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Eli Manning: In The Shadows

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By ANWAR S. RICHARDSON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 2, 2008

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Eli Manning always has been the "other quarterback."

He was the fourth-best quarterback at his family's dinner table, behind Archie, the respected patriarch, Peyton and older brother Cooper, who played one year at Ole Miss before severe spine and neck problems ended his career.

Eli Manning was always an afterthought when compared to other NFL quarterbacks during his four-year career. During this year's playoffs, Manning was outranked by Jeff Garcia (Tampa Bay), Tony Romo (Dallas) and Brett Favre (Green Bay).

The shadow only enlarges Sunday when New York plays New England in Super Bowl XLII. Manning again will be the "other quarterback," taking a back seat to Patriots luminary Tom Brady.

Manning has the opportunity to evolve from being the "other quarterback" to "the quarterback." Instead of being an afterthought at the dinner table, Manning finally will be noticed if he plays well during football's biggest feast. He also has a chance to upstage a premier quarterback.

"This is why you work. This is a dream you have every season," Manning said. "This is why you prepare the way you do in the offseason. During the week, you do all of your studying and put in the commitment to get in this position to be in the Super Bowl. It never stops being a dream."

San Diego envisioned Manning would eventually lead its team to the Super Bowl after making him the No. 1 overall pick in 2004. The only problem was, nobody could guide Manning to San Diego. Manning was drafted by the Chargers, despite warning the franchise he wouldn't play for it. He demanded to be traded. His wish was granted, and Manning was shipped to New York in exchange for fellow quarterback Philip Rivers, the Giants' selection at No. 4.

"Expectations for him were very high," New York coach Tom Coughlin said.

Manning initially failed to live up to those expectations.

After playing behind Kurt Warner most of his rookie season, Manning started seven games and threw nine interceptions and six touchdowns. Manning was New York's starter in 2005 and threw for 3,762 yards and 24 touchdowns, but he had 17 interceptions and threw three against Carolina in a wild-card defeat.

Last season, Manning threw for 3,244 yards and 24 touchdowns, but he increased his interception total to 18.

Meanwhile, Rivers emerged as an elite NFL quarterback and was selected to play in last year's Pro Bowl. Though he was heavily criticized by the New York media for his inconsistent play, Manning's laid-back demeanor proved to an asset during those struggles.

"I deal with criticism and praise the same way. I ignore it," Manning said. "If the paper or the people on TV say you're playing poorly or you're playing well, that doesn't make a difference, and it doesn't change what you're going to do next week."

Manning did not show much improvement as the weeks progressed this season. He finished the regular season with 23 touchdown and 20 interceptions, but Manning's performance in the regular-season finale against New England began his transformation.

Manning completed 22 of 32 passes for 251 yards, four touchdowns and one interception during New York's 38-35 loss. Although the Giants were unable to pull off the upset, Manning finally displayed confidence and poise against a juggernaut.

"I don't know that it boosted my confidence. I go into every game as confident as I can be," Manning said. "It was the first game that we had decent weather in a while, so we went out to see if we could execute our game plan and be a consistent football team. We were able to do that, and I think that helped us out."

Nothing has benefited New York more than Manning's postseason performance. He has completed 53 of 85 passes for 599 yards and four touchdowns, but more importantly, he did not throw any interceptions in three games.

"Ever since we were able to go out and execute our offense and throw the football, all of sudden he's a magician? He's actually been doing it the whole season. It's not just been four weeks," New York receiver Plaxico Burress said. "We won 10 regular-season games. I guess he went home or into his locker and hit a switch and became a magician."

Manning's greatest trick was winning over his teammates.

"He's been a little more vocal," Giants guard Chris Snee said. "As far as the leadership role, I've always looked to him as a leader from the time he stepped in for his first start. He has taken a little more of a vocal role, and guys responded."

Manning will have plenty of attention Sunday. It will be his chance to cement himself as a top-notch quarterback.

If it happens, people can disregard the "other quarterback" Manning used to be.

"I think anytime you go through tough times and overcome adversity, it makes you stronger," Manning said. "It's not easy playing quarterback in this league in this day and age. It's a learning process, and you're going to make a lot of mistakes.

"You're going to have some bad days. It's just about forgetting those moments and learning from them. You have to put them behind you ... I never doubted myself, and my teammates and coaches haven't doubted me."

Reporter Anwar S. Richardson can be reached at (813) 259-8425 or arichardson@tampatrib.com.

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