Bad sports, good sports: Eli Manning is the NFL’s highest paid player. Huh?

Posted on August 10th, 2009 by Alan Spoll

A guy named Manning agreed to a contract this week that will make him the highest paid player in the NFL. Peyton, you ask? Umm….no. Eli. The highest paid player in the league. You read that correctly.

OK, Eli is a good quarterback. He won a Super Bowl a couple of years ago, capitalizing on one of the oddest and greatest catches you will ever see by a guy who has otherwise had a nondescript career, David Tyree. His career numbers are good. But the highest paid player in the league? I realize that having the title of highest paid player is often a product of timing, but wouldn’t you think that the highest paid player would be someone that you would consider to be at or close to the top of the list at his position? If you were starting a football team, is Eli even in the top five quarterbacks you would consider, let alone top five overall?

I have never been a believer in Eli. He just seems so blah, for lack of a better term. He doesn’t strike me as a leader in any way, which should be an essential trait for a quarterback. He doesn’t seem to excel in any phase of the game. I am not saying he is not talented or is a bad guy. By all accounts, he is a solid citizen, and he clearly is a capable quarterback. I just can’t fathom that he is even the highest paid player in his own family, really. Peyton is the kind of guy that you would build a franchise on. He is getting up there in years, but is still among the first two guys you think of (along with Tom Brady) when people talk about the league’s best QBs.

Maybe Eli will prove me wrong. Maybe he will show himself to be far better than I am giving him credit for being. I have a feeling, though, that his best days are already behind him, with that Super Bowl victory providing what will be the pinnacle of his career. Even the Giants fans I know don’t seem to be convinced of his greatness. Great or not, the money is his.

Bad sports, continued:

2) A lot was written this week about the food prices at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. Steve Sipple, a writer from Nebraska Cornhuskers site HuskerExtra.com, writes about his desire to keep the Big XII championship game out of the new stadium, based on a bunch of food prices that may or may not be correct. No one hates the Cowboys more than I do, but this seems to be a bit silly. Sure, the prices listed are outrageous. I have read several bloggers commenting on the $90 pizza as the perfect example of ridiculousness. Sure, that sounds insane. Let me ask you, though….when you go to a game and order a big slice of pizza, what do you pay? About six or seven dollars, right? Twelve slices at seven bucks a piece is $84. I haven’t read any articles complaining about the price of a slice.

Let’s keep the complaining to things that truly deserve it….like all of the money spent on Jerry Jones’ scary plastic surgery.

3) Former number one overall pick in the NHL draft, Patrick Kane, was arrested and charge with robbery after the cab driver taking him home did not have correct change, prompting Kane and his cousin to allegedly assault the man and take his money.

Good sports:

1) Sure, it’s just a preseason game. Means less than nothing. I can’t help but be excited, though. Football is back! The Hall of Fame game was Sunday night. Nothing beats football season.

2) Tiger Woods is simply the most intimidating presence in sports. Padraig Harrington, a champion in his own right, was paired with Woods for the final day at Firestone on Sunday. Harrington went into the day with a 3 stroke lead. As it always seems to do, Tiger’s presence brought out the worst in Harrington, who fell apart in the late going, leaving the championship for Woods to take. And take it he did.

3) On Friday night, I was at the Phillies game. The game was a bit of a dud, as the Phils lost to the Florida Marlins. Before the game, though, Harry Kalas was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame. It was a moving ceremony for a man who very clearly touched millions of Philadelphians. I definitely count myself among that group.

Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday

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Alan Spoll

Alan Spoll is a software quality assurance director from the suburbs of Philadelphia where he lives with his wonderful wife and children. He has spent his entire life as a passionate fan of the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers, Flyers, and Penn State. Recent Phillies success aside, you will understand his natural negativity. Follow me on Twitter - @DocAlan02