The ELIte Know it, but Don't Show it

If you want to be a great athlete, you need to be able to block out what critics say about you. Last August, Eli Manning was on a talk show in New York City. He was asked “Do you consider yourself to be one of the best 5 quarterbacks in the NFL?” He said that he does believe he is one of the best 5 quarterbacks in the NFL. For a very long time, Eli Manning was laughed at for believing that. The bottom line is though that it didn’t bother him because he truly believed this.  The Giants had up and down points throughout the year so this would get brought up again and again. In the middle part of the season, the Giants took a trip to New England where Eli Manning beat Tom Brady and the Patriots on a last minute drive. This made some of the critics think that maybe Eli is an elite quarterback. After that game the Giants fought their way into the playoffs. They pulled off a nice couple victories. In the second round of the playoffs, the Giants played the Green Bay Packers who lost one game all year. Their quarterback, Aaron Rogers was the league MVP. Eli Manning outplayed him and led the Giants to a large victory over the Packers. The Giants went all the way to the Superbowl for a rematch against the Patriots. The Giants were down by two points with 3 and half minutes to go. If they were going to win, Eli Manning would have to drive them 90 yards down the field. He did it with ease. For three times in four years, Eli Manning beat the New England Patriots. Eli proved he is one of the best. So let me ask “Who is laughing now?” I would say the two time Superbowl Champion, Eli Manning has a lot to be happy about, and he was right about himself. He is great because he is confident in himself, but not cocky.