Why Eli Manning is Worthy of the Hall of Fame | THE ODD COUPLE

uh Eli Man now of course this weekend they inducted the new Hall of Fame class of 2024 and that was spectacular well uh the class of 2025 of course is next year and one of the biggest names in that class of course is Eli Manning and the question is uh Martin and Rob and I have talked about this a lot on this show we had Rob Woodson the great one of the greatest defensive backs ever to say that Eli Manny is not a Hall of Famer so there is some debate on him uh where do you stand on it uh with Eli as far as him being a Hall of Famer if you had asked me the year after he retired I would have said absolutely not however as I've thought about it put some seasoning on it and put it in the oven I go back to like one I forget who's the first person I heard say it but it's not a unpopular phrase if you can't if you can tell the story of of whatever sport without said athlete involved in that story they're probably not a Hall of Famer that's ridiculous if you well me if you could tell that's a little much if you can tell I can tell the story of basketball without talking about Damen Lillard well I mean the basketball the Basketball Hall of Fame has a ton of people in okay let's say fo what Lillard though in any by any measure would be a Hall of Famer CH football I can tell the story of football the NFL uh without talking about uh who I mean I'm just trying to think of a a guy uh Rob G jump in Martin jump in you know there's a guy you can tell the story of football Andre Johnson just got in okay I he ain't getting he ain't in my story about the no no slight on Andre sure but you know what I'm saying so I'm just I'm not I know that's you didn't come up with that saying so I'm not jumping on you but I'm just saying that I I agree with I mean Andre Johnson still I mean I'm not about to say but he ain't getting in the story of football but you know yeah but in the history of the game but the thing is though Chris if in fact that is your margin of of in or out you can't tell the story of NFL football without Eli Manning because you're telling the story of Tom Brady who failed him twice that's Eli Manning in the biggest moment in the biggest game right so when you're talking about him in that manner and he was crazy hot through those playoff runs and the Hall of Fame there are people who have Hall of Fame careers and there are people that have Hall of Fame moments inside of careers that are good enough for them to be able to maintain those Hall of Fame moments that Eli Manning to me falls into into the second category I think I have come to the resignation that he will get in and so that's why but you can't tell the story of the NFL Super Bowl history without mentioning Eli Manning and for that reason I think he's got to qualify can you tell the story without mentioning David Tyrie yeah but again David Tyrie didn't have the NFL career that but but but if your criteria you can't tell the story that's what I'm saying like that's B but you that criteria you still have I can't tell story without David Tyreek you still have to be on a baseline like at the end of the day Eli Man was a starting quarterback in the NFL for over 10 years it's not like he was just out there that's a pretty low Baseline you but I'm just I just don't have the number on top my head but I know he played 10 probably 15 years in the league play a ton as a starting quarterback he played more he played I think at least 15 yeah never barely ever missed a game you know had the starting streak like he's tough as nails so all of these things play into the ability like after the fact right like if David Tyrie had been in the NFL for 15 years and had that same helmet catch we'd be having a different conversation about him too um I I overall even though I just demolished your criteria um I do tend to agree with you that Eli Manny is a Hall of Famer um he was he had two remarkable playoff runs two remarkable playoff runs he was only a four-time all a pro bowler he never was an all proo ever not second team I mean I don't even know if they had second Team all his years but he never made all pro he's a 500 quarterback for his career however because he did play 15 Seasons he is in the top 10 in passing touchdowns and in passing yards now I don't know how long that'll last because obviously guys are throwing for yard right I'm looking at passing yards career right now Eli is 10th okay and Matthew Stafford's gonna pass him this season but he is 10th right now um and he's got he's only 2,000 behind Aaron Rodgers so there there you there you have that passing touchdowns Eli is 10th in passing touchdowns too uh again Matthew Stafford should pass him uh Russell Wilson I mean he'd have to have a really good year Russell Wilson's 32 behind Eli um however look he he retired Martin in the top 10 in passing touchdowns and yards he's got two Tri tremendous runs to the Super Bowl that ended in Victory he beat the 18-0 New England Patriots that I mean everybody thought they were going to win that game and they would have gone down as the greatest team ever uh and then he beat the Patriots again so he beat Brady twice and it is true that his regular season career let's just keep I mean he's 500 quarterback he it was I wouldn't say mediocre but it was like good but not great not Hall of Fame worthy but when you factor into two championships and look I'm not saying this I'm not saying just because you win two Super Bowls you are in the Hall of Fame Jim Plunkett won two Super Bowls and never made it it is not a Hall of Famer right but he he he didn't have as good of a career as Eli Man and Iron Tech Al he his record in the regular season was 500 as well but he never made a pro bowl even so um he was not quite what Eli Manning was and I'm gonna throw this in too as a factor uh Martin the fact that Eli played New York and I'm not saying that should be a factor in terms of Voters looking at that and saying you know what he played New York let's put him in or let's that gives him a a few extra points no I'm saying during the time when he was winning Super Bowls and in the celebration the post celebration and even the years following everything in done in New York is magnified everything right you win in New York it it's magnified and it seems better than ever you lose in New York it's magnified it seems like the worst thing we've ever seen I mean to your point if you pulled who has the worst contract in the NFL I think a lot of people would say Daniel Jones yeah and not 40 million like it's not it's not the worst quarterback contract out there but a lot of people say so Isaiah Thomas the GM a lot of people think he was the worst GM in the history of League he wasn't I mean his draft record actually really good but because it was in New York and it didn't work out it you know was magnified and so I do think that's a factor I mean if Eli Manning Martin does what he did playing for the Seattle Seahawks is it is he a Hall of Famer I think that's a fair question I'm not saying he definitely wouldn't be but I definitely think he gets a boost for doing it in New York I think so too also he also gets a boost for being a Manning right when you consider that Pon like you know he gets a little bit of a boost from that that he comes from quote unquote good stock right in terms of good quarterbacks but yeah I just think and he run I mean his super let's put it let's face it and it's interesting Martin because when we think of pyton I mean pton obviously is one of the best quarterbacks we've ever seen like one of the top five right um when we talk about him and think about him as a two-time Super Bowl champion we really like I don't hear people belittling I don't I never hear with yeah but the second one I mean you might hear it but it doesn't seem to stick are you with me on that like I think we just think of pton as a two-time Super Bowl champion regardless how poorly he played that last season they wanted well part of the reason why it doesn't stick like criticism of that second of that Denver Super Bowl wouldn't stick in the same way is a he didn't even win the uh MVP of that game but also he had an incredible like if he never went to that Super Bowl he would still be in the Hall of Fame right if he never went to that Super Bowl he would still be considered in the Hall of Fame because what was his biggest problem not being be able to beat Tom Brady which is true of almost everybody who played in the AFC the entire time he was there right like it's true for everybody that that you know it's it's like saying oh you know well car Malone never won a championship or John Stockon never won a championship well that's because they were playing against Michael Jordan he wasn't really giving him out right so when that's part of the reason why I think it it makes the argument for Eli to be in because when you look at why do people not you know cuz the career that Payton had he kept bumping his head against Tom well Eli didn't have hell of I mean even close to the regular season career that pton Manning had but when you go up into the biggest moments he had some big time Hall of Fame moments that throw to Manningham like you said the catch the Tyreek catch those things are are in are just burned into NFL history right no I agree and the fact that his two like you said he's a Manning and his two Super Bowl wins were more impressive than than pton especially the second one you know Payton second one so I think that does give him a little bit of a boost um so yeah we agree we we think he will be a Hall of Famer and is a Hall of Famer