They grow up so fast.
Veteran parents tell young parents all the time: “Appreciate them while they’re little. The years go by like that. They’ll be big before you know it.” The younger parents politely smile and then chase after their crayon-wielding toddler, days of bibs and diapers seemingly stretching off to the horizon.
But the old are wise. And they were right. Out of nowhere, our little Eli has become a man.
We thought he would stay young forever. Always the youngest Manning, Peyton’s kid brother. Archie and Olivia’s little boy. The one who got picked on in ESPN commercials, played with sand toys at the beach, was yelled at by Tom Coughlin like a naughty grandchild who spilled juice on Nana’s nice couch, and made faces after every interception that perfectly captured the look of a four-year-old pondering where babies come from.
The two Super Bowl titles – one in 2008 and the next in 2012, with only one play-off appearance in between – were amazing and unexpected. Kids do the darnedest things, right? No one quite knew if they were happy accidents, like a child needing a diaper change when their parent wants to leave an awkward conversation, or signs of a potential future of sustained greatness. All we knew was that we had plenty of time to figure it out. Eli was the youngest Manning. His future always ahead of him. It was Peyton we had to cherish while he was still around. He was the chosen one. Eli would be forever, what … 25?
Except Eli is now actually 35. And if the Giants make their first postseason appearance since the 2011-2012 season, Eli will compete in the play-offs as a 36-year-old quarterback. Ancient in the NFL.
Peyton Manning is no longer casting his shadow over the league. Tom Coughlin is no longer with the Giants. And with Alex Rodriguez’s retirement from the Yankees on Friday, Eli will become the longest-tenured New York athlete. In just a few months, Eli Manning has become the last Manning, the undisputed leader of the Giants and the face of New York City sports. The aw-shucks boy from Louisiana who couldn’t fit into his dad’s jersey is suddenly one of the elder statesmen of American sport.
How did it get so late so soon? Of the 32 quarterbacks expected to start Week 1 this season, only four of them – Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Carson Palmer and Tony Romo – are older than Eli Manning. So much oxygen has been used debating Peyton’s place in the game since his first Super Bowl title 10 seasons ago … and then his neck injury … and exit from the Colts … and arrival in Denver … and 55 TD season … and benching … and second Super Bowl title … and subsequent retirement … that we missed Eli entering the twilight of his career, too.
Eleven months ago, Manning signed a four-year, $84m contract extension that will keep him with the Giants through the 2019 season, when he will be 38-going-on-39. (Mandatory sentence about how NFL contracts mean nothing and the Giants could release him tomorrow.) It’s likely that Manning has just four seasons left in the NFL. The Giants could extend him again, of course. He’s been plenty durable throughout his career – in fact, he hasn’t missed a single start in his 11 years as a full-time starter – but even Peyton’s skills noticeably declined at age 39. There has yet to be a successful fortysomething NFL quarterback. Any way you look at it, Eli has moved from the kids’ table to the adults’ table to the threshold of the living room, where all the old people are asleep on easy chairs. The grandfather clock is ticking.
So what do we make of the new Old Eli?
Attempting to appraise his on-field performance has remained as futile as ever. Eli’s last two seasons were without question the finest of his career statistically. Yards, completion percentage and touchdowns were all well above his career averages. Interceptions were down and appearances of accompanying Eli Face along with it. Yet the Giants went just 12-20 over the last two seasons and reasonable people can argue that Manning’s statistical improvement is thanks more to the arrival of the incomparable Odell Beckham than Eli suddenly discovering the magic of consistency in his mid-30s. Beckham has proven he can make passes headed down a bad path get back on the straight and narrow.
A quarterback acclaimed for being at his best in the postseason hasn’t been able to help his team past the regular season in more than four years despite residing in one of the NFL’s weakest divisions.
But as frustrating as Eli and his team can be, his presence under center gives New York hope and a chance every year. If the Giants can slip their way past the Cowboys, Eagles and Washington, all football punchlines in their own unique ways, anything can happen in the play-offs – as Eli has twice proven. The offseason additions of Olivier Vernon, Damon Harrison, Janoris Jenkins, and Annie Apple’s son, along with the presence of a healthy Victor Cruz and the full return of fireworks safety advocate Jason Pierre-Paul, means Eli and new head coach Ben McAdoo are well positioned to improve on last year’s 6-10. Whether they can do more than that remains to be seen.
Whatever we make of late-stage Eli, he at least has earned the courtesy of not having everything he does compared to his older brother. Peyton is no longer in the league and even when he was, he didn’t throw a single one of Eli’s 294 career touchdown passes, eighth most in the history of the NFL. Eli will never match his older brother’s individual passing numbers, but that’s OK. He is his own man. A full-grown, adult man.
