Eli Manning is retiring as a New York Giant after 16 seasons in Blue. The college star from Ole Miss brought the Giants a pair of Super Bowl rings and many thrills. Between brother Peyton and himself, the Manning Bros. threw for a combined 128,963 yards and 905 touchdowns. Eli Manning was twice Super Bowl MVP to Peyton’s one.
Forcing the trade to the Giants
Eli Manning — and his family — were not going to be pushed around from the start. The San Diego Chargers drafted the quarterback from Ole Miss No. 1 overall in 2004. He wanted no part of the West Coast and made the Bolts send him to the Giants. The deal saw Philip Rivers head to San Diego with the Giants’ third-round pick in 2004, and New York’s first- and fifth-round picks in 2005. Those players turned into Nate Kaeding, Shawne Merriman and Roman Oben.
Went 11-5 in first full season as a starter
The Giants were coming off a 6-10 season in which Eli Manning started seven games and won one. In 2005, however, he was the QB from the start and led the Giants to an 11-5 mark. Manning threw for 3,762 yards and 24 TDs as the Giants gained a Wild-Card berth.
The 2007 playoff run
The Giants were up against it in the 2007 season. They finished 10-6 and wound up as a Wild-Card team. Manning and his teammates took out Tampa Bay and Dallas on the road before they faced an NFC Championship Game in Green Bay …
The game Tom Coughlin’s face froze
The Giants were more than a touchdown underdog against the Packers. The temperature was negative-1 with a wind chill of minus-23. Manning threw for 251 yards. If the cold wasn’t bad enough, the game went to overtime and Lawrence Tynes kicked a 47-yard field goal to send Big Blue to the Super Bowl against the 18-0 Patriots.
Vanquishing the undefeated
The Giants were 12.5-point underdogs against a New England team looking to complete a perfect season. Manning was 19 of 34 for 255 yards and a pair of TDs, more than holding his own against Tom Brady. Of course, the most memorable moments were a couple of his passes. First, the miracle escape and throw to David Tyree.
Manning to Burress for the win
Eli Manning found Plaxico Burress in the end zone with a 13-yard pass with 35 seconds left and the Giants had ruined the Patriots’ dream of perfection with a 17-14 victory, one of the biggest upsets in Super Bowl history.
Threw a 99-yard TD pass in 2011
Eli Manning and Victor Cruz combined for a 99-yard touchdown pass in a battle for Big Apple bragging rights in 2011. The Giants were playing the Jets when Manning found Cruz. The play starts at the 3:30 mark in the below video.
The 2011 playoff run
The Giants finished 9-7 in 2011, winning their last three games to gain a wild-card spot. They downed the Atlanta Falcons, then went on the road to Green Bay — again — and San Francisco, where they advanced to the Super Bowl with an overtime victory. In the three playoff games, Eli Manning threw for 923 yards with a combined eight touchdown passes against a lone interception.
Super Bowl XLVI
The Giants were to face the Patriots, again, in Super Bowl XLVI. The team that was 9-7 in the regular season was a three-point underdog as Vegas wasn’t looking to dismiss Big Blue lightly for a second time. Eli Manning again held his own against Tom Brady, completing 30 of 40 passes for 296 yards and a touchdown as the Giants jolted the Pats, 21-17 after falling behind 17-9. Manning was named Super Bowl MVP for a second time.
Handled his demotion with class
There was no whining or moaning or griping when the Giants made the move to Daniel Jones in 2019. Eli Manning took it in stride and maintained the professional demeanor everyone came to know from him during his 16-year career. A class act through and through.
Gave the home crowd one last thrill
When Daniel Jones went down with an ankle injury late in the season, the Giants turned back to Eli Manning. He stepped up and stepped in without a peep. However, he made a lot of noise in his first start back at MetLife, throwing for 283 yards and a pair of TDs as the Giants snapped a nine-game losing streak by downing the Dolphins.
Hall of Fame career?
While Eli Manning’s starting mark was 117-117 with the Giants, it is impossible to ignore two Super Bowl championships. He threw for 57,023 yards and 366 touchdowns against 244 interceptions. He was 8-4 in 12 playoff games, throwing for 2,815 yards and 18 touchdowns against nine picks. From Nov. 21, 2004-Nov. 23, 2017, Manning started 210 consecutive regular-season games, then the second-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history (to Brett Favre’s 297). After sitting out one game, he started the next 22 in a row, giving him 232 starts in 233 games — plus 12 postseason games. When you add those stats, durability and a pair of Super Bowls together you come up with a resume that deserves major consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
