If Giants win, Eli would surpass Namath
New York Giants Eli Manning lifts the George Halas Trophy in the locker room after the Giants won in overtime. (Jan. 22, 2012) Credit: AP
If the Giants win their next game, will Eli Manning go from being merely the best quarterback in Giants history to the best quarterback in all of New York football history?
It says here the answer is yes, but why listen to me? Better to ask the current occupant of that throne, Joe Willie Namath himself.
So that's what I did Wednesday night, before a screening of "Broadway Joe,'' the documentary about his life that premieres Saturday night on HBO.
Namath smiled, paused slightly and said this:
"I think you could give championships a whole lot of credence there, and if you're going to get a guy that's led his team to a few championships and compare him to some other ones, you're at liberty to say yes.''
Let's stop here and add some disclaimers here.
First, that was a different era, so comparing statistics -- particularly interceptions -- is unfair. Also, Namath's bigger-picture, off-the-field impact on the Jets franchise was vastly more significant than Eli's on the Giants.
But Broadway Joe said he sensed potential greatness in Easy E early on, back to his days at Ole Miss, and is not surprised it has come to pass -- literally.
"A lot of people talk about 'future Hall of Famers,' '' he said. "Eli is in that territory now . . . And hey, he's not going away anytime soon.''
Saying nice things about a Giant once would have seemed strange for Namath. Early in his playing days, he and his teammates resented the lordly Giants. He recalled veterans telling him about $500 speaking engagements for Giants that only netted $50 to $75 for a comparable Jet.
But he said he stopped rooting against them when his old Alabama teammate, Ray Perkins, became the coach in 1979.
That mid-1960s era of the Jets as second-class citizens is among many elements of Namath's life captured in the 90-minute documentary, including a rare look into his early childhood in a fractured home in Beaver Falls, Pa.
As is customary for HBO/NFL Films projects, this one features rare photos and footage, including Namath playing as a high schooler -- and posing for team photos wearing sunglasses to emphasize his cool.
Namath said he initially was hesitant to participate but after seeing the film for the first time he was glad he did, saying he was "tickled'' by how it came out and to see so many key figures in his life included.
In recent seasons Namath has been in the news for expressing pointed views on the Jets on radio, Twitter and his website, broadwayjoe.tv. He offered a particularly prescient critique of Rex Ryan in an interview with Newsday's Bob Glauber before the fateful Jets-Giants game Christmas Eve.
Does he feel vindicated that so much of what he warned about has come true? He said he doesn't feel good about being right, but added, "I knew what I was looking at and seeing and hearing.''
Later, he said, "I feel awful about my relationship with the Jets right now, with the ownership, general manager, head coach. I don't want them upset with Joe, but damn it, I have to say what I see, what I think, what I feel. And I think we can do some things better.''
Still, he remains hopeful about the future, expressing confidence that both Mark Sanchez and Ryan will continue to grow into their jobs.
That's a story for another day. The story for this day is the Giants, and Namath loves what he sees.
"I'm pulling for the Giants,'' he said. But is he picking them? "Oh, I'm picking them. That's right. I think they're that tough.''
