Michael Vick sees a dynasty in Philadelphia, but the NFC East quarterback who has actually won a couple of Super Bowl rings doesn’t think his team is a dynasty.
Giants quarterback Eli Manning was asked on NFL AM whether the Giants are a dynasty, and after first trying to avoid even talking about his team on those terms, he eventually answered directly: No, the Giants are not a dynasty.
“No, no, we’re not,” Manning said. “We had a little break -- the two years prior to last year we didn’t make the playoffs. We’ve got work to do. We have good players on this team, we have the potential to be a playoff team and to make a run once we get into the playoffs. It’s a matter of going out there and proving that, and everybody going out there and playing to their level of play. That’s what our challenge is, and we know each year if you don’t come out and give it your all and play to the best of your ability you’re not going to win football games. So we’ve got to maximize our talents.”
Manning is right that the Giants aren’t a dynasty right now: Typically a team has to win at least three titles before anyone talks about them in those terms. And while winning two Super Bowls in five years is great, the Giants missed the playoffs in two of the last five years and lost their first playoff game in the other year. So they haven’t had the kind of consistent excellence that the term “dynasty” connotes.
If the Giants win the Super Bowl again this year, however, it would be hard to deny them the “dynasty” label. But Manning is wise to leave that assessment to others.