Weighing in on Eli Manning's contract
by Ed Valentine on Aug 6, 2009 12:09 PM EDT
in New York Giants News
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Print[NOTE: 'The League,' The Washington Post's NFL blog, asked me to weigh in on the debate over the mega-contract the Giants are giving Eli Manning. They are offering opinions from several different writers. My thoughts are below, re-printed from The Post.]
Apparently, the world is all a-Twitter about a Manning now being the highest-paid player in the NFL. The fact that it will be Eli, not Peyton, seems to have people howling from every possible direction.
Search 'Eli Manning' on Twitter and you'll get an idea of what I am talking about. There are some funny 'tweets,' including some young ladies wishing they could be Eli's bride. Sorry, ladies, that job is taken. Mostly, though, there is indignation.
That sentiment, of course, has also spread across the blogosphere. Perhaps no one has expressed it better than the esteemed 'MJD' at Shutdown Corner.
There were reasons the Giants had to do this. Eli is a good young quarterback, he's earned his stripes in New York City and you don't let guys like that get away. If $97 million over six years is market value, and Eli won't accept anything less, then the Giants almost have to give it to him.
But did you know that our brand new highest-paid player in the game finished 14th in the league last year in quarterback rating? That he was 9th in DVOA?
I'm not saying that makes him a bad quarterback, of course, but it does make him a second-tier quarterback. It makes him a non-elite quarterback. And it makes him an absolute nightmare for any general manager with an elite quarterback who is going to want a new contract anytime soon.
To that I say, 'pffft.' Who really cares how much money Eli makes?
Sure, he is the highest-paid player in the league. This week. Next week, or next month, it will be somebody else. A year or so from now the fact that Eli was once the highest-paid player in the league will simply be a footnote.
Fact is, as soon as Eli threw the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl 42 it was fait accompli that once his contract came due he would end up the highest-paid player in the game. At least for a while.
The paycheck really doesn't matter. Even Giants fans are split on whether or not he is overpaid. Me? Sure, I think he is overpaid. Most NFL players -- in fact, most athletes -- are. Fact is, his contract was due, he is a Super Bowl-winning franchise quarterback, the Giants think he will win more Super Bowls before he is through (and I agree). The Giants did what they had to do.
Eli is the right quarterback for the New York Giants at the right time. He is a Giant for the next seven years. That makes me happy. And that is what I care about. Regardless of his paycheck.
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Preaching...
…to the choir Ed.
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 12:20 PM EDT reply actions
You are..
Absolutely right on the money (no pun intended) Ed..He is the perfect personality for New York/Jersey towns, calm cool and collected..Nothing rattles him..and given his reported lifestyle, which is pretty much regular Joe, alot of that money will go to charities. I am very happy to have him here for years to come…I’m sure he’ll get it done again for us..Bob
Ed summed it up nicely for my own viewpoint
Too much cash but glad to have him despite his not being god tier.
I'll give Eli Manning 120 Million, as long as the Giants get rid of Antonio Pierce
Can Antonio Pierce actually make a big play once in a while. He is all mouth and no “Stuff”. I’d rather see Derrick Brooks play in a wheelchair than that waste of money.
Gary Thorne=Simply the Best!
by The American Mr.Hockey on Aug 6, 2009 1:05 PM EDT reply actions
NFL's most underrated players of the decade. #18...
For an undrafted free agents to make it in the league, they need to get an edge any way they can. In Pierce’s case, it’s maniacal film study that leads to superior preparation and the ability to overcome his athletic limitations. The Giants defense rose from 21st to 11th in our DVOA ratings after his arrival in 2005, and has remained in the upper half of the league ever since. His single-handed read and stop of a screen pass against three Green Bay blockers in the 2007 NFC Championship Game was one of the plays of the decade.
One of the best plays these eyes have ever seen.
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Kurt Warner, James Harrison
Etc. ETC. There are numerous undrafted players who make an impact.
