Archie and Peyton have Eli’s back — which is entirely predictable

It’s no secret that the last two seasons have been particularly difficult for New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Back to back disappointing seasons for the team as a whole, and the quarterback in particular, have many fans clamoring for Eli to take his last snap as the Giants’ quarterback.

But Archie Manning still has his son’s back, telling Newsday, “I’m proud of the way Eli has handled everything,” Archie said. “It’s been a pretty tough year on him. But he stands tall, and I’m really proud of him. It’s not the fun side of football when you’re not winning, but as I said I’m proud of the way he deals with everything.”

Archie also said that he does believe that Eli still has the physical skills to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Peyton Manning still believes in his kid brother as well, and though he wasn’t at the luncheon with Archie, the elder Manning added, “Last summer at our football camp, Peyton told Eli, ‘You know, you’re throwing better at 37 than you did at 27.”

Of course, we should expect Peyton and Archie to continue to have faith in Eli. The question at hand is whether the Giants have faith in him beyond this season, and whether fans should have any.

The reality might be that neither party has any choice but to ride out the remainder of Manning’s contract. If so, it might be most fair to say the Eli is serviceable, but it is also incumbent on the Giants to give him the support he needs to be effective. More-so than earlier in his career, Manning needs good coaching and personnel decisions to play at the level he needs to in order to remain a viable starter.

But regardless of what happens, at least we know his father and brother have his back. Not that we would expect anything different.