Not only is Eli Manning not the, aww shucks, dopey little brother, he’s on the verge of blowing right by big brother, Peyton Manning. In fact, he already has on a number of different levels.
Look, I’d never say he’s the better passer; and no matter what Eli does from here on out, given Peyton’s four MVP awards, I’ll probably never be able to argue that Eli is the better player.
But I can say…, right now…, he’s tougher, more clutch and definitely a better big game player. Eli’s travelled a much more brutal road than Peyton has. Eli has had to deal with the pressure of being Archie Manning’s son, and Peyton Manning’s little brother. (The only person who’s had more pressure than that is their other brother Cooper, who has to contend with being Archie’s kid and both Peyton and Eli’s brother: good luck with that Coop).
On top of that, Peyton never had the bull’s-eye on his back that Eli’s had: a bull’s-eye born not only from going first overall, but from having your old man put a gun to San Diego’s head, and forcing your way into the biggest pressure cooker in the world: the apple. Peyton played in small market Indy, where he was deified from the second he stepped on the field. Eli’s has to ball in a cut-throat environment where he was never given the benefit of the doubt and has had someone coming for his heart nearly every second since hes’ been there. And of course, Peyton has better numbers: he’s playing indoors, in perfect conditions, in a passing factory, while Eli has played his whole career in a wind tunnel and had to deal with the harshest elements. Eli may never be the better player, but Peyton will never be as clutch: Peyton beat Rex Grossman and the Bears for his ring, and by the way, didn’t look so great doing it. Eli shocked the world in beating Tom Brady and the undefeated Pats for his. And left with the MVP award. And that was right after he shocked Brett Favre and the Packers in their house. And did the exact same thing to Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay last week.
Photos: Eli
Photos: Peyton
Sorry, but Peyton never won games like that, so while he will always be better, he’ll never be as tough or as clutch as Eli.
