Who saw Manning play tonight?

What did you guys think of Eli? He seemed to have very good vision and a ton of poise. His arm strength and accuracy look NFL capable to me, but he could have a tighter spiral . . . do those semi-ducks bug any of you? I thought he did well enough to overtake Ragone and if he comes out he is likely to be the 3rd QB taken (Zona?). Is it probable that the Bears could take Eli instead of the slower “pleasantly plump” and potentially gimpy Leftwich?
I still feel like the only 2003 QB worth a top 10 pick is Palmer and even he might take a long time to develop (especially as a Bungal). I’d be happy with us getting Woods or AJ and one of them will be available at 10 or 11.

 

He played very well. His elbow was hurting him earlier in the season, looks like that healed. Nebraska sucks though. All their recruits go to K-State now, apparently.

 

Manning reminds me of Chandler - he and the Manning brothers are similar style quarterbacks. If the current staff liked Chandler, they're likely to go that way. If the new staff wants hype, they take Manning as well.

 

I think Eli can improve his draft stock if he waits a year to enter the NFL draft. I don't think he's quite ready for the NFL and I think he needs another year at Ole Miss to better prove himself. He has been inconsistent this year.

 

The thing is much of his inconsistency was due to the poor talent surrounding him, and that is not expected to dramatically improve next year. And I wouldn't bank on him improving his draft spot too much. Many say the kid out of Ohio (Rothsberger???) would be above Manning, and is definitely going to be back next year. Also there are some quality sophmores that will be draft eligible next season and could effect the top of the draft.

While it is possible that with another year Manning could improve his stock, it is far from a guarantee. And it would be very risky. This year, despite some inconsistency, he still put up good numbers, but if he would have another inconsistent year or gets injured, he could end up costing himself a high pick and millions.

Personally, I like Eli quite a bit, and if he does come out, I would be ecstatic to get him. Heck, I don't think we can go wrong with any of the top 3 QB's.

 

He mnay not be ready for the the NFL but as we would sit a rookie QB for a year and let Peete groom him draft him if available

 

Eli needs to stay in school !!

Eli is still to young to play in the NFL. Kingsbury is still the best QB I have seen. Look forward to seeing Palmer play his bowl game. Senior bowl should be GREAT this year. A lot of good talent.

An Old Coot holding out for Kingsbury...........

 

Chandler and Manning both use play action quite a bit. Crystal doesn't have the release, durability, and holds the ball too long, which is why Mannings tend to finish out their seasons.

 

Damn Piper! Now I want Eli here even more!

That’s a great point. On top of everything else I didn’t even realize his high durability factor, and that gives him an edge over Leftwich currently. Eli is bound to have certain advantages from his top-drawer pedigree and his 100% football upbringing. Getting rid of the ball is probably just one of the many finer points that he has picked up and refined from having Archie and/or Payton around every single day of his life. In watching him the other night Eli just looked comfortable, even in chaos . . . unlike Ragone or Kingsbury or any other college QB I’ve seen (except for maybe Leftwich). He is bound to have a BIG head start and he is likely to develop faster in the NFL than the rest (maybe even Leftwich). He will probably develop faster than Carr and Harrington too. I don't see Eli taking 70 sacks like Carr or getting foot loose and hurried like Harrington in pressure. Unless Leftwich gets on Jenny Craig and that leg checks out 100% in April I see Eli as being the 2nd guy and in a Bears uniform. If the Bengals had one complete brain to share in their front office they would think about taking him over the slightly over rated Palmer. I know Palmer is good and worthy of his accolades but I just see him as taking a good long while to get up to NFL speed. Chows system is pared way down and simplified and Palmer didn’t get in a groove until half way through his senior year!
Manning has had an adverse situation to deal with since his first Miss game and adapting to survive and occasionally thrive in a hemorrhaging fishbowl has only made him better. He’s smart enough . . . strong enough . . . accurate enough . . . and by golly, people like him! (spoken like Stuart Smalley). BTW – Eli is only going to get a little smarter stronger and better. Hell, I heard that he has grown a half an inch and filled out a little since the start of the season. He definitely looked more like 225 than 210 to me. He’s practically still a kid physically but from the neck up he’s a NFL franchise QB just like his Daddy and big brother. He’s “the man” fellas and you can count on any number of teams picking ahead of us to see it too. Do any of the well informed here foresee us going after him, and if so is there a sensible scenario without sacrificing the rest of the draft and a chunk of 2004 too? What would some of you be willing to give up to get him?
Maybe it's just me but he is the only guy in the entire draft (including Leftwich Palmer and Rogers) that would be worth a trade up for us.