Quote of the Day (Joe Namath, on Victory and Other Things)

“If you’re not gonna go all the way, man, I mean, why go at all?”—Joe Namath, 1973 Brut TV commercial

Jets legend Joe Namath was famous for scoring on and off the field. His prognostication skills, however—at least, as demonstrated by picking the New England Patriots to win yesterday’s Super Bowl—leave something to be desired.

Eli Manning, from all appearances, is not into the colorful off-the-field life that Broadway Joe led. I don’t think he even has his own nickname.

But he’s gone “all the way” to the Lombardi Trophy, twice earning MVP nods in the biggest game of the year. He and long-maligned Coach Tom Coughlin are now genuinely in any discussion of the elite of their profession—and, in time, should receive full consideration for admission into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

New England fans—not to mention Vegas oddsmakers—should have heeded the message we Giant fans have been trying to send them these past two weeks: “Eli’s coming…Hide your heart….No, you’ll never get away from the burnin’ a-heartache…”