Is Sanchez progressing like a young Eli?

The Internet never forgets, affording us handy snapshots of the ghosts of conventional wisdom past.

Take Dec. 24, 2006, when third-year quarterback Eli Manning finished 9-for-25 -- completing three of his final 19 passes -- for 74 yards in a 30-7 home loss to the Saints, the Giants' sixth defeat in seven games.

Thirty seconds of research uncovered a representative sampling of opinion that day from an old fan message board. One poster called Manning "erratic, uninspired and unacceptable.'' Another wrote he looks as if he has no idea what is going on. Another compared him to Dave Brown.

Dave Brown!

A week later, the Giants beat the Redskins to sneak into the playoffs for the second year in a row. Thirteen months after that, they won the Super Bowl.

And five years to the day after that blowout loss to the Saints, Manning will lead his team onto the field Saturday as an unquestioned star and team MVP.

His counterpart?

SEE PHOTOSJets vs. Giants: The war of words 2011

Surely by now, you have figured out where this is going.

As he concludes his third season, the Jets' Mark Sanchez also is dogged by doubters among fans, even those who appreciate his four road playoff victories. He's certainly not bad, but is he good enough?

Let's ask CBS analyst Phil Simms, who three years into his Giants career had 39 touchdown passes, 42 interceptions and more critics than Manning and Sanchez combined.

"I guess my answer to all that is this: How many times do we have to answer this question?'' he said, a tad agitated. "Literally 10 times a year the New York media asks me: Is Mark Sanchez the answer? For the hundredth time, I'm going to say this: He is not the problem.

"I'm not saying he's the best quarterback in the NFL, but it's not Mark Sanchez's problem. He will hold his end of the bargain up for the New York Jets. The question is, will the rest of them?''

How would Simms compare Sanchez to Manning at a corresponding career point?

"He is ahead of Eli; that's evident,'' Simms said. "The numbers, the victories, the playoffs, what else would you want? . . . If other teams in other cities had a quarterback who in his first two years won four playoff games, they'd be jumping over barrels thinking about how lucky they are.''

Manning has edges over Sanchez in size, arm strength and pedigree. But it took a while for all that to translate onto the field.

As a rookie in 2004, he had the worst game of his career in Baltimore, going 4-for-18 for 27 yards, two interceptions and a passer rating of 0.0.

Jets coach Rex Ryan was the Ravens' defensive line coach then; linebacker Bart Scott was a young Ravens backup. What have they seen in Manning's evolution since then?

"I just think it's confidence itself,'' said Scott, who also cited Manning's knowledge and ability to detect flaws in defenses. "And I think he is a lot braver. He can stick in that pocket and stand tall, and I think his teammates appreciate that . . . He's put that team on his back.''

Said Ryan: "First off, look at the God-given ability he has. He's a Manning, so that goes without saying. It's in his blood. He's smart, he can make every throw. The guy might be the most accurate down-the-field thrower in the league.''

While Ryan used the e-word -- "elite'' -- to describe both New York quarterbacks, few others would describe Sanchez that way at this stage. But like Simms, many expert observers point to his record and wonder what all the concern is about.

"I think Sanchez is a winning quarterback and can be a winning quarterback in that system,'' Fox analyst Jimmy Johnson said. "He's shown that, and he'll only get better. Look at the improvement they have made in the red zone.''

Jets backup Mark Brunell, the only man to play quarterback for Ryan and Tom Coughlin, said comparing Manning and Sanchez mostly is beside the point.

"Two different guys,'' he said. "Time will tell, history will tell, how their careers went. But we have a pretty good quarterback over there who truly only is going to get better as the years go on. I'm excited to see that happen.''

A veteran NFL scout who requested anonymity said the biggest difference between them is that the Jets restrict Sanchez, presumably because they don't trust his downfield accuracy the way the Giants do Manning's.

"One thing that's really comparable is that the two of them are tough as nails,'' the scout added. "I've seen [Sanchez] take two or three hits this year where most quarterbacks would be leaving the game.''

The scout credited Sanchez with having greater mobility than Manning, and said he continues to improve and has been especially good in big games.

"I think Manning was much further ahead at the same time [in his career] in terms of his progressions downfield in reading defenses and being able to hit the second and third receivers,'' the scout said.

Manning and Sanchez have run into one another on several occasions but don't have a relationship to speak of. Manning declined to give his impressions of Sanchez as a player but said, "He is very nice, a good kid and a good football player.''

Sanchez was more expansive, crediting Manning for how he has handled the New York spotlight and saying the Yankees' Derek Jeter and Manning have been among his role models. "He seems like a stand-up guy,'' Sanchez said. "I don't know him real [well], but I thought he's just done a great job.''

Naturally, there is only one way for Sanchez to truly rebut those who argue he is no Manning, and that is to win a Super Bowl.

Speaking of which, what does old Joe Namath think of young No. 6?

"I like Sanchez,'' he said. "He's made some mistakes, but he's game. He works hard. I really have seen a growth of maturity here.''

Is he capable of winning a Super Bowl? "Yes, yes, yes,'' Namath said.

He also praised Sanchez for the way he has handled his visibility.

"I know how hard a job that is, and I think he's conducted himself beautifully,'' Namath said.

Let's try Simms one more time on the quarterback comparison, shall we? Does he remember what he thought of Manning late in Year 3?

"Hell, I don't know,'' he said. "I can't remember. But it's a different mentality now.''

One in which judgments are made faster and more frequently than ever, even compared with only five years ago. So bottom line, can Sanchez get better, and will he?

"Yes, he can get better,'' Simms said. "Experience will let him get better, but more importantly, will the other people get better?

"I'll say it one more time: Mark Sanchez has held his end of the bargain up here in New York for two years. Overall this year, I wouldn't look at it and say, 'Wow, he's been a disappointment.' That wouldn't even enter my mind. I look at it and go, maybe the Jets are a disappointment. It's not the quarterback.''

With Bob Glauber