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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 14th August, 2006 - 2:51 pm
 This match-up was supposed to be a battle between Donovan McNabb and former teammate Terrell Owens, but Eli and Clinton must not have gotten that memo. Eli soundly defeated Owens, and Portis narrowly surpassed McNabb on his way to the second round. So now we have a match-up between a young quarterback and a running back in his prime, which will advance to the round of eight?
The Case For Manning
Eli showed a tremendous amount of progression last season, improving his quarterback rating by twenty points in 2005 while leading the Giants to an 11-5 record and an NFC East title. If he turns out to be a fraction of the player his brother has been, then he?s a good pick to start an NFL team. Being a quarterback bodes well for him in this contest.
The Case Against Manning
He may forever be compared to his older brother, a comparison that isn?t fair to the younger Manning. Peyton is the most talented quarterback of his generation, and Eli may end up caving to the pressure the media and fans have placed on him. If he continues to excel that won?t be a problem, but if he fails to improve this season, New Yorkers will be calling for his head.
The Case For Portis
Clinton Portis became one of many to thrive in the Denver Bronco?s running game, and when he came to Washington, many doubted that he would be able to have the same effect on the game as a Redskin. In 2004, his first year in Washington, he ran for a career-low 1,315 yards and scored just four touchdowns. However, he rebounded nicely last year with 1,516 rushing yards and eleven touchdowns.
The Case Against Portis
He seems to have returned to where he was when he left Denver before the 2004 season, but is that good enough for him to surpass Eli and move into the third round? In my opinion, there is a long list of running backs ahead of Portis, but how many quarterbacks would you rather other than Manning?
The choice is yours ? Who will make it to the third round?
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