Eli Manning’s omission from the NFL’s Top 100 surprised all of us here at GMEN HQ, but it turns out two NFL panelists also think the snub was uncalled for. Osi Umenyiora was also among the players left off the list that were perhaps deserving of the Top 100 honors.
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You could make a case for any one of the following Giants players and no one should bat an eye: Eli Manning, Chris Snee, Kareem McKenzie, Hakeem Nicks, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora. I mean it wasn’t that long ago the Giants won a Super Bowl ring thanks to most of these guys, who are still performing at a very high level in case no one has noticed.
So back to the article, how neither Manning nor Umenyiora place anywhere on the Top 100 is completely baffling to me. It’s baffling to Pat Kirwan as well who writes:
"Sure, he threw 25 interceptions last season, but he also was tied for being the least-sacked quarterback in the NFL because he gets rid of the ball. Oh, and he wins games for the New York Giants. He threw more touchdown passes than Michael Vick, Josh Freeman, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers and Aaron Rodgers, all of whom were on the list."
Bucky Brooks nails it as well:
"Manning is one of three quarterbacks to pass for at least 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in each of the past six seasons. Although he led the league in interceptions, he finished fourth in touchdown passes (31) and ranked fifth in completions of more than 20 yards.If Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco can earn spots on the list with their limited résumés, then Manning definitely is deserving."
If Flacco of all QB’s is on there — It’s more than a snub, it’s a slap in the face as far as I’m concerned to Eli Manning and the Giants. On the Osi situation, Jason La Canfora says:
"I have a hard time believing Osi Umenyiora isn’t one of the top 100 players in the game. Whenever he has been healthy, he has posted double-digit sacks. He’s also coming off a season in which he set an NFL record for forced fumbles."
Here’s a stat for you. Out of the 6 professional analysts’ opinions with about 1,800 players to choose from — 3 of those analysts chose a NY Giant as a snub case from this Top 100 list, and Eli was picked twice. What does that tell you? It tells me that clearly even the pros over at NFL.com know that the Giants got short changed on this vote for the Top 100…. and there were some great players left off the list from NY that should certainly have made the cut.