New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley spent just two seasons with Eli Manning, but what he learned during that time far surpasses the knowledge he had been able to glean throughout the rest of his football career combined.
Don’t take our word for that… Ask him. Barkley will tell you that himself without a single reservation. In fact, Barkley has repeatedly called Manning the smartest player he’s ever been around.
But does Barkley think the smarts match the production? Is Manning a shoo-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Yes. Duh.
“That’s just the world,” Barkley said of Manning’s Hall of Fame debate, via Complex. “I don’t know, what even qualifies you to be a Hall of Famer? No one knows that qualification when it comes to football. In baseball, you have to do this and in basketball, you have to do that. In football, there are some people who are Hall of Famers who may not have had the same accolades as Eli Manning had so how can you even argue that?”
The argument against Manning certainly is a baffling one, so we can relate to Barkley’s confusion here. The counter-argument seems more personal than practical, which has been a staple of Manning’s career.
Since Day 1, Manning has been derided, dismissed, disrespected and overlooked. Through it all, he’s stayed true to himself, maintained his talent and ultimately finished a 16-year career ranked in the top 10 of all major passing categories with two Super Bowl titles in tow.
Manning has done more and experienced greater success than most current Hall of Famers, so it stands to reason that once his time comes, Canton will be a near certainty. And you can now add Saquon to the list of people who believe that.
