “qualified” voters instead of weighing the credentials and the impact these players and coaches had on their teams and the game itself.
On paper alone and especially in the age of fantasy football stats, one might argue Eli Manning had an average career. Those that actually followed his career and saw him play regularly knew Eli was not only a great quarterback, but also had the ability to make the players around him better. Compared to some of his peers at the time (Big Ben, Phillip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, etc.) it very valid to say he had a subpar supporting cast. Outside of 2 seasons, he never had a top 10 defense and neither of those two seasons were Superbowl season(2007 & 2011). The other quality Eli Manning possessed which was arguably second to none, was his toughness and endurance. How does this get overlooked and undervalued? NFL players, especially QBs, don’t make over 200 consecutive starts on accident. If the HOF can value speed, strength and agility, why not training to be available to compete every game for 16 years? Manning did play in one of toughest divisions and toughest media market in all of football.
Despite all of these factors, Eli Manning won over 100 regular season games, made multiple Pro Bowls, is in the top 15 all time in passing yards and TDs, won 2 Superbowl’s and 2 Superbowl MVPs (against the greatest coach and greatest QB of all time). There is absolutely nothing average about any of those accomplishments. The stories of the NFL, The NY Giants, Tom Brady, and Bill Belichick cannot be told without Eli Manning and yet…he was passed up for the 2nd year in a row. The Hall of Fame has lost it’s way.
Looking for even more validation for Eli Manning’s to be in the HOF?
Look at how much the Giants have struggled…not only to be competitive, but also to have consistent good play and availability at the QB position. Manning never had Emmitt Smith, Michael Irving, Andre Reed or Thurman Thomas. If regular season stats are not important, his two playoff runs are some of the best in the history of the game.
- Troy Aikman (HOF): 94 Wins | 165 TDS | 61.5 % Comp | 1 SB MVP
- Warren Moon (HOF): 102 Wins | 291 TDS | 58.4 % Comp
- Jim Kelly (HOF): 101 Wins | 237 TDS | 60.1 % Comp
- Eli Manning: 117 Wins | 366 TDS | 60.3 % Comp | 2 SB MVP
With the case of Bill Belichick, he was simply robbed. If you put his resume in front of even the most casual football fan, everyone one of them would say he is the greatest coach ever. If you take away the Superbowl seasons of “Spygate” and “De-flategate”, Bill Belichick STILL has 4 other SB championships as a head coach and 2 more as a defensive coordinator with the Giants. There is no one else with that type of resume. For the diehard fans and film junkies look at the rosters of those Patriots teams. Outside of an older Randy Moss, they Patriots worked within a perfect scheme. Bill Belichick had his teams not only ready to compete, but consistently in position to win no matter the personnel he had available.
There’s a reason why none of his protégés have been able to carry the torch. Bill Belichick was simply unique. He was always one step ahead of peers with specific strategies and gameplans to give his team the edge. He knew almost every rule of the game and how to manipulate it especially in crunch moments. So how does the greatest coach of all time get left out of the HOF?
It was personal.
Bill Belichick rubbed many people the wrong way in his pursuit of of greatness. One could say he was too stubborn and in control at times. The old saying is “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Why fix a process that produced 6 Superbowl victories and 3 additional appearances. Bill Belichick has been sticking it to the league unapologetically his whole career. Instead of acknowledging his greatness and giving him his flowers, these so called qualified “voters” are sticking it to him. The HOF process is supposed to be about acknowledging greatness not personal agendas. This year’s selection process has made it quite clear that the process is broken.
The Hall of Fame has officially lost it’s way.