Football fans, I’m sure you have all seen this great commercial after one of Eli’s untimely interceptions this season. Like clockwork, fans were spoon fed this ironic advertisement after every boneheaded play.

Alas, all the moaning and speculation that resulted from one head-scratching mistake after another, has finally been put to bed. Eli, once buried and left for dead by ignorant media types, has seen the ranks of his bandwagon swell with the very pundits who screamed out BUST two months ago. They have now hoisted Eli onto their flavor of the month pedestal. Both local and national media outlets have thrived on the New York fan predisposition to beat star players into submission until they adequately produce (for proof see Alex Rodriguez). During his first 4 professional seasons, perhaps no player not named Alex Rodriguez has had their temperature taken on a more regular basis.

Eli entered the league in 2004 as the Number 1 overall pick in the draft. To many, he burst on the scene as a prima donna. Not only was he the kid brother of the mighty Peyton Manning (6′5″ Laser Rocket Arm), he was also a little brat who refused to play for the San Diego Chargers. Of course the media did its best to blow this story out of proportion, ignoring the fact that San Diego is run by the maniacal General Manager A.J. Smith. Do not forget people that this is the same ‘leader’ that fired Marty Schottenheimer after a 14-2 season because of personal reasons against the coach. So under the guidance of former football great and father, Archie Manning, Eli announced his desire to quarterback Gotham to greatness.

Naturally, calm and patient New Yorkers were thrilled…

Despite some clamoring over the trade to get Manning, which saw then General Manager Ernie Accorsi export 3 first round draft picks to San Diego, the Giants had a quarterback. In Manning, they had an elite leader, and they had championships lined up, or so they thought. This is New York after all, the proud land of sporting dominance. Often lauded as some of the smartest fans in sports, New York fans once again make poor on that claim and prove they just listen to what they read and hear. In doing so they completely ignored the fact that playing quarterback is hard.

There is no argument, there is no tougher position to play in all of professional team sports than quarterback. It is both physically and mentally demanding, and the learning curve for success at the NFL level is slow and often painful. It is exceptionally rare that a quarterback enters the league from college and naturally dominates the game. The speed of the game is just so unimaginable that there is no supplement for real-time game experience at the pro level. Not only does a young quarterback have to deal with the game’s quickness, he must also fully commit to memory complex offensive schemes (playbooks can be in excess of 100 pages). Football game plans are incredibly complex, varying from week to week, and a quarterback must memorize and understand all facets of the offense in order to perform with perfect execution on Sunday. Not only does a quarterback have to understand his own role, but he also must know the responsibility of the 10 other members of the offensive unit. Don’t forget this all has to happen while you have 260 pound linebackers bearing down on you boasting 4.5 speed in the 40 yard dash.

Yet in Manning’s case this aspect of the game was completely overlooked, with practicality and logic forgotten. Eli was supposed to play the same way Peyton was performing after 6 years in the league. Fans and the media alike had every reason to expect 40 touchdown seasons with over 4,000 yards passing. That was not asking too much. Right?

Enter the frustration of real life. Eli was making mistakes, year after year, bad interceptions and untimely fumbles. Mistakes that made even the most hardened fan scream at the TV set while reaching for Alka Seltzer. But he was learning, he was doing what all quarterbacks do. Nevertheless many were ready to throw him under the bus in favor of an unknown back-up quarterback Jared Lorenzen, who is the same size as a bus. Eli endured weekly back-page destruction, unsavory comments from former teammates (TiVi Barber), and harsh words from his own General Manager. Fans were ready to run him out of town and the arrogant media was celebrating in much the same way after they thought they broke Alex Rodriguez’s spirit.

And then it happened. The playoffs hit and Eli transformed into the player that was worth his pedigree. Although, his story is strikingly different. Normally a quarterback’s development is a natural progression of moderate improvement. Eli’s career was pock-marked by bizarre inconsistency. His performance would be spot on one week, only leaving you to want to vomit the next. Even real fans were getting concerned. Then this improbable playoff run started. The New York Giants, a team no one feared, piloted by a quarterback no one understood, became dominant.

On national television fans witnessed Eli mature what seemed like years in the matter of weeks. Leading his team on big drives whenever necessary, standing tall in the pocket, taking what the defense gave him, playing in a freezer, and not making any mistakes. He was playing championship football and as the games got bigger and the situations became more intense he just played better. Everyone was watching and waiting for him to fail, waiting for the wounded duck that would flutter into the hands of a roving free safety. But it did not happen, all he did was outperform Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo, and the immortal Brett Favre with the temperature being negative 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now he leads his team to Arizona for a final rendezvous with Tom (Joe Montana) Brady. The Giants will face off with arguably the greatest team of all time, boasting a towering 18-0 record. The Patriots are controlled by an unbelievably clutch performer in Brady and they are coached by the enigmatic genius, Bill Belichick. They are armed with fierce weapons on both sides of the ball. At this point Eli’s arrival cannot be questioned, his position as a franchise player is solidified. But can he become a hero so soon? Can he take down the greatest that Football has to offer? Some with less than satisfactory understanding of football may say this is the worst team to ever make the Super Bowl. Well what happens when the worst team beats the best of all time? What then would that make the Giants?

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