Eli Manning vs Peyton Manning: Who has left a greater impact on the NFL?
Peyton Manning and Eli Manning have helped establish the Manning family as the foremost family in the NFL, at least when it comes to quarterbacks. Established by their father, Archie Manning, we would not be talking about them if both the brothers had not gone on to have legendary careers.
Both brothers won two Super Bowls each. Peyton Manning became the first starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl with two different franchises. Eli Manning led two of the biggest upsets in defeating Tom Brady and the New England Patriots with the New York Giants. The older Manning (Peyton) won a record five NFL MVP titles and his younger brother is in the possession of two Super Bowl MVP awards.
At this point in the article, there is almost an urge to run through their superlative stats to make the case for who is better. We could talk about Peyton Manning's legendary final MVP season when he threw for a record 55 passing touchdowns. Or we could talk about Eli Manning's second Super Bowl title run when he threw for 1,219 yards, which is the most in the NFL playoffs ever.
But when one talks about impact, it cannot be measured only by stats. Those of us who love football will know that intangibles are often more important than the tangible components of the game. This is where the evidence of the eyes and ears comes in.
Eli Manning left a record, Peyton Manning left a legacy
We have already briefly listed some of the salient stats from both the Manning brothers' careers. Both of them are worthy of celebration. Peyton has already made it to the Hall of Fame and there is a growing clamor for Eli Manning to also be included in the first ballot when his time comes. Such discussions point to their glorious records and each quarterback has a lot going for them.
But when we talk about impact, we have to discuss legacy. And that is where Peyton Manning far outstrips not only his brother but every other modern quarterback. There may be others who have won and will win more Super Bowls than him. But his contribution to the game can never be overstated.
Peyton was an offensive coordinator masquerading as a quarterback. He revolutionized how the position was played. Gone were the days when the coaches would feed a play to the quarterback to blindly execute. He made it normal to call audibles at the line of scrimmage and react to the defense before the snap. Who can ever forget his legendary call of "Omaha?"
Because of him, there is so much focus nowadays on lining up at scrimmage to create overloads and imbalances that can overwhelm the defense. This is why today we see an explosion in the passing game like never before. He made studying film as important as going to the gym for a quarterback.
Tom Brady just posted this about Peyton Manning on his Facebook page. "You changed the game forever." https://t.co/A9XsPXmH4s
Everyone who plays the game today at the quarterback position plays it better because of the standards Peyton Manning set. He pushed the envelope more than any quarterback and gave a new dimension to the position.
He has a great record and is one of the best in the league. But when the dust settles and the pages in the record books turn yellow, that is not what we will remember Peyton Manning by.
We will remember him as the quarterback getting his offensive line into place. We will fondly recollect him for shouting instructions at his receivers and backs. We will reminicise about the times he nearly ran down the clock to get the perfect scheme in place. We will thank him for making the game better than it would ever have been without him.