Hall of Fame Voter Weighs in on Snub of Giants QB Eli Manning

To many New York Giants fans, retired quarterback Eli Manning should have been a slam-dunk first-ballot Hall of Famer.

However, as is now known, not enough of the 40+ Hall of Fame voting committee members saw it that way.

“I was shocked,” Gary Myers, retired New York Daily News columnist turned author and long-time HOF voter, told me for the Locked On Giants podcast.

“(Retired Newsday columnist) Bob Glauber made the presentation and did a fantastic job. I prepared material to supplement what he was doing, and I think between the two of us, we laid out a very, very strong case for Eli.”

Glauber and Myers' points included the two Super Bowl victories, his clutch performances, particularly in the postseason, and his ironman streak of never missing a game due to injury.

However, their presentation, which was part of a 40+ minute conversation, failed to convince voters to advance Manning from the top 15 finalists to the top 10., even though Manning ranks among the top clutch quarterbacks of his era and is one of six quarterbacks to win two Super Bowls, both of which he was named the game’s MVP.

Numerous arguments against Manning’s worthiness for inclusion were also made, including his 117-117 regular-season record, lack of MVP and All-Pro honors, and failure to win any single-season passing honors (passing yards or most passing touchdowns).

An even bigger reason/conspiracy theory that seems to be gaining traction for Manning’s exclusion was that he was in his first year of eligibility.

The whole debate over first-year eligible Hall of Fame candidates seems to have its origins in comments made by Deion Sanders, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2011.

Sanders claimed that “the Hall of Fame ain’t the Hall of Fame no more” because, in his opinion, too many borderline candidates were being voted in. He has also argued that there should be a special wing within the building that honors the true elite who are inducted during their first year of eligibility.

As a likely result of Sanders’s opinions and likely coupled with additional analysis, the Hall of Fame’s board of directors tightened up the rules this year to ensure that only the elite are admitted into the sacred halls in Canton.

Myers, who emphasized that the rule changes didn't affect Manning’s candidacy, did seem to have an issue with disqualifying a candidate from inclusion into the Hall of Fame simply based on the candidate's year of eligibility.

“My standard is only the best of the best of the best,” Myers said. “I don't care how many years you've been on the ballot because it doesn't say on your bust how many years it took you to get in.

“If you're one of the best candidates in a particular year, I'm voting for you.”

Myers also believes that eventually, Manning will join his brother Peyton and the scores of Giants legends already in Canton. But when that might happen is up for debate, especially considering the quarterbacks who will be eligible for consideration in upcoming years, such as Drew Brees, Phillip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, and, eventually, Aaron Rodgers.

The good news, according to Myers, who hopes that once the first-year ballot stigmatism is removed from Manning’s name, is that there is no rule prohibiting the voting committee from selecting more than one player at the same position.

But whether Manning’s credentials will stand out from the incoming crop of quarterbacks in the voters' eyes is, much like his initial quest for football immortality, far from a slam dunk.

More New York Giants Coverage

Social Media Reacts to Eli Manning Hall of Fame Snub

Giants QB Eli Manning Will Get into Canton...Eventually

Eli Manning: Playing Quarterback in NFL Isn’t Easy

Eli Manning Outlines Ideal Traits for Franchise Signal Caller

More New York Giants Coverage

New York Giants On SI Social Media