The two lowest-rated QBs on that list that are in the HOF are Jim Kelly and Troy Aikman. Kelly, I think you can argue is there for 4 SB appearances. Not sure 1 All-Pro and 5 Pro Bowls alone cut it, not sure getting to say 2 SBs on top would have cut it. Aikman, I think you can argue he’s there for 3 SB wins; otherwise 6 Pro Bowls and “he was around the bottom of the top quarter for a few years” probably doesn’t do it.
I don’t know that either stands out as “all-time great” by any stretch, and “great in their era” might be a push. Put another way: if you swap them out for someone who’s above average but not say top-quarter, do you think you get the same results for their teams? If so, they probably shouldn’t be considered for the HOF. Put another another way: I don’t necessarily want 6-8 QBs from every era getting in, I want guys who were truly elite, caused fans to sit on the edge of their seats every time they took a snap because you knew something incredible might happen. If they won some hardware, even better.
Rodgers would be there even without a SB win. Peyton would have been there without a SB win. Dave Krieg, who toiled on some mediocre Seattle teams in the 80s and when he retired was 6th all-time in TD passes and 8th in passing yards, wouldn’t be in even if you gave him credit for lifting those Seattle squads. Not sure Joe Thiesmann gets there with a SB win and another SB appearance and giving him credit for 2 WFT squads that missed the playoffs on tie-breaks, and he’s higher on the monitor than Aikman and Kelly and I don’t know that the HOF is missing anything with him not in. Cam Newton is ranked higher than Thiesmann and I wouldn’t dream of putting him in the HOF.
As a Giants fan, I agree Big Ben was the best out of the bunch.
Maybe I am wrong here, but I never got the sense that Philip Rivers was capable of winning a superbowl. He blew quite a few playoff appearances. In other words if Philip Rivers was on those two giants teams would he have won. I doubt it.
Rivers is a superior quarterback but he wasn’t clutch. From a biased perspective I think Eli deserves to be in it because of the superbowls.
I’m a Giants fan too and both those runs had epic memorable Eli moments. I hope he’s in canton one day too but if he’s not I don’t think it would be a great injustice.
And yes Rivers had some playoff blunders but were they his or Shottenhiemers(sp?) coaching? Seems he had the defense at times and run game with Tomlinson but never got over the hump.
Do you think the giants win those superbowls if Rivers was the QB?
The first run with Eli scoring that TD in like a minute before half time against Dallas, the throw to Tyree (yes it was a lot of luck - but had some real persistence in not getting sacked), etc. The manningham throw…
I don’t know. in 2007 there is a lot of truth to the fact that the Giants defense carried them in the playoffs and Eli was a great game manager throwing for 213 yards a game and 6 TDs to 1 INT. In 2011 he had one of the great post season playoff runs for a QB throwing for 304 a game with 9 TD against 1 INT.
I think it’s possible they win 2007 with Rivers but certainly not a given espeically with the Patriots chasing history. I don’t think they win 2011 with Rivers.
Of course in 2008 they went 12-4 and laid an egg in the opening round, though some of that was due to late season injuries, maybe Rivers makes a run with that team. I don’t know.
To be fair if Rivers was on that Steelers team instead of Big Ben he probably wins that first superbowl. Wasn’t Big Ben awful that year in the playoffs.
Eli’s case is largely on the 2 rings and yes 1 ring he probably has no chance. The fact that the first ring was against the then 18-0 Patriots who were obviously one of if not the best team team ever up until that loss will probably help him and may eventually put him over the hump.
Rivers was obviously a superior QB based on stats to Eli there really isn’t any meaningful argument where Eli>Rivers that doesn’t include “but 2 rings”. The question will be does that deserve HoF status? I think he will as his numbers are remarkably similar to Big Ben who is clearly getting in early in the selection process once he’s eligible.
Best guess is Rivers goes in “in a weak year” several years after he’s eligible and Eli follows him “in another weak year” a few years after that. But only time will tell.
I’m not sure I ever would have ranked Rivers in the top 3 QBs in the NFL for any year of his career. Probably ranked 5-10 most or all of it, but without any real playoff success on top if it, it’s hard for me to really say he should get in. No MVPs, No All-Pros. Just some pro-bowl.
I wouldn’t vote Eli in either…so I might have a stricter criteria than HoF voters.
Neither Rivers nor Eli deserves to get in. Rivers was really good. Eli wasn’t that but won a couple titles. He and Jim Plunkett were both .500 QBs that never were first or second team all-pros. Eli’s teams won 10 games 5 times. He also turned the ball over a lot.
Big Ben won 2/3 of his games and had a losing record as a starter 2x (1 7-8 and 1 0-2). He turned over ball less than half as much. Ben>>>>Eli.