New York Giants' defensive tackle Damon Harrison, also known as "snacks", apparently has some very strong opinions on his quarterback, Eli Manning. In fact, he feels so highly about Eli that he compared him to one of the best athletes currently on the planet: LeBron James.
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The two don't play the same sport, but both are champions, and both do their respective jobs at a very high level. Of course, James is widely regarded the best basketball player in the world, and many actually consider him to be the best of all-time. Eli, on the other hand, has both his fans and his critics. Sure, he's won two Super Bowls, but he's clearly not the best quarterback in the league, let alone one of the best of all-time.
Still, Harrison apparently doesn't see much of a difference between the two athletes. James, for as good as he is, is often criticized, but that's only because of the expectations are so high. Recently speaking on Good Morning Football, the Giants' defensive tackle basically suggested that high expectations are the same reason people get down on Manning, though.
Conor Orr of NFL.com transcribed Harrison's thoughts:
"Eli, when you look at Eli, it's kind of like when you look at LeBron [James]," Harrison said. "I'm not saying they're the same, but look at Eli's numbers. If any other quarterback would have those numbers it would be an amazing year. But it being Eli, no one is respecting it much like we do LeBron. LeBron could average 30 [points], 15 rebounds and 12 assists and it's like 'he didn't do enough.'"
The are few universes out there that may or may not exist where James and Manning find themselves in the same conversation, expectations-wise. James is a transcendent player who is really giving Michael Jordan a run for the title of 'best ever'. Even on his worst days, he's still one of the best players in the world.
Eli, for all his flaws, is a solid NFL quarterback who may be nearing the tail end of his career. He's been playing in New York for 13 seasons and sure, he's won two Super Bowls, but he's also had seasons that have seen him throw 20, 25 and 27 interceptions (2007, 2010, and 2013 respectively). On his best days, he can lead a team to the Super Bowl. On his worst days, he's one of the worst quarterbacks in the league.
Manning, at this point, is far from the best player in the NFL. Frankly, he's far from the best player at his position.
He and James aren't even in the same universe, let alone the same conversation.
