So Nice, Inducted Twice: Cam Newton Rips Eli Manning

There is no quicker way to rile up New York Giants fans than to call into question the merits of quarterback Eli Manning.

The best passer in franchise history is the backbone of millions of football lives, and the New York faithful will eagerly await his Hall of Fame enshrinement. That could very likely come in a year’s time, as Manning is on the ballot for the class of 2025.

It’s entirely possible that Manning gets the call on the backs of two Super Bowl championships and his iconic performances that willed New York to immortality. But Manning’s resume is far from infallible, enough so that some quarterbacks are willing to call his career into question.

One such player is former Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Newton isn’t yet eligible for Canton, but his case will be much more divisive than Manning’s, who seems to have the backing of old-school football minds and those who prioritize championships above all.

Newton, though, feels that if Manning gets in, there should be a spot waiting for the 2011 No. 1 pick.

“If he gets a gold jacket before me, I deserve two of them,” he said .

It’s a bold proclamation, but it isn’t unreasonable to suggest that Newton deserves to get in. Newton was better, faster than Manning, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and a Pro Bowl selection in 2011. At his best, he was better, too.

In a decade dominated by Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning, no player was better than Newton in 2015. He won the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, went 15-1, and was named a first-team All-Pro. Manning never received a single vote for either of those awards, and in the golden age of quarterbacking, he never stood out.

Related: Giants' Manning Heavy Favorite for First-Ballot Hall Induction

But the games are played, and wins and losses are what we remember. Manning helped take down Brady twice. The biggest play of Newton’s career was a fumble he didn’t care to recover.

Manning has the rings and the volume stats. Newton has the allure of what could’ve been and a bum shoulder that made the second half of his career far cloudier than his talent deserved. In the end, that will likely be the difference, handing Giants fans another Manning win, a half-decade after his retirement. Perhaps that’s the victory that pushes his career record over .500.