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http://dallascowboygeek.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/why-tony-romo-is-a-better-qb-than-eli-manning/
Why Tony Romo is a better QB than Eli Manning
Posted on July 16, 2012
This article is my case for why I believe Antonio “Tony” Romo is a better quarterback than Elisha “Eli” Manning (I promise that’s the one and only personal jab I’ll take at Eli in this article) and also dispel some of the myths about Tony Romo. By the end of this article, I believe that anyone who has read it and has remained objective and unbiased will believe Romo is a better quarterback than Eli as well.
Before we begin, let’s get a few things out of the way. First of all, what do I mean by “better quarterback”? What I mean by that is more talented, more skilled, ultimately more efficient at playing the quarterback position in the NFL. What I do not mean is that Romo is a more successful quarterback. Eli Manning is clearly the more successful quarterback, as his two Super Bowl wins obviously show that he has achieved more success than Romo has. However, that’s a team accomplishment. This article isn’t whether or not the Giants were a better or more successful team than the Cowboys in 2007, 2011 or any other year for that matter. We are strictly talking about Romo vs Eli here and who’s better at the quarterback position.
Let’s start with the cold, hard numbers. After all, there’s not a more objective measuring stick than looking at the numbers, and as they say, the numbers don’t lie.
First up is quarterback rating.
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Now, this rating isn’t the tell-all of a quarterback’s efficiency, but it’s one piece of a larger puzzle and an important one at that. Romo’s career QB rating of 96.9 is 2nd in the history of the league behind Aaron Rodgers and one spot ahead of Hall of Famer Steve Young. To find where Eli Manning fits on the list you’ve got to scroll down a ways where you’ll find his 82.1 QB rating putting him at 41st on the list and similar to the likes of Brian Griese and Neil O’Donnell. Yikes!
Romo also moves the ball more efficiently than Manning as evidenced by his 270.5 passing yards per start compared to Eli’s 231.7 passing yards per start. He puts the ball in the end zone more often as well averaging 1.93 passing TD’s per start compared to Manning’s 1.55.
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Now you may say, “But Romo tends to throw interceptions that kill his team. He doesn’t protect the ball as well as Eli!”
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Wrong again. Romo throws interceptions on 2.8% of his throws compared to Eli’s 3.3%. Additionally Eli has thrown a career average of 1 interception per start compared to Romo’s 0.9 interceptions per start. Manning has had two seasons where he has thrown 20 or more interceptions. Romo? None.
Now you may be thinking… ok so Romo might be the better quarterback statistically, but Eli Manning is clutch and can get it done when it counts whereas Romo chokes with the game on the line, and in December and January. This is a common opinion held by the majority of NFL fans that haven’t taken the time to actually do some research and instead parrot whatever drivel Warren Sapp or Marshall Faulk are spewing. Let’s see what the stats say, with a little help from Jonathan Bales at dallascowboys.com.
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Romo has led 13 4th quarter comebacks in 77 starts, or in other words, he leads a 4th quarter comeback in 5.92% of his starts. Eli has led 21 4th quarter comebacks in 119 starts, or 5.66% of his starts. ImageRomo’s QB rating also goes up from it’s already lofty 96.9 to an unbelievable 102.9 in the 4th quarter of games whereas Eli’s rating bumps up a mere tenth of a point from 82.1 to 82.2. What about games where the score is a difference of 8 points or less in the 4th? His rating is 99.8, even better than his normal rating. Eli’s is 83.8. How about the two minute warning before half time? Since 2008 his rating is 91.7 with 2 minutes to go before half time, putting him behind only Rodgers, Brees and Brady and ahead of Eli Manning’s 91.5 QB rating. And for those that say he doesn’t get it done in the months of December and January? Romo bests Eli in every month, including December and January. I mean at some point you have to lay the blame at someone other than Romo’s feet for the Cowboys’ late season and late game blunders.
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Ok, so I think it’s fair at this point to say that Romo wins the statistical battle. But did he have more help in reaching those stats? I would argue no.
Eli Manning has had Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw as his primary ball carriers throughout his career. Tiki Barber was considered one of the best overall running backs in the league and in the prime of his career while playing Eli. Not a bad list. Romo? He had Marion Barber for most of his career, with Felix Jones and Demarco Murray contributing some lately. Barber made the Pro Bowl once during that time with no other RB making it even close. Advantage? Giants.
How about their wide receivers? Eli Manning has had Amani Toomer, Plaxico Burress, Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz. Quite a lineup. Romo has had Terrell Owens, Miles Austin, Terry Glenn and Dez Bryant as the biggest contributors. Advantage? I would call this one a tie.
Tight end? Cowboys clearly have the advantage here with Witten, though Jeremy Shockey was no slouch.
Offensive line? Well, Romo has been sacked 1.8 times per start compared to Manning’s 1.6. Romo’s escapability has almost certainly prevented more sacks than Manning’s has. You may argue that Manning is simply better at getting the ball out of his hands than Romo and that this statistic helps his cause rather than hurts it. I would argue that Romo has one of the quickest releases in the NFL and isn’t known for holding the ball too long. At any rate, I would call this one a toss up at best.
