By Simon Evans

INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - You will not catch Eli Manning bragging about his two Super Bowl wins or answering those who doubted him but New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin said Sunday's win over the New England Patriots should end the debate over the quarterback's status.

Ever since the Giants traded up for Manning in the 2004 draft, rather than take Philip Rivers or Ben Roethlisberger, there has been a constant argument among fans and pundits over whether that move was a smart one.

Manning has constantly had to deal with comparisons to his talented older brother Peyton, while many said he was not in the same class as Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers, and even after winning his first Super Bowl four years ago, a typical NFL talking point has been whether Eli can be considered an 'elite' quarterback.

Having seen his player join Terry Bradshaw, Bart Starr, Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl Most Valuable Player awards, Coughlin said it was time for the talk to stop.

"I thought again about this business of elite quarterbacks. I think that question has come and gone. I don't think we will hear much about that again," Coughlin said on Monday after the 21-17 win over the New England Patriots.

Even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, normally keen to steer clear of such talk, chose the presentation of the MVP award to comment on Manning's place in the rankings of top quarterbacks in the league.

"He's only the fifth player to be named on a multiple basis as MVP of the Super Bowl, and he joins a pretty elite group of quarterbacks that achieved that," he said.

Manning though, looking remarkably fresh-faced for an early morning press conference, the day after his triumph, preferred to talk about the contributions of his team-mates and their prospects for the future.

"I'm excited about a number of young guys who stepped up this season. There were some questions going into the beginning of the season on a few spots, but that quickly got answered. Victor Cruz has been a great story, Jake Ballard. Some of these guys have played great football, made great plays for us this year.

"We felt we had talent across the board on the team, that there were a few spots where we needed young guys to step up, as any team always does every year. You're going to need young players to come in and play a role, and give you a chance to win a championship," he said.

While the talk over Manning's elite status may subside, the comparisons with his brother are unlikely to.

Peyton's future, as he tries to return from a neck injury, is uncertain but it could well involve a move away from the Indianapolis Colts.

The two brothers spent some time in conversation after Sunday's game but Eli said there was no issue of him now having 'bragging rights' over his brother who has a single Super Bowl ring.

"This isn't about bragging rights. This is a lot bigger. This is about a team, an organization being named world champions, and that was the ultimate goal.

"That's the only thing that's important, is the team finding a way to get a victory. That's the only thing I care about and Peyton and I both know that's what the goal is every year. It's not about anything else."

(Editing by Justin Palmer)