Sport-Blog.com

When it comes to NFL quarterbacks, mentioning the name "Manning" usually conjures up images of number 18 on the Indianapolis Colts. Indeed, Peyton Manning has been calling the signals for the Colts' offense for the last 8 years and has led that team to the playoffs the last three seasons in a row. Peyton has also won the league MVP award two years in a row: in 2003, he tied with Tennessee's Steve McNair; in 2004, he was one vote away from being a unanimous choice.

Along the way, Manning has shattered countless team records and quite a few NFL records. Last season, he threw an incredible 49 touchdown passes, which broke a record set 20 years before by the legendary Dan Marino. Manning also set a record with his 121.1 season passer rating, which was the highest by any quarterback since the league started tracking that stat.

This year, however, when you talk about an NFL quarterback named Manning, you are more likely to hear a discussion about Eli, Peyton's younger brother who is the quarterback for the New York Giants. By all accounts, Eli has had the better season thus far, despite the Colts being 7-0 while the Giants are 5-2. Let's take a look at how Eli's first full season as a starter has developed over the last eight weeks.

Manning is in his second year with the Giants and saw quite a bit of action last season. In fact, he threw for over 1,000 yards and had 6 touchdowns in the 2004 campaign as a student of former NFL and Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner. This year, however, Manning was tagged as the starter well before the season began. Warner was shipped off to Arizona, and the offense has rallied around Manning ever since.

The Giants opened the season against Warner and the Cardinals, and came away with a decisive 42-19 victory. Manning attempted just 23 passes in the game, completing 10 of them for 172 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions, and had a passer rating of 62.2 for the game. He did some things well, but was clearly still learning.

Manning steadily improved over the next three games, throwing 7 touchdown passes and no interceptions during that span. His best game of the season so far came in Week Four against the St. Louis Rams. Manning was 19-of-35 for 296 yards and 4 touchdowns, which resulted in a passer rating of 120.7.

After a bye, the Giants came back to face the Dallas Cowboys. Manning engineered a fourth quarter touchdown drive to tie the game with 0:19 remaining in regulation. However, the game went into overtime and the Cowboys won on a 45-yard field goal. The very next week, Manning did the same thing against the Broncos. This time, however, the fourth quarter touchdown drive put the Giants ahead by one point with 0:05 left in the game. They beat the Broncos by a score of 24-23. Eli Manning had arrived!

So if you want to track a truly up-and-coming NFL quarterback, keep your eye on number 10 of the New York Giants.