Brooky: Eagles a sore spot in Eli's strong career

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Eli Manning remembers his first NFL play.

"I handed it to Tiki Barber and he ran . . . 70, 75 yards or something for a touchdown," the New York Giants quarterback said last week at his team's practice facility.

Manning had come on in relief of Kurt Warner late in an opening-day loss against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field during the 2004 season.

"The last play of that game I got completely destroyed by Jerome McDougle," Manning said.

It was the first career sack for McDougle, and there would only be two more that day. Manning, on the other hand, has gone on to much greater heights while continuing to get leveled by the Eagles. He will play his 191st straight regular-season game Sunday, against the Eagles at MetLife Stadium, which is the longest active streak among NFL players.

That game in 2004 was the launch of the Eagles' last trip to the Super Bowl, but also the beginning of one of the more fascinating careers in league history. Eli, of course, will always be the other Manning. Older brother Peyton is going to the Hall of Fame as soon as he is eligible. Eli's candidacy requires some discussion.

Advocates for Eli's cause will always start with the two Super Bowl titles he has won, and that's fair. He was brilliant during those two postseasons, throwing 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions in eight games while capping each run with Super Bowl victories over Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Some would argue that alone should punch his ticket to Canton.

The second best argument in Eli's favor is his durability. Only two quarterbacks - Brett Favre and brother Peyton - have had longer consecutive-game streaks, and there is a lot to be said for that in a league in which seasons often crumble after a quarterback is lost.

Legitimate arguments against Eli also exist.

The Giants defense, for example, probably had more to do with the two Super Bowl wins than Manning.

At 35, Eli still has an incomplete resumé, but the part that says he has failed to make the playoffs in six of the 11 seasons he started the majority of his team's games is a mark against him. Other than the two Super Bowl seasons, Eli is 0-3 in his playoff appearances, throwing just two touchdowns and six interceptions in those games while posting a passer rating of 48.4.

Some other arguments against Eli:

He only ranked among the top 10 in passer rating once in his first 11 seasons as the Giants' primary starter and is 22nd in that department this season.

He has never led the NFL in touchdown passes, but he has led the league in interceptions three times.

His career completion percentage of 59.6 lags far behind brother Peyton (65.3), Tom Brady (63.7), Aaron Rodgers (65.0), and Ben Roethlisberger (64.1). Those are the other four quarterbacks of his era deserving Hall of Fame consideration.

If you have only watched Eli against the Eagles, your opinion of his Hall of Fame candidacy is probably skewed against him.

Manning was asked for his thoughts about the rivalry with the Eagles last week.

"A lot of tight games," he said. "That's kind of what I remember. Coming down to the fourth quarter and whoever can make the plays there. It seems like a bunch of them have been close. I guess that's how I think of them."

Eleven of the 25 games Eli has started against the Eagles have been decided by seven points or fewer. Far more surprising to the quarterback was that the Giants are 9-16 in his starts against the Eagles, including a couple of playoff losses.

Manning is 13-12 against Dallas and 16-8 against Washington. At one point in his career, Manning was 6-3 against the Eagles, but the Giants are 3-13 since. The Eagles are 9-4 against Eli at the Meadowlands, and they get another chance to beat the lesser of the two Mannings Sunday.

It seemed like a curious career move and huge step backward for Pat Shurmur when he went from being the Eagles offensive coordinator and interim head coach after last season to the tight ends coach in Minnesota. It was clear from the start of the season, however, that Shurmur had more influence than your typical tight ends coach. Now, after Norv Turner's surprising resignation Wednesday, Shurmur is an offensive coordinator again, and for the third time he is in that role with Sam Bradford as his quarterback. The problem facing Shurmur and the Vikings is not Bradford. It is the offensive line and the lack of a running game without Adrian Peterson. It will be interesting to see how Shurmur tries to solve it. A hybrid of up-tempo plays combined with a West Coast passing system seems likely.

I thought Doug Pederson's first move as Eagles head coach should have been a phone call to DeMarco Murray in an effort to convince him that he could thrive in the coach's West Coast system. Instead, the Eagles opted to rid themselves of the bad attitude and big contract that Murray played with last season under departed coach Chip Kelly. Murray has proven he is still an elite running back as he heads into Week 9 ranked second in the NFL in rushing yards and third in attempts with the Tennessee Titans. He is also 12th in the league among running backs with a 4.7-yard per rush average. Other than Darren Sproles, who is not built to be a workhorse back, the Eagles do not have a runner of Murray's caliber.

Pittsburgh at Baltimore

All signs pointed to Ben Roethlisberger's returning ahead of schedule from knee surgery in this game as the 4-3 Steelers attempt to end a two-game losing streak. The Ravens have lost four straight since opening the season 3-0, but with a win here could still be tied for first place in the surprisingly weak AFC North. The Baltimore offense managed just 11 yards rushing in Marty Mornhinweg's second game as offensive coordinator.

Tennessee at San Diego

The Titans have won three of their last four and are only a game behind Houston in the AFC South. Quarterback Marcus Mariota has played exceptionally well in those four games, completing 68.8 percent of his passes for 10 touchdowns while throwing just one interception. Philip Rivers is on pace to throw for 30 touchdowns for the fifth time in the last nine years, and the Chargers have outscored their opponents by 13 points this season. And still the Bolts are 3-5, buried in last place in the AFC West.

Denver at Oakland

What once was a great rivalry is again, as the 6-2 Raiders are off to their best eight-game start since Jon Gruden was their coach in 2001. The defending Super Bowl champion Broncos are also 6-2, thanks in large part to 16 takeaways, tied for first in the NFL. Raiders QB Derek Carr, with 17 touchdowns and three interceptions, is a midseason MVP candidate. The Raiders are 5-0 on the road, but only 1-2 at home.

Buffalo at Seattle

The Bills' hopes could hinge on the availability of LeSean McCoy, who sat out last week with a hamstring injury. McCoy practiced on a limited basis Thursday. Points could be difficult to come by for the Bills, even with McCoy, against a Seattle defense that may have slipped a little but is still elite. The Seahawks need Russell Wilson to raise his level of play. After finishing as the league's top-rated passer last season, he has just five TD passes in seven games this season.

bbrookover@phillynews.com

@brookob