Fire Eli's Claim That He's In Tom Brady's Class

Eli is no Brady (UPI).

Giants QB Eli Manning said he's right there with Patriots QB Tom Brady. While we know athletes have to believe in themselves to succeed, this is just a silly claim.

I consider myself in that class," Manning said on Michael Kay's radio show. "Tom Brady is a great quarterback, he's a great player and what you've seen with him is he's gotten better every year. I think now he's grown up and gotten better every year and that's what I'm trying to do. I kind of hope these next seven years of my quarterback days are my best."

Hold on there, Elisha (Manning's full name). With three Super Bowl rings, Brady has the most of any active QB. Manning has one, which earns him a lot of credibility (then again, Trent Dilfer has a ring), but he's still not even close to Brady. First, Manning threw 25 INTs last year. Brady threw four. In his worst season, Brady threw 14 INTs. Manning has topped that number four times, including a dismal 23/20 TD/INT ratio in 2007.

As for Manning's claims that he improved every year, that's not true statistically. In 2007 and 2010 he had a lower passer rating than in the previous season, and his season TD totals ranged from 21-27 every year between 2005 and 2009 with some drops from year to year.

In terms of career stats, adjusted for the fact that Brady has played more years, Eli has thrown for 2,000 fewer yards and that doesn't take Brady's 2008 injury into account. Brady also has a 192-156 TD advantage on Eli, again adjusting for Brady's longer career but not for his lost season in 2008. Brady also lead the NFL in TDs three times and Manning has never done that.

When you factor in intangibles, like Brady being married to Gisele Bundchen and Eli married to, uh, Abby McGrew (his college girlfriend), there's just no contest here.