Ben Roethlisberger vs. Eli Manning - The Debate Continues

Eli vs Ben - The Debate Continues Between
The 2004 Draft Class QBs

These 2 Quarterbacks are always going to be linked together for alot of reasons.  Typically, Steelers fans will tell you that Ben is the better QB, while Giants fans stand on the other side of the fence on the subject.  My objective with this post is to decipher critical categories that can hopefully give everyone information that will allow them to draw their OWN conclusions. 

- 2004 Draft Class - Most people know this, but 2004 was a great year for NFL QBs when it comes to the draft.  There were the top 3 - Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger that have been uneblievably successful in the NFL.  This was the only draft class to have 2 QBs who have won multiple Superbowls (Eli and Big Ben).  There were some less known QBs drafted in this class that weren't as successful: JP Losman, Luke McCown, and Jim Sorgi.  Some consider this draft class to be the greatest QB draft class of all time.  Its certainly in the discussion, but Eli and Ben will ALWAYS be connected due to them being drafted in the same class and so close together (Eli - #1 / Ben - #11).

- 2 Superbowls Each - As I said before these 2 QBs have been crazy successful in the NFL.  Each has had their own individual success, but they each have won 2 Superbowls a piece.  In the last 7 years, Ben and Eli have accounted for 4 of the 7 Superbowl winners.  Pretty amazing statistic to think about.

- Bare Knuckles Statistics - Here are the head to head comparisons heading into this season between Eli and Big Ben (notice the 2 QBs have only played each other head to head 2 xs.  Ben winning in 2004 and Eli winning in 2008.  The matchup this weekend is the rubber match):
                                   ELI                                 BEN
TD/INT                    185/129                          165/100
CMP %                      58.4%                             63.1%
QB Rating                   82.1                                92.1
Sacks per Season        29.6                               43.6
SB Wins                      2/2                                  2/3
SB MVPs                     2                                      0
Head 2 Head                1/1                                  1/1

- MR. Clutch x 2 - These 2 QBs are more evenly matched that the statistics above even show.  These two players are known for their last minute heroics, not only in SBs, but in the regular season as well.  Look at these statistics below to see how close these 2 players are (These statistics are coming into this season):

Eli Manning - 4th Qtr Comebacks - 21 / Game Winning Drives - 25
Ben Roethlisberger - 4th Qtr Comebacks - 20 / Game Winning Drives - 26

There is no denying these two players are the definition of clutch.  Steelers fans and Giants fans alike would tell you there is NO ONE else they'd rather have with the ball in their hand when the game is on the line. 

- Evolution to Elite - These two players were considered duds at one time or another in their careers.  For Eli it was early on when he was put into the starting roll as a rookie and struggled mightily.  For Ben it wasn't his play on the field, but his actions off the field that had fans questioning whether or not the Steelers should just dump the QB.  Regardless of where they WERE, they are now in rarified air when it comes to QBs in the NFL.  There is no doubt that these two players are among the elite QBs in the NFL.  Where you have them ranked depends alot on your favorite team, but I don't think there is any way with these two players' pedigree and statistics that you can leave them out of the elite discussion.

The question now is after looking at the statistics, who do you think is the better QB, and where would you put them in order of the top 5 QBs in the league.  Would they even make the top 5?  All questions that I'm looking forward to seeing your responses!  Leave your answers in the comments below!