Winning his second Super Bowl MVP was not good enough for Eli Manning to crack the top 30 on the NFL Network’s top-100 players list, and that is unacceptable for Giants teammate Justin Tuck.
The defensive end ripped the list, which is determined by players, that ranked Manning at No. 31.
“That’s a joke,” Tuck said, according to NFL.com. “No question. He is top five, hands down. Top five.”
Manning was 19 spots ahead of big brother Peyton, who did not play a snap last year due to neck injuries.
“Possibly, it’s just a shame that his brother (Peyton) didn’t even play, and he is only 19 spots behind him,” Tuck said of Peyton, who signed with the Broncos this offseason after being released by the Colts.
“I know Eli doesn’t really care about it that much, but as his teammate, you like to see him get a little more respect than that.”
Eli led the Giants to their second Super Bowl in five years with both coming over Tom Brady and the Patriots. Brady will likely be a part of the top-10, along with the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers and Saints’ Drew Brees. The first 90 players on the list have already been announced with the Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger at No. 30 being the only quarterback ahead of Eli thus far.
“You win the Super Bowl, you have the season he had, you are automatically top 10,” Tuck said of Eli, who was not on the list last season.
“But it’s how he did it, as far as the fourth-quarter comebacks, leading a team that really didn’t have a super, super star wide receiver at the beginning of the year. He made two guys in Hakeem (Nicks) and Victor (Cruz), he made those guys what they are now. I really feel as though he should have been a lot higher than he was.”
Tuck came in at No. 62 on the list.
“I just feel as though it’s a blessing to be appreciated by your peers,” he said. “I always tell guys, I had an off year this year and was No. 62, so next year, we are going to move up a little bit.”