Retired New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle knows a thing or two about being a leader. He also knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed in the NFL.
Not only did Rolle serve as a defensive captain for two seasons with the Giants, he also helped lead the team to a Super Bowl XLVI victory over the New England Patriots — an accomplishment that will be celebrated this coming season.
As part of that celebration, there will be a reflection on the careers of those involved. That includes quarterback Eli Manning, who retired last year and will soon be the focal point of a fierce Hall of Fame debate.
In the mind of Rolle, critics and naysayers simply don’t grasp who Manning was as a player or a person.
“His look is his look. His demeanor is his demeanor. That does not tell us who he is on the field; that does not tell us who he is as a person and what type of leadership he possesses because I’ve seen it firsthand. I know he’s a leader,” Rolle said during an appearance on the Giants Huddle podcast. “I knew that dude was a dog.
“At the end of the day, when we needed him, he was there. When we needed him to go out there and be that rugged Eli — to put himself on the line, to put his body on the line — he was there. He did that.”
But the crickets on the outside continue to chirp.
“People are going to say whatever they want to say. At the end of the day, you call him “Mr. Two.” Two MVPs and two Super Bowls. That’s what you call him and that’s what you address him as. Because he is that person and he’s that guy,” Rolle said.
“It doesn’t matter what anyone says. What matters is what the other 52 men in the locker-room thought and how we see him. And I’m pretty sure that’s the only thing that mattered to Eli because he wanted to be accountable to his teammates. And he did just that.”
“Mr. Two” was loved and respected by his teammates and his coaches. At the end of the day, as Rolle often says, that’s the most significant feather in his cap.
