Countdown to the Super Bowl: 2 days
Published: February 3rd, 2012 | Tags: Countdown to the Super Bowl, Eli Manning, Jim Plunkett, Tom Flores
We are now two days from the Super Bowl. We’ll be playing the Super Bowl in a deuce, some might say. And the number two seems to be a magical number for quarterbacks. Because those signal-callers who win two Super Bowls seem to be granted automatic entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Well, unless you’re former Raiders quarterback Jim Plunkett, who led his team to wins in Super Bowl XV (and was selected the game’s MVP) and Super Bowl XVIII. He is the only eligible quarterback with two Super Bowl wins not in the Hall. Plunkett is also the first Mexican-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl. And still, every year, his name is not up for enshrinement.
So Plunkett aside, this is a big opportunity for Eli Manning, who already has one Super Bowl title under his belt. Another win over the Patriots puts him in the class of — dare I say it — elite quarterbacks who have won multiple Super Bowls. A win here nearly assures him admission into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Some would argue Manning was already going to get in before this most recent postseason run because of his name recognition, but a win on Sunday all but guarantees it.
Even the most ardent Manning critics — like yours truly — would have to concede this.
But still, can we give a little love to Plunkett and also Tom Flores — the first minority coach to win a Super Bowl? As is true of quarterbacks, there aren’t many coaches with a pair of Super Bowl titles who aren’t in the Hall of Fame.
You can catch Rank from the Super Bowl on “NFL.com Live” Wednesday through Friday from 1-4 p.m. ET. Follow him on Twitter @adamrank.


