10 Reasons NY Giants’ Eli Manning Belongs in the Hall of Fame

Reason #7: Eli Manning is one of the NFL’s Iron Men

Eli Manning made 210 consecutive starts from November 21, 2004, to November 23, 2017. This is the third-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history. Eli was truly an iron man.

Manning’s consecutive start streak almost doubles the second place NY Giants’ finisher (David Diehl made 120 consecutive starts from 2003 to 2010). Eli’s combination of dependability, longevity, and great play led to him owning almost every single significant Giants’ passing record, including completions, yards, touchdowns and wins.

Eli Manning never missed a game due to injury. The Giants’ Iron Man was sacked 411 times in his career, the 14th highest total in NFL history. He was hit a lot during his career (especially when Ereck Flowers was his left tackle), but he always got back up.

Manning is one of the toughest players to ever wear an NFL uniform. This statement may come as a surprise to those who didn’t follow his career closely or watched him perform on Saturday Night Live. The same guy that is known for “the Manning Face” on the sidelines was always the most rugged and gritty guy on the field.

This was never more apparent than during the magical 2007 Giants season.

The NY Giants opened vs. the Dallas Cowboys (like they often do). The Cowboys’ Anthony Spencer threw Eli to the ground, jamming his shoulder to the turf.

Manning knew something was wrong. He found out later that his shoulder was separated. Despite the intense pain, Manning went in on the very next series and completed four consecutive passes, including a touchdown. And despite the serious injury, he played in the next game vs. the Green Bay Packers.

The NY Giants’ Iron Man never missed a start that season, on his way to his first Super Bowl.