Archie Was Right

This May will be 13 years since the 2004 NFL draft.  Let us review what went down.  If there has ever been a quarterback that is over rated throughout his life it is Eli Manning's quarterbacking career.  He is the son of Archie Manning who quarterback for 11 years for the New Orleans Saints when the Saints were the Aint's.  He was a very good quarterback who was known as a survivor scrambling every Sunday just to stay alive playing for the hapless Saints.

Peyton graduated from Tennessee and went number two in the draft to the Colts in 1997.  No time during his college career did Eli have any kind of stats to make you think he was any where close to being the quarterback his brother was in college and there was nothing to make you think he could be as good as Peyton had  done so far as a pro.

So many professional teams in all of sports look at potential and many NFL executives looked at Eli as a horse with a famous football father and brother so may be he will be like one or both of them.

Eli's senior season in college he may have been the 20th best quarterback but that pedigree Eli is being looked at as the number one quarterback in the draft.  The team with The number one pick the San Diego Chargers.

Leading up to draft day and all indications that San Diego was planning on drafting a quarterback to replace  to that point a disappointing Drew Brees who had replace a disgrace in Ryan Leif.
Knowing that since 1983 that the Chargers had only four winning seasons Archie and Eli didn't want Eli saddled with another New Orleans.

One of the most wierd photos in the history of the NFL is the picture of Eli Manning holding a Charger number one jersey standing beside  NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue with Archie and his wife Eli's mother.  Twenty minutes later a trade Eli for Philip Rivers.

Eli goes to the Giants and a stable organization who are still owned by the same people as then.  Rivers goes to a team  that fires their coach after a 14-2 season.  Now they desert the City that had been their home for 55 years to go play second fiddle to a team called the Rams.  So for the next two years they will play in a stadium that seats 30,000.  Why couldn't they just announce that they would stay in San Diego two more years.

There are plenty of people in this world who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth.  Having money doesn't mean you are smart enough to keep it.

Archie Manning through his experience with a  poor organization as the Saints back in the 70's could see that the Chargers just like the Saints back then and now he didn't want any of his sons to have to experience in their professional lives what he had to endure.

So Eli who at best is an average NFL has won two titles. Philip Rivers who if he had two titles would be considered one of the best NFL quarterbacks ever.

Fast forward 13 years and Philip Rivers had become the Archie Manning of the 21st century.  Just think if Philip Rivers had the defense that Eli had all those years in New York how many titles could the Giants have won.  Instead Philip Rivers will finish his career with 30,000  people watching.  Archie knew what he saw  Back then and he was right.