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

By David Solow

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 29: Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants warms up prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on December 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 29: Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants warms up prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium on December 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 22: Quarterbacks Daniel Jones #8 and Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants fist bump during warmups before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 22: Quarterbacks Daniel Jones #8 and Eli Manning #10 of the New York Giants fist bump during warmups before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on September 22, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images) /

Reason #8: Eli Manning was a Hall of Fame teammate:

Manning made everyone around him better.

That is the best thing you can say about a quarterback of a football team. Manning won two Super Bowls with completely different sets of receivers. He got the most out of the players around him.

Manning’s 4,895 regular-season completions went to 97 different receivers. Here are the top 10:

1. Odell Beckham Jr.- 390
2. Hakeem Nicks- 313
3. Victor Cruz- 303
4. Plaxico Burress- 244
5. Steve Smith- 213
6. Amani Toomer- 210
7. Jeremy Shockey- 206
8. Sterling Shepard- 206
9. Rueben Randle- 186
10. Mario Manningham- 156

Manning played with some great receivers. The wide receivers on the list above all played on other teams (except Shepard), but all enjoyed their best years with Eli Manning.

Manning was a tremendous teammate off the field as well. David Carr, Eli’s backup for several years, ranked Manning as his greatest teammate ever. Eli never had a bad word to say about ANY of his teammates (even Ereck Flowers.) Besides Tiki Barber in 2007, his teammates never had anything bad to say about him either. Tiki later publically apologized for his infamous shots at Manning.

Manning was also famous for being an elite locker room guy. he had Hall of Fame-level pranks. Lawrence Tynes, the Giants kicker from 2007 to 2012, learned this the hard way. Since kickers often had fewer meetings to go to and left practice early, Manning enlisted some teammates to park around Tynes’ car to box him in after a practice in 2011. Countless teammates fell victim to a Manning prank, and he was always somehow able to be unsuspecting about it.

When the NY Giants unsuspectedly drafted Daniel Jones with the #6 pick in 2019, Eli took everything in stride, like he always did. As a prideful Super Bowl champion, Eli could have easily made things uncomfortable for Jones, but Eli was a tremendous mentor and teammate.

This was especially apparent when a video surfaced of Manning and Daniel Jones out on the town in Hoboken. Jones had just thrown five touchdown passes, and Manning was genuinely happy for the success of his successor.

The “Godfather of Pranks” kept things loose in the locker room and got the best out of his teammates. Analytics guys might not think it mattered, but football guys will tell you it made all the difference.

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