Gary Thorne=Simply the Best!
by The American Mr.Hockey on Aug 6, 2009 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
That play ranks right up there with Tyree’s catch. AP has my undying appreciation for that play and I think he still has a lot to contribute on the field even though he has lost a step. What the Giants need is a nice #2 to give AP a breather on passing downs.
Your right..
That play was awesome..Not quite like Tyree’s miraculous catch, but without it we would have been out of a championship for sure..Yes he’s lost a step or two..but he as I said runs that defense..and he still has game.
He's the unquestioned leader of that D
Wait till you see the impact the loss of B Dawk is gonna have on that Eagles D, that’s what it would be like if we lost Pierce.
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 7, 2009 8:53 AM EDT up reply actions
AP doesn't deserve all this hate
the guy simply makes the Giants defense better. Kinda like Dawkins in Philly, AP doesn’t have the speed anymore. His edge sometimes goes over the top, but the guy is like having a second coach out there and when AP is not on the field the defense takes a few steps back.
Remember who you are bashing. AP was a large reason the Giants didn’t go far in the playoffs last season, but he was also a large reason they go anywhere in the future.
I agree with you..
AP may have lost a step or two, but he runs the defense and sets up fellow defenders with a shot at stopping the opposition…Bob
Although Eli
isn’t statistically as good as Peyton, Brady, Brees and a few other QB’s in the league the bottom line is he has been a good QB that led the Giants to a Super Bowl win. And if you ask me I’ll take Eli’s less than stellar numbers throughout the regular season for a few more Super Bowl wins that he leads us to.
How many rings do Brees, Palmer, McNabb, Cutler and Rivers have? And yes it’s a team sport and some of these guys don’t have the team the Giants are but Eli also played his best when they needed him. Hell his brother didn’t play as clutch as he did in the big game. Brady couldn’t lead the Pats to the comeback they needed. ELI DID!
by arjay on Aug 6, 2009 1:22 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Help me out
Can anyone remember the last time Giants fan had a QB that we actually loved. We have loved our running backs,tight ends and defensive players but can’t remember showing love to the QB.
Not until after they retire...
SEE: Phil Simms.
I actually wrote a fan post touching on that…
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Dave Brown
Hah, just joking! Seriously, maybe Hostetler when he was qb-ing the Giants to the Super Bowl? Perhaps Collins? Good question.
Who did we love anyone before Simms? Tarkenton? I didn’t start following the Giants until, yikes, Pisarcik.
Amen brother
It was his time, it will soon be eclipsed and forgotten, and as I’ve been saying all over the Internets, what else were they supposed to do?
Homer: Aw, twenty dollars! I wanted a peanut!
Homer's Brain: Twenty dollars can buy many peanuts!
Homer: Explain how!
Homer's Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services!
Homer: Woo-hoo!
by bigbluethruandthru on Aug 6, 2009 1:34 PM EDT reply actions
Oh how I do long for the days...
When Kent Graham, Dave Brown, and Danny Kennel were behind center…
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 1:57 PM EDT up reply actions
It's Kanell
and how dare you forget “Touchdown” Tommy Maddox!
"We're only going to score 17 points?" ~ Tom Brady
lol
How dare I indeed.
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Good for Eli
He’s a good kid and a fine representative for the Giants and the NFL.
The 2007 season and Super Bowl 42 alone are worth 97 million bucks.
Based on DVOA
that ShutUp Corner quotes, Roethlisberger is ranked 23rd. So I guess Big Ben isn’t worth it either. I won’t hold my breath wating for that article. Roethlisberger is like the new Favre in media adulation regardless of what he actually does.
Amazing how quite he's managed to keep those allegations...
I bet Kobe dialed the number to his PR team days ago.
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions
QUIET*
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Well
I think he handled it correctly. Held a press conference immediately and was visibly irate about these allegations. It at least gave most watching the impression of, “Hmm, he’s royally pissed. Sounds innocent.”
Could be a big acting job, but if it was, it was done well.
