Eli Manning saying he’s as good as Tom Brady was wrong, but the right thing to say

New York Giants’ Quarterback Eli Manning was a trending topic on Twitter yesterday after it was revealed that he considers himself to be a Top Five Quarterback and in the same class as three-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. Unfortunately for Manning, his sudden rise to the top of Twitter’s ranks was not due to an outpour of support for his statement. Rather, football fans and Brady enthusiasts alike attacked Manning for being delusional.

A lot of sports writers have come to Manning’s defense asking readers what they think Manning should have said when asked by New York radio station ESPN 1050 who else he would put in Tom Brady’s class. If he omits himself, what does that say about his confidence? As a 49ers fan, I’d laugh my butt of if Alex Smith (ugh) compared himself to an elite quarterback, but part of me would at least be relieved he had some conviction in his ability to play. (At least someone would!) And honestly, it’s not even fair to bring a third-rate QB like Alex Smith up in this conversation, since the only thing Smith and Manning have in common is that they were both first round draft picks.

But that’s the thing. Eli Manning was a first round draft pick. He did help the Giants make it to the playoffs in four of his seven seasons as a full-time starter. He was fourth in touchdown passes last season (31). And, OH RIGHT: With the help of his team, he did take Tom Brady and the unbeatable Patriots down in Super Bowl XLII.

When Eli Manning was asked which other quarterbacks he would put in Tom Brady’s class, he was being set up to fail. Personally, I commend him for saying what he did. For the sake of NY Giants’ fans, I hope he actually believes it, and not just that he misunderstood the question, like this tweet implies.