E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he was one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls until the past few. Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

ELI FAILS TO MAKE HALL OF FAME IN HIS FIRST ATTEMPT

By Dave Klein
Well, Eli Manning didn't make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but it was only his first year of eligibility and that's almost standard procedure.

The problem is that there are many others in this ever-growing list of all-time stars (and a few not so much) who failed to make it on their first try.

Conversely, there are some who really don't belong (I would mention their names, but they might have friends locally). But Eli belongs, and certainly he'll get there one day, but now he's relegated to living that old baseball adage - "wait 'til next year".

Showing his high level of class, as he always did in his 16 years with the Giants, Eli simply congratulated those who did make it with no mention of the fact that he didn't. "It's a great honor to have been considered," he said, seemingly ruling out the chance of "wait 'til next year."

He added: "I'm excited for the guys who got in. All of them are so deserving. I'm happy for them. I texted a few of them, the guys who I knew, and congratulated them. So, I had a feeling it wasn't going to be my night, and I understand that. I'm totally at peace. It's not going to change my outlook on my career and how I feel about it."

Those who did make it in, from an initial list of 50, were WR Sterling Sharpe, DE Jared Allen, CB Eric Allen and TE Antonio Gates.

By failing to make it, Eli didn't fulfill the goal of joining his brother, QB Peyton Manning. A few of the more gifted reporters have said this would have been the first time brothers were admitted into that hallowed building -- apparently not being overly familiar with Giants' founder Tim Mara and his son, Wellington Mara, later team president -- the only father/son tandem enshrined.

But for Giant fans who like to mourn, there is the fact that RB Saquon Barkley won the Offensive Player of the Year after all. He rushed for 2,005 yards last season with his new team, Philadelphia, and will be seeking his first Super Bowl ring Sunday night.

You'll remember that Barkley was the second overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Penn State, and that the entire situation was handled so badly - with a little questionable action from the devious Eagles, that he was given an offer to sign before Giants' GM Joe Schoen was able to get around to doing the same thing.

Instead, he offered $160 million over four years to QB Daniel Jones, and we all know how that worked out. Jones isn't even with the team now.

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