"We're only going to score 17 points?" ~ Tom Brady
That definitely goes into it
Eli is not going to embarrass the organization. Vick signed a huge contract (at the time) too. Oooops. Roethlisberger has had two high profile off field incidents (the motorcycle accident and now the, well, you know).
I don't know about how you all feel..
..But I loved Phil Simms…I almost died when Parcells named Brunner the starter over Simms, when he took over..what a huge mistake, then he corrected it. That decision was the worst I ever experienced as a fan…but then he became one heck of a Head Coach…but yes Simms deserves lots of love…Bob
It's a shame what happened in '90
If he wins that Super Bowl no one would argue his HOF status.
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Ohhh...
…and don’t forget Tarkington…Fran gave us the only excitement we could enjoy for years, surrounded by a crappy losing team…Good defense, but his offenseive help was horrible…and also Y.A Title , I was just sitting on my Dad’s lap back then, but what a tough tough QB….We’ve had some great QBs, the rest of the engine wasn’t built…Bob
Ridiculous
It’s crazy that Eli is getting so much money! Even if he never took another snap, Tom Brady is a billion times the quarterback he’ll ever be!
Umm, thanks n/t
"We're only going to score 17 points?" ~ Tom Brady
Nobody is saying..
That Tom Brady is not a superstar…as Ed reflected, when his contract is due up, Brady will get his payday…Eli’s highest paid status will be short-lived…All athletes get over-paid…but who cares?..If we did, then we wouldn’t be paying for it as fans which is exactly who is paying for it..us…Just like we are getting our money spent on “Cash-for-Clunkers” or a War against idiots that have been killing each other for a million years..I’d rather help fund a game where we civilized folks can sit and have a $20 beer and a $15 hotdog after paying a fortune for a ticket every week and cheer for our teams… and whatever a player makes, who cares..It is our money, and that’s how WE decide to spend it…not the Government…Bob
The contract was what the market called for.
In a few weeks, Phillip RIvers might very well sign a bigger deal and everyone can wrong their hands over him being the highest paid.
Every time a high profile QB signs a new contract over the next 5 years chances are he’ll be close to the highest paid player in the NFL. Peyton was when he signed his big contract. McNabb was when he signed his big contract.
It’s just not that big a deal. If the Giants didn’t play him the money, somebody else would have. Actually he probably would have gotten more if he got to free agency.
"The esteemed 'MJD' at Shutdown Corner"
I really hope this is sarcasm.
"We're Rock Stars... We're Lakers."
-- Lamar Odom
"We had the skull-and-crossbones on our helmets, the black jerseys, and the whole bit... and we lived it."
-- George "The HitMan" Atkinson
"WE STOMPED YOU OUT!"
-- Michael Strahan
by 5_Giant_Raider_Clipper_Laker_13 on Aug 6, 2009 3:06 PM EDT reply actions
Not really
‘MJD’ is one of the original sports blogging pioneers, and one of the guys who blazed the trail for what the sports blogosphere has become. Love him or hate him, I have to give him props for that.
Good man Ed.
Respect for ones elders is a trait I do admire.
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
That's fair, I can respect your reasoning.
I guess as a Raider fan, I just find his pro-Charger/anti-Raider bias to be nauseating. But when you explain that he was a sports blogging pioneer, I can understand why some people respect him.
"We're Rock Stars... We're Lakers."
-- Lamar Odom
"We had the skull-and-crossbones on our helmets, the black jerseys, and the whole bit... and we lived it."
-- George "The HitMan" Atkinson
"WE STOMPED YOU OUT!"
-- Michael Strahan
by 5_Giant_Raider_Clipper_Laker_13 on Aug 6, 2009 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Bring on the disrespect!
