Farewell, Eli Manning.
After 16 seasons, my favorite NFL player of all-time has called it a career.
On November 13, 2004, my family made the roughly 350-mile journey from our home in Southern California to Tempe, Arizona. The following day, the New York Giants would play visitors to the Arizona Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium. It was my first NFL game.
Even back then, I was already a huge Giants fan. We were lucky enough to stay in the same hotel as the team, and I was able to meet Jeremy Shockey…while wearing a Shockey jersey.
The game the following day was a relatively unremarkable 17–14 win for the Cardinals, but even still, I was able to see Larry Fitzgerald as a rookie and Emmitt Smith in his final season. Starting at quarterback for the Giants was Kurt Warner. The following week, he’d be replaced by that year’s #1 overall pick — a quarterback from Ole Miss named Eli Manning.
I was just five years old. The next time Manning missed a start for the Giants, I was a sophomore in college.
Yesterday, Eli Manning announced his retirement from the NFL after 16 seasons, all with the Giants. It was a predictable end of the road for Manning, who had turned 39 earlier in the month. Yet, seeing the announcement, I couldn’t help but get sentimental as a chapter in New York Giants history and my life came to a close.
For most of my life, Eli has been the quarterback of my favorite team. His 16 years have given me so many great memories that I can’t imagine him being replaced as my favorite NFL player of all-time.
The conversation around the last several years of Manning’s career has bothered me. As the Giants franchise as a whole has gone through a rough patch making it abundantly clear that there will be no chance at a third Super Bowl run, the media has harped on the question of whether Eli is a Hall of Famer.
People are all too quick to criticize his career record as a starter, his interception numbers, and bring up the fact that there are many better quarterbacks who are overlooked for not having won two Super Bowls. At the same time, they’ve speculated Eli being traded to the Jaguars, the Colts, Bears, and basically any team who in the last few seasons has had a playoff-caliber defense and a liability under center. To me, all of these conversations were a waste of time and ultimately missed the mark.
Eli Manning is much more than just a set of statistics (although, if we’re going there, he finishes his career seventh all-time in both passing yards and touchdowns), and was never leaving to become another team’s missing piece. He was the definition of professionalism and stability — a rock in The Big Apple.
Manning was someone who worked hard, allowing him to form a bond with the ultimate tough love head coach in Tom Coughlin. He was humble, always giving the team credit for wins and taking the responsibility for any offensive struggles. Despite playing in the biggest city in the country, Manning never let the pressure get to him, and treated everyone with class. He always prioritized giving back to the community, and in 2016 was given the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
However, he also had a goofy side and a penchant for comedy. Eli was a well-known prankster who starred in many commercials, often alongside his brother Peyton, and even once hosted “Saturday Night Live.”
On the field, Eli was a fierce competitor and a leader who could come up big in clutch situations. He was never afraid to take chances. Sometimes this led to interceptions, but I would always take a gunslinger over someone sacred to throw the ball downfield.
And then there’s the streak. From his first start in Week 11 of the 2004 season, Manning started 210 straight games at quarterback for the Giants, then the second-longest streak in league history (although since surpassed by Philip Rivers).
Even then, Eli wasn’t injured. Instead, he was benched for Geno Smith by a flailing coach Ben McAdoo and general manager Jerry Reese. The next week, they would both be fired and Eli would regain his starting spot. It was a poorly handled situation and an unfortunate end to a legendary streak.
Eli knew how to keep himself from taking unnecessary hits and never missed a game due to injury. With the exception of a few games at the beginning and end of his career, every Sunday for 16 years, Giants were ready to ride or die with Eli.
Even after Daniel Jones took over in 2019, Manning was a willing mentor while also always being ready to come in if needed. He loved playing football and would do whatever it took to help the team win games.
Of course, Eli will be most remembered for his two remarkable Super Bowl runs following the 2007 and 2011 seasons and his reputation as the “Brady Slayer.”
Entering the playoffs as the #5 seed following a 10–6 season in 2007, the Giants first went into Tampa Bay before heading to Dallas to knock off their division rivals, the #1 seed Cowboys, and finally to Green Bay to defeat the Packers in overtime in a game with a wind chill of -23 degrees Fahrenheit to reach Super Bowl XLII.
Then, as 12-point underdogs against the 18–0 New England Patriots, the Giants played a back-and-forth game with what many considered the greatest team of all-time. Trailing 14–10, Manning and the Giants got the ball on their own 17-yard line with 2:38 remaining.
Facing a crucial 3rd-and-5 from their own 44 with just 1:15 on the clock, Manning escaped from the grasp of two Patriots defenders before heaving the ball more than 30 yards to David Tyree who made an impossible catch by pinning the ball against his helmet as he fell to the ground. “The Helmet Catch” was later named the greatest play in Super Bowl history. Two plays later, Manning connected with Plaxico Burress for the touchdown that sealed a 17–14 victory.
Four years later, after once again pulling off multiple road upsets including another win in Green Bay and an NFC Championship that went to overtime (this time against the 49ers), the Giants found themselves in a familiar position — underdogs to the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
And just like in Super Bowl XLII, the Giants got the ball deep in their own territory with only a few minutes remaining, this time trailing 17–15 with 3:46 left and starting from their 12. On the first play of the drive, Manning made one of the greatest throws of all-time to Mario Manningham, who completed a tiptoe catch on the sideline near midfield as he was hit by two Patriots defenders. The Giants would go on to score another Super Bowl-winning touchdown against New England, winning 21–17.
You can say whatever you want about Manning. During those two runs, he was magnificent. As a young fan, I was mesmerized as I watched my team do the unthinkable. It was total euphoria that cemented my love for the sport. Many people never get to see their favorite team win one Super Bowl, let alone two. Within a period of five seasons, Eli Manning did just that.
During the Giants’ struggles over the last few seasons, Manning’s record gradually fell, and in 2019, dipped under .500. With Daniel Jones sidelined for the Giants’ Week 15 home matchup with the Dolphins, Manning would get a chance to finish his career 117–117 in the regular season in what everyone knew was likely his final start.
It was a crazy game and one where despite playing well overall with 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Manning still managed to throw three interceptions. But after trailing 10–7 at the half, Eli and the entire Giants team stepped up their play with a dominant second half resulting in a 36–20 win. With two minutes left in the game, Eli was taken out to a standing ovation and cheers from the crowd.
That game was the perfect embodiment of Eli’s career — there were ups and downs, but when it mattered most, he got the job done. Thanks for everything, Eli. You’re a true Giant.
Connor Groel is a writer who studies sport management at the University of Texas at Austin. He also serves as editor of the Top Level Sports publication on Medium, and the host of the Connor Groel Sports podcast. His book, “Sports, Technology, and Madness,” is available now. You can follow Connor on Medium, Facebook, and Twitter, and view his archives at toplevelsports.net.
