Eli shrugs off Class of '04 comparisons

It's a Class of '04 reunion at Heinz Field this Sunday, when Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger will meet on the field for the first time since December 18, 2004. The comparisons between the two are, of course, inevitable. And there's really no way to avoid them this week. "They're always going to compare quarterbacks that come in the same year, and when we're done playing they'll probably look at our careers and compare who's done what," Manning said today. "But it's nothing for me to get concerned with. I'm trying to win games for the Giants. He's trying to win games for the Steelers. That's all a quarterback can do. You can't try to compare yourself to other guys around the league." Manning has never enjoyed discussing quarterback comparisons, whether it's to other '04 alums or to the two famous quarterbacks in his family. He insisted today that the comparisons don't bother him - or so he says - but it's not a topic he's going to get dragged into discussing. Roethlisberger, meanwhile, ... (link)