Now I mentioned I wouldn’t bring wins and losses into the article because that particular stat is a reflection of a team, not an individual, however there is one truly damning stat to be gleamed from the W/L record of these 2 QB’s. In Romo’s 40 career losses, his QB rating was 82.9, which is still .8 higher than Eli’s total career average. Eli on the other hand has an abysmal QB rating of 71.7 in his 51 career losses.
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On the other side of this coin, when Eli’s team wins his QB rating average is 90.8, still lower than Romo’s career QB rating. Romo’s QB rating during his wins is a stellar 107.1. So it appears as though Romo carries his team while Eli gets carried.
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At this point I already feel that the case has been made that Romo is a better quarterback. Now the most common rebuttal to these arguments is always “Eli has 2 rings, Romo has none, therefore Eli Manning is better.” Ok, but let me ask you this. Was Trent Dilfer a better quarterback than Dan Marino? Is the Giants’ TE Jake Ballard better than Jason Witten? Or is the Giants’ OLB Mathias Kiwanuka better than Demarcus Ware? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you clearly have no ability to be objective or have a reasonable or rational opinion on the matter. If you answered no, then you have demonstrated SOME ability to think reasonably and see things for what they are. I think any self respecting football fan knows that Dan Marino was a better QB than Dilfer. So if the only criteria for being better than someone else is Super Bowl wins, you must admit with a straight face that Trent Dilfer was a better QB than Dan Marino.
So, have the Giants been more successful than the Cowboys of late? You betcha. Has Eli had more success than Romo? Yes he has. Is Eli a better quarterback than Romo? Let’s recap, Romo has a better overall QB rating, has a better TD percentage, has a better INT percentage, has a better completion percentage, has a better 4th quarter comeback percentage, has a better QB rating in the 4th quarter, has a better QB rating by month, has a better QB rating just before half time, and has a better QB rating when his team loses than Eli has overall. What makes it more impressive is that Romo clawed his way to where he is from the obscure Eastern Illinois and made the team as an undrafted free agent while Eli Manning was a first round pick who essentially got to choose the team he would play for and had a ton of family football pedigree before him with his dad and big brother Peyton.
So yes, I believe Romo is a better quarterback and it’s not even close. And when (not if) he finally wins a Super Bowl this argument will be laid to rest once and for all.
Sources: NFL.com, profootballreference.com, Jonathan Bales at dallascowboys.com.
Why Tony Romo is a better QB than Eli Manning
Posted on July 16, 2012
This article is my case for why I believe Antonio “Tony” Romo is a better quarterback than Elisha “Eli” Manning (I promise that’s the one and only personal jab I’ll take at Eli in this article) and also dispel some of the myths about Tony Romo. By the end of this article, I believe that anyone who has read it and has remained objective and unbiased will believe Romo is a better quarterback than Eli as well.
Before we begin, let’s get a few things out of the way. First of all, what do I mean by “better quarterback”? What I mean by that is more talented, more skilled, ultimately more efficient at playing the quarterback position in the NFL. What I do not mean is that Romo is a more successful quarterback. Eli Manning is clearly the more successful quarterback, as his two Super Bowl wins obviously show that he has achieved more success than Romo has. However, that’s a team accomplishment. This article isn’t whether or not the Giants were a better or more successful team than the Cowboys in 2007, 2011 or any other year for that matter. We are strictly talking about Romo vs Eli here and who’s better at the quarterback position.
Let’s start with the cold, hard numbers. After all, there’s not a more objective measuring stick than looking at the numbers, and as they say, the numbers don’t lie.
First up is quarterback rating.
Image
Now, this rating isn’t the tell-all of a quarterback’s efficiency, but it’s one piece of a larger puzzle and an important one at that. Romo’s career QB rating of 96.9 is 2nd in the history of the league behind Aaron Rodgers and one spot ahead of Hall of Famer Steve Young. To find where Eli Manning fits on the list you’ve got to scroll down a ways where you’ll find his 82.1 QB rating putting him at 41st on the list and similar to the likes of Brian Griese and Neil O’Donnell. Yikes!
Romo also moves the ball more efficiently than Manning as evidenced by his 270.5 passing yards per start compared to Eli’s 231.7 passing yards per start. He puts the ball in the end zone more often as well averaging 1.93 passing TD’s per start compared to Manning’s 1.55.
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Now you may say, “But Romo tends to throw interceptions that kill his team. He doesn’t protect the ball as well as Eli!”
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Wrong again. Romo throws interceptions on 2.8% of his throws compared to Eli’s 3.3%. Additionally Eli has thrown a career average of 1 interception per start compared to Romo’s 0.9 interceptions per start. Manning has had two seasons where he has thrown 20 or more interceptions. Romo? None.
