Jason Garrett: Eli Manning is ‘an elite quarterback’

Ahead of the Week 1 matchup between NFC East rivals, Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is heaping praise upon New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Speaking about the veteran, Garrett expressed his respect for the quarterback’s accomplishments and called him “an elite quarterback.”

Jason Garrett on Eli Manning: “Eli has been one of the great players at that position throughout his career. … I hold him to the highest regard. He’s been a really good player for a long time, and there’s no question in our mind that he still is. He’s an elite quarterback.”

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) September 5, 2019

The amount of Manning bashing that’s gone on the past couple of years is not exactly fair. After all, he’s a two-time Super Bowl winner and one of the league’s true iron men.

But elite? Now?

That’s just Garrett being diplomatic.

Manning has put up some big numbers a few seasons over the course of his career, but he hasn’t been elite very often — perhaps ever. The past two seasons, the 38-year-old has thrown 40 touchdowns and 24 interceptions — many of which came at the worst possible time for his team.

Certainly, the Giants are placing a ton of faith in the veteran. But their fan base is already clamoring for rookie Daniel Jones to play, and we haven’t even hit the first game of the season.