Eli Manning as good as Tom Brady? Not by the numbers

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning has played seven seasons in the National Football League.

In that time frame, the Giants have won 65 games, a pair of division titles and a Super Bowl championship. Manning has also thrown for 156 touchdown passes versus 113 interceptions during that stretch. Based on those numbers, one could say Eli has had a productive career to this point and he compares favorably to some of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.

But Manning has a way to go to get into the Top 10, let alone the Top 5. His QB rating last year, according to Yahoo Sports, was 85.3 or 17th in the league. Tom Brady's rating was 111, which put him in the No. 1 slot. Eli's older brother, Peyton Manning came in at 91.9, which put him at No. 10. What hurt Eli Manning the most in the 2010-2011 season was interceptions. He lead the league with 25. Brady had 4.

On Tuesday, Manning appeared on a New York sports radio show and inferred that he's in the same class of quarterback as Tom Brady of the Patriots. That's Tom Brady, unanimous NFL MVP last season, also 2007 MVP, and winner of three Super Bowls.

Apparently, not everyone agrees.

Manning has been blasted for the audacity of his statement.

However, there are those who like Manning's confidence, coming off a season where he threw a personal worst 25 interceptions. Here are some of his better throws from 2010.

Manning, for his part, hasn't backed down from his comments.

“It was kind of like, what am I supposed to say? ‘No, I don’t think so?’” the Giants quarterback said in an interview on WFAN 660, according to The Star-Ledger. “I’m trying to compete; I’m trying to be the best quarterback and get to a championship. That’s what I’m trying to do every year.”

Ah, New York and its athletes: Confidence has never been in short supply.