Now you may be thinking… ok so Romo might be the better quarterback statistically, but Eli Manning is clutch and can get it done when it counts whereas Romo chokes with the game on the line, and in December and January. This is a common opinion held by the majority of NFL fans that haven’t taken the time to actually do some research and instead parrot whatever drivel Warren Sapp or Marshall Faulk are spewing. Let’s see what the stats say, with a little help from Jonathan Bales at dallascowboys.com.
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Romo has led 13 4th quarter comebacks in 77 starts, or in other words, he leads a 4th quarter comeback in 5.92% of his starts. Eli has led 21 4th quarter comebacks in 119 starts, or 5.66% of his starts. ImageRomo’s QB rating also goes up from it’s already lofty 96.9 to an unbelievable 102.9 in the 4th quarter of games whereas Eli’s rating bumps up a mere tenth of a point from 82.1 to 82.2. What about games where the score is a difference of 8 points or less in the 4th? His rating is 99.8, even better than his normal rating. Eli’s is 83.8. How about the two minute warning before half time? Since 2008 his rating is 91.7 with 2 minutes to go before half time, putting him behind only Rodgers, Brees and Brady and ahead of Eli Manning’s 91.5 QB rating. And for those that say he doesn’t get it done in the months of December and January? Romo bests Eli in every month, including December and January. I mean at some point you have to lay the blame at someone other than Romo’s feet for the Cowboys’ late season and late game blunders.
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Ok, so I think it’s fair at this point to say that Romo wins the statistical battle. But did he have more help in reaching those stats? I would argue no.
Eli Manning has had Tiki Barber, Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw as his primary ball carriers throughout his career. Tiki Barber was considered one of the best overall running backs in the league and in the prime of his career while playing Eli. Not a bad list. Romo? He had Marion Barber for most of his career, with Felix Jones and Demarco Murray contributing some lately. Barber made the Pro Bowl once during that time with no other RB making it even close. Advantage? Giants.
How about their wide receivers? Eli Manning has had Amani Toomer, Plaxico Burress, Hakeem Nicks, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz. Quite a lineup. Romo has had Terrell Owens, Miles Austin, Terry Glenn and Dez Bryant as the biggest contributors. Advantage? I would call this one a tie.
Tight end? Cowboys clearly have the advantage here with Witten, though Jeremy Shockey was no slouch.
Offensive line? Well, Romo has been sacked 1.8 times per start compared to Manning’s 1.6. Romo’s escapability has almost certainly prevented more sacks than Manning’s has. You may argue that Manning is simply better at getting the ball out of his hands than Romo and that this statistic helps his cause rather than hurts it. I would argue that Romo has one of the quickest releases in the NFL and isn’t known for holding the ball too long. At any rate, I would call this one a toss up at best.
Now I mentioned I wouldn’t bring wins and losses into the article because that particular stat is a reflection of a team, not an individual, however there is one truly damning stat to be gleamed from the W/L record of these 2 QB’s. In Romo’s 40 career losses, his QB rating was 82.9, which is still .8 higher than Eli’s total career average. Eli on the other hand has an abysmal QB rating of 71.7 in his 51 career losses.
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On the other side of this coin, when Eli’s team wins his QB rating average is 90.8, still lower than Romo’s career QB rating. Romo’s QB rating during his wins is a stellar 107.1. So it appears as though Romo carries his team while Eli gets carried.
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At this point I already feel that the case has been made that Romo is a better quarterback. Now the most common rebuttal to these arguments is always “Eli has 2 rings, Romo has none, therefore Eli Manning is better.” Ok, but let me ask you this. Was Trent Dilfer a better quarterback than Dan Marino? Is the Giants’ TE Jake Ballard better than Jason Witten? Or is the Giants’ OLB Mathias Kiwanuka better than Demarcus Ware? If you answered yes to any of those questions, then you clearly have no ability to be objective or have a reasonable or rational opinion on the matter. If you answered no, then you have demonstrated SOME ability to think reasonably and see things for what they are. I think any self respecting football fan knows that Dan Marino was a better QB than Dilfer. So if the only criteria for being better than someone else is Super Bowl wins, you must admit with a straight face that Trent Dilfer was a better QB than Dan Marino.
So, have the Giants been more successful than the Cowboys of late? You betcha. Has Eli had more success than Romo? Yes he has. Is Eli a better quarterback than Romo? Let’s recap, Romo has a better overall QB rating, has a better TD percentage, has a better INT percentage, has a better completion percentage, has a better 4th quarter comeback percentage, has a better QB rating in the 4th quarter, has a better QB rating by month, has a better QB rating just before half time, and has a better QB rating when his team loses than Eli has overall. What makes it more impressive is that Romo clawed his way to where he is from the obscure Eastern Illinois and made the team as an undrafted free agent while Eli Manning was a first round pick who essentially got to choose the team he would play for and had a ton of family football pedigree before him with his dad and big brother Peyton.
So yes, I believe Romo is a better quarterback and it’s not even close. And when (not if) he finally wins a Super Bowl this argument will be laid to rest once and for all.
Sources: NFL.com, profootballreference.com, Jonathan Bales at dallascowboys.com.
