O’ Brother, What Art Thou-The Manning Brand Takes A Hit

O Brother, What Art Thou?  If your Sister was Christie Brinkley, would you strike that pose before a camera? If your Father was an Einstein, would you pick up that microscope? If your Uncle had the last name of Jordan, would you embarrass yourself driving the lane? If your Father and Brother were Mannings, would you have the want to bark signals under Center? If your name is Eli, starting quarterback for the storied New York Giants, then the answer almost from birth was inevitably, yes.

Pedigree and risk-aversion is the daily double that NFL Executives like to put money down on at the window.   So much so that the Giants shifted, pulled and pried their future upside-down in order to secure the rights to the new version of the Manning Brand.       What less risky proposition than to mortgage your organization’s future on a quarterback stamped with the official Manning label?  The assumption among Giants’ brass was that back in the home plant in Mississippi, production was working on the next generation Manning. A new, not necessarily affordable, shiny model to drive the G-Men back to  prominence for the next decade.       

Eli’s performance sprung a leak right off the lot, and with no warrantee to fall back on, the scent of lemon is becoming thicker and thicker in the Meadowlands.   This model is certainly not like anything the Manning Brand ever put out previously. Duller, less vibrant….something askew. The younger Manning has shown flashes of brilliance, not unlike his counterpart in Chicago, Rex Grossman.  However, the expectation for a player stamped with the fabled Manning Brand is inevitably much greater than your typical young buck coming out of the college ranks. But hey, if you leverage the Manning Brand to get that humungous contract, you better back it up with a guaranteed Manning Brand performance on Sundays.    No one from Brand Manning was complaining when the contract was signed and still wet.  The Giants payed a king’s ransom for the Manning Brand in cash and draft positioning. This alone because of the Manning Brand’s reputation of excellence. Minimalize your risk.

Some critics suggest that the Big Apple is too complex for the mild-mannered Eli, sentiment being that a change of scenery would breathe new life into the younger Manning’s career.  The line of sight is still the same on Sundays. If you can read a defense, you can read a defense. If you make poor decisions, those decisions more likely than not will not improve in Baltimore or Jacksonville.

Ex-teammate Tiki Barber lashed out at Eli, questioning his leadership abilities. In fairness to Eli there hasn’t been much griping about him from his current Giants teammates, although you know frustration with his inconsistent play grows by the quarter.      Veterans such as Michael Strahan are on the clock.   They do not have time to suffer from such inconsistent play. Manning is showing the strain that coming up empty provides, especially with the Manning Brand’s reputation at stake.

So the Giants are forced to wait….and wait…and wait. The words “potential”, “expectation” and “future” were mantras bandied about with concern to the Manning Brand in New York when Eli began having his woes in the pros.  When one moves forward in a career and does not live up to that promise, words ring hollow. Those not as fortunate to have the Manning Brand precede them, begin to resent the bonus baby whose Brand paved the way to a massive, still as of yet unearned contract. Those who share only the name on the front of the jersey begin to resent the cash, the notoriety, the name of the back which is the Brand label. They’ll give you the benefit of the doubt but you had better lead, lead well and most importantly, win.      

Eli until now is what he is. Set aside in the corner the Brand, the contract and the fanfare.      He is an average signal-caller that would be scuffling for his status as starting quarterback if not for The Brand.    The Manning Brand has afforded him riches beyond any normal person’s wildest dreams.    To not back up that kind of nepotistic fortune with real deeds makes for resentful teammates and fans alike. Comparisons to Peyton are inevitable. Comparisons to the inconsistent Rex Grossman are realistic. Comparisons to expectations of Eli first coming into the league are ridiculous. Giant fans root for Eli because The Brand has forced a monopoly on quarterbacking the Giants. Giant Nation has been sold The Brand, believed in The Brand and watched an earlier production of The Brand win a Super Bowl sporting Hall Of Fame credentials. Even New Coke had potential.