Eli Manning deserves to be a Hall of Famer

Stop arguing. Eli Manning is going to be, and deserves to be, a Hall of Famer.

On Wednesday, the team announced Manning would be holding a retirement press conference on Friday afternoon after word leaked of his intentions. Barring a shock, his career is finished at 39 years old.

Manning finished with a .500 record over his 16 seasons with the New York Giants. His teams didn’t make the playoffs in 10 of those campaigns, including seven of his final eight. Incredibly, New York only had two years with Manning where it advanced in the postseason.

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So why does Manning deserve to be in Canton without a ticket in hand? Two Super Bowls. And not only two Super Bowls, but arguably the greatest upset in NFL history.

Manning helped to engineer the Super Bowl XLII stunner over the previously undefeated New England Patriots. While it was the Giants’ defense that harassed Patriots’ legend Tom Brady throughout, it was Manning fighting out of certain disaster and emerging from a crumbled pocket to find little-used receiver David Tyree down the middle. A few plays later, the touchdown to Plaxico Burress, beating both the blitz and the Patriots down in Glendale.

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Four years later, the Giants once more defeated New England in a Super Bowl. Once again, it was Manning taking part in the signature play, throwing a gorgeous deep ball down the left sideline to Mario Manningham, jump-starting the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.

All told, Manning walks away from the game one of the more decorated field generals of all time. Apart from his two Super Bowl rings, Manning is also a Walter Payton Man of the Year award-winner, two-time Super Bowl MVP and four-time Pro Bowler. He also finished with 57,023 passing yards and 366 touchdowns, albeit against 244 interceptions.

Looking at Manning’s resume, it’s easy to parse. His numbers along would put him in the class of a good player worth remembering. In short, he’d be in his team’s Hall of Fame or Ring of Honor. Then add two iconic championships in the country’s biggest city, on the game’s biggest stage, and it vaults him into the top category.

After 16 seasons, Eli Manning is done writing his legacy. Now it’s on the Hall of Fame voters. It might take awhile, but expect Manning to end up with a gold jacket.