By Matt Valentine
The 2004 NFL deaft will certainly go down as one of the best drafts for Quarterbacks, perhaps in the history of the game.
That draft gave us 3 outstanding QB’s in Eli Manning the Number 1 overall pick, Ben Roethlisberger, and Phillip Rivers. Roethlisberger felt overlooked by the Giants when they chose Rivers with the fourth overall pick and packaged him in a trade to San Diego.
Big Ben vs. Easy E
This Sunday’s marquee match-up between the 5-1 Steelers and the 5-1 Giants takes us back to a question many have been asking since that 2004 NFL draft: Which QB was the better pick?
It’s really a tough call, even for a Giants fan like myself, both QB’s have excelled at the game since entering the league though it is undeniable that it took Eli Manning more time to mature.
If based on pure stats Big Ben would seem to have the edge on Easy E. In his career thus far Roethlisberger has a better completion percentage (63.2), more yards (12,836), more TD (93), and less interceptions (57) then Eli.
In Eli’s career thus far he has a completion percentage of 55.4 has thrown for 12,774 yards, and has tossed 85 TD’s with 68 INT.Eli also led his team to a Super Bowl win last season against the undefeated Patriots.
In Roethlisberger’s first season he was dominant, going 13-0 and leading his team to a 15-1 record. In his next season he won the Super Bowl.
Manning’s first season was nowhere near as dominant. The Giants went 6-10 that year, with Manning compiling a 1-6 record.
In fact, Roethlisberger holds the edge in every statistical category including wins. Big Ben’s career record stands at 44-17 while Mannings’ stands at 35-26
So, if the game was measured in statistics alone clearly Roethlisberger would have the edge, but there are other factors to take into consideration.
For example, Manning was instrumental in leading the Giants on their playoff run and eventual Super Bowl win. Roethlisberger on the other hand, struggled mightily in his Super Bowl appearance and many would argue that his team won in spite of him not because of him.
Manning played superb in the Super Bowl and throughout his playoff run, leading his team on one of the most classic drives in history culminating with a 17 yard TD strike to Plaxico Burress to seal a 17-14 win over the then undefeated New England Patriots.
Also, Roethlisberger went to a team that was ready to win, and could suffer the occasional rookie mistake. Manning went to a team that was on a down swing and in just four years took them to a Super Bowl.
The debate will continue long after Sunday’s game and can only truly be measured when one of the two ends their football career. However, this Sunday at Heinz Field we get a measure of an answer with the winner taking the crown…at least for the time being.
