Kurt Warner: Eli Manning Doesn't Have Hall Of Fame Resume
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Eli Manning, Pro Football Hall of Famer?
The argument for Eli grew louder with each win, as the Giants clawed closer and closer to Super Bowl XLVI.
If Manning could win a second ring against the New England Patriots, some argued, it would cement his place in Canton.
Of course, Manning led the Giants to an NFL championship over New England -- and three-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady -- on Sunday. But one former NFL quarterback isn't ready to see Manning immortalized.
"I fully disagree with that," Kurt Warner, Manning's former teammate in New York, told KTAR radio in Phoenix on Tuesday. "You know, because I know we put a lot of weight on championships, and rightfully so. But championships are won as a team, and I'm fully convinced of that. You never see one guy -- a great player, great quarterback -- carry a team through the playoffs and into a Super Bowl and win a Super Bowl that way. I've never seen it."
Warner argued that one great year shouldn't equal a bust in the Hall.
Manning, now a two-time Super Bowl MVP, threw for a career-high 4,933 yards for the Giants this season. He had 29 touchdowns, two under last year's total of 31, but his interceptions dropped significantly from 25 to 16.
"I mean, he has an 82 quarterback rating throughout his career," Warner said. "You know, he's had five of his eight seasons where he has thrown 16 interceptions or more. His completion percentage on his career is 58 percent. To me, those aren't Hall of Fame numbers, and by that, I mean every time you step on the field you're a game changer, you're a difference maker. And I don't believe Eli Manning has been that guy until this year."
He added: "Now, if he plays the same way he played this year, the rest of his career, and you give him five more years, and then add the two championships, then I think we have reason to debate, and he's probably going to be in the Hall of Fame in that position."
According to Warner, when it comes to Eli and older brother Peyton Manning, there's no comparison. Peyton won his only Super Bowl title with the Indianapolis Colts in Feb. 2007 against Chicago.
"I just can't fathom that in regards to what they've accomplished in their whole careers, the type of quarterbacks they've been their entire careers," said Warner. "I don't even think it's close between Peyton and Eli."
Does Warner have a point? Sound off in the comments below...
