Younger Manning emerging from Peyton's shadow - and could surpass him with another Super Bowl ring

Contrary to popular belief, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is already an elite NFL quarterback. Manning, who led the Giants to a 37-20 road victory over the defending Super Bowl champion and regular season behemoth Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field last weekend, appears to have recaptured his clutch 2007 Super Bowl form.

Back in 2007, Manning peaked at the perfect time, catching fire in the playoffs and passing for 854 yards, throwing six touchdowns and one interception en route to helping New York defeat the New England Patriots, 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII.

The team also went through Green Bay that postseason, a game in which Manning passed for 330 yards and three scores and silenced his many critics at the same time.

In defeating the Packers for the second time in four years on the road, Manning has elevated his play to such a level that he may be the hottest and most dangerous quarterback not named Tom Brady in this year's playoffs.

Gone are the lumbering receiving corps in 2007, featuring aging vets like Plaxico Burress, David Tyree, Amani Toomer and Kevin Boss. Replacing them is the current group of lithe and speedy pass-catchers headlined by Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Mario Manningham. With their help, the 31-year old, two-time Pro Bowl quarterback out of Ole Miss has set career highs in yards passing (4,933), yards per attempt (8.38), completions (359) and attempts (589) this season.

In addition, Manning added 29 touchdowns while throwing 16 interceptions. This is a stark difference from his erratic performance last year, which oftentimes drove Giants fans into rages and tirades. Now, it finally looks like the youngest of the Manning family has matured into a big-name, franchise quarterback.

Suddenly, Eli is on the cusp of being recognized as one of the NFL's top passers and elite winners of all time. More astoundingly, Peyton's little brother is two wins away from his second Super Bowl ring, which would double his older brother's total.

Peyton may be the greatest passer of his generation, but postseason rings count the most.

Two Super Bowl victories pretty much guarantee a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame where names such as Peyton, Tom Brady and Brett Favre will surely be added in the next few years.

Long being labeled unfairly as coasting on his surname, Eli has done much to disprove his critics since taking over as the Giants' full-time starter in 2005. Manning is 69-50 as a starter in the regular season. His best work is reserved for the postseason, where he owns a franchise-best 6-3 record. Under his command, the Giants haven't had a losing season and have made the postseason five times.

A win at San Francisco in the NFC Championship this Monday morning (Beijing time) would be Manning's fifth road postseason victory, an NFL record that would break his current tie with five others passers, including legendary quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Len Dawson.

This postseason has been eerily similar to the Giants' Super Bowl run four years ago. A New England-New York rematch is possible, with the Patriots facing the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship.

The postseason is where a quarterback earns his highest accolades, and Eli Manning has a chance to join the best of the best.

China Daily