Tiki On WFAN: Inconsistency Keeps Eli From Being A Great Quarterback
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- Eli Manning has been anything but elite in 2013.
The Giants' quarterback has thrown 17 touchdowns to 26 interceptions -- he leads the league in the latter category -- and has been sacked 38 times.
Oh, and his 6-9 team will miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
Tiki Barber
Yes, the 32-year-old is a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Super Bowl MVP. That can't be ignored or forgotten. And he doesn't exactly have the most impressive cast of characters playing with him at the moment.
But when all is said and done, is Peyton's younger brother a great quarterback?
"He's done great things, but he doesn't do it consistently," legendary Giants running back Tiki Barber told WFAN co-hosts Sid Rosenberg and Kim Jones on Thursday. "...What makes someone great in the history, in the annals of an organization or a league? It's consistency ... The problem with Eli, as of late, I think, is there's something physically off. There's definitely a confidence issue.
"And that has nothing to do with him. It has everything to do with those five guys -- and really it's been eight over the course of this year -- in front of him that just can't get it done. He's constantly throwing off his back foot. I feel like he's pressing sometimes to make some throws and they end up sailing on him ... It's because of confidence and I think because he's gotten the crap beat out of him."
Barber did acknowledge that his former teammate can turn it around next season and again be a top quarterback in the NFL. If anybody can rebound after a disastrous season, it's Manning.
"I've counted Eli out before and I've been wrong," the CBS Sports Radio co-host said. "Here's what I know about him. He has a drive, and maybe it's a Manning thing ... There's a drive within him that sees him be able to grow and learn from things that he's done wrong ... I think it is fixable. And you talk, really, about the window for Eli.
"Is it still open for him to have great success in the next three or four years? I think it is."
Big Blue will conclude its regular season on Sunday against the Redskins at MetLife Stadium.
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