The debate continues of which Manning brother is the better quarterback. Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber believes Eli is better and more "clutch" than Peyton, ESPN reports.
Eli stepped out from his brother's shadow with his first Super Bowl ring. After his second Super Bowl win, the question of which brother is better became a legitimate debate. Barber, who played with Eli from 2004-06, believes his former teammate is a better quarterback than Peyton.
"The expectation was that he was never going to be Peyton," Barber said on Wednesday during his CBS Sports Radio show. "I remember having these conversations with people who watched Eli in college, saying, 'He's good, but he's never going to be Peyton, he's not Peyton.' Guess what? I think he's better than Peyton.
"Because of clutch. What matters in sports? It's winning and losing. You get to the stage and what do you do? Eli's gotten there, and he's won."
While Eli's stats aren't as flashy as Peyton's, the younger Manning has more Super Bowl rings and has earned a reputation for being clutch. He has 24 fourth quarter comebacks and 28 game-winning drives, including eight during the 2011-12 season.
Peyton, by contrast, has 38 fourth quarter comebacks and 49 game-winning drives — but he's also been in the league six years longer than Eli.
Barber's assessment of Eli didn't stop with just a comparison to Peyton. Barber believes Eli has the potential to retire as one of the top five quarterbacks of all time.
"For Eli to crack the top five of all time, he's got to have a 2011 season a couple more times and win another Super Bowl and be Super Bowl MVP, and then I think he's in the discussion for the top five of all time," Barber said.
*Stats via Pro-Football-Reference.com.