Eli is surely going to be pissed about the NFL community’s reaction to this contract. He knows that the vast majority (according to Sports Nation at least) don’ t think he’s talented enough to deserve the contract he got, and don’t consider him to be a top 10 QB. He’s gonna have a huge chip on his shoulder, and so will the WR corps who are getting trashed in the media as our weak link. Everyone’s going to eat their words when they realize we have playmakers all over the field, which makes us dangerous… offenses don’t NEED a #1 receiver. I’m also going to go out on a limb and say Eli has a breakout year next year and puts up the best numbers on his career. We could have made do last year without Plax…. its the D that fell off in the end of the year, and we didn’t have enough time to adjust to Plaxless offense. I also love how other NFL fans talk about
how Eli struggles in heavy winds at Giants Stadium…… lets see how your QB does when he’s not in sunny San Diego playing against the NFL’s worst defenses… or when you leave your temperature-controlled stadium in Arizona and go up to Gillette Stadium and get spanked. NFL fans show the same stupidity before every season. Everyone is putting the Patriots and the Eagles in the Superbowl. Neither will happen.
Osi on Eli's contract:
“He’s lucky. He doesn’t have to share none of that with his family. They’re already filthy rich themselves.”
Yea...
But you know he’ll be sharing at least half of that with the state of Mississippi.
"We'll show up tomorrow and do the same thing we try to do every day, Kick Pedroia's ass in cribbage and try and win a baseball game."
by tito (eight and oh) on Aug 6, 2009 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions
That's crap..
I am sure Osi is glad Eli will be around for along time..and as I said , given Eli’s lifestyle there will be many kids gettting a boost thru charities…Give him an antique here and there when he shops for them with his Mother. Give him a black suit with brown shoes..He doesn’t care..He is just a regular “Joe” with deep family values..Ask him if he gets to NYC, and he’ll tell you he can see it from his apartment in NJ. I remember getting frustrated when he would just non-chalantly walk to the sidelines during a time-out..I would be hollering at the TV :Run, jump, shout, yell!!!. Then I realized that this kid just does not get rattled about anything in the game…and I believe that trait will carry him far…and as far as his family being “filthy” rich?..Who are you to say something like that? Idiot..That is a very caring loving and generous family. You can tell how these kids were raised, simply by listening to them. Archie Manning was the greatest QB to never have a supporting cast around him…and he and his wife took good care of his boys and they show it/demonstrate day in and day out..I hope my boys turn out that same way.
Thankful
I’m just glad Eli didn’t go on the open market because you know Dan Snyder would have overpaid for his lackluster skills. Haha
RAK EM UP!
Marcellus Wiley is a bastard
When i hear that guy talk I can’t believe he went to an Ivy League school. Coming from one of the biggest big money busts in NFL history, he was criticizing Eli’s contract.. he can suck on my left one.
President of the Ramses Barden Fan Club
I don't mind the contract.
This is for a player who has performed, and performed well for his team, on and off the field. Not to be compared with other players on other teams. This is for Eli and how he has lead us through out his career. Congrats Eli!
i love this article.
its great everything you said was right. eli is perfect for the giants. i am happy hes are qb for 6 more years. i hope he stays his whole career.
to mahmoodzaky
great comment i love a fellow die hard fan. ur def right gmen are def goin far.
Why do people care?
From what I’ve read, he barely spends any of it, and most of it is going to go to charity.
If people have a problem with that, then they’re not the greatest individuals, now are they?
People Care For Three Reasons
Giants fans care because it affects the salary cap.
Other fans care because it affects how much their QB willl make (ala Philip Rivers next year)
But, MOST IMPORTANTLY, other fans care because they love to hate on Eli and any suggestion (including earning 100 mil) that Eli is even remotely close to being an elite QB somehow offends their sensibilities as a football fan.
"A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and the portals of discovery." - James Joyce
Nostalgia contract...
No one’s paying attention to the fact that 2/3 of this contract is not guaranteed. If Eli becomes the bad quarterback that he’s tend to be at times for a couple of years, the Giants can go another direction while only taking a $35 million loss. Though that is still lots of $. Eli had a dream ride to the super bowl 2 years back. That doesn’t mean that it’s his consistent form as in Tom Brady or more so his older brother Payton. I, myself don’t believe in paying so much money for nostalgia.
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