Age: 43
Eli Manning
Age: 43
Elisha Nelson "Eli" Manning (born January 3, 1981), is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He is the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning and the younger brother of former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning played college football at the University of Mississippi after attending prep school at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. He was drafted as the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and immediately traded to the New York Giants, who in return gave up a package highlighted by fourth overall selection Philip Rivers.
Manning holds Giants franchise records for most passing yards, touchdown passes and completed passes in a career, and the NFL record for most fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a season. He led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI, defeating the New England Patriots in both games. Manning was named Most Valuable Player in each Super Bowl, becoming one of only five football players to have two or more Super Bowl MVP rings (Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw have two, while Joe Montana and Tom Brady have three Super Bowl MVP rings). He is the only quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 4,900 yards and win the Super Bowl in the same season. Manning is also currently the active iron man for consecutive starts by a quarterback. Eli is one of four quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 44,000 career yards, 290 touchdowns, four Pro Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl championships (John Elway, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning). Though lacking the statistical prowess of his brother, Eli is consistently cited for his clutch performances in high stakes games, and ability to remain calm under pressure.
College career
During his years with the Rebels at Ole Miss, Manning set or tied 45 single-game, season, and career records. His career numbers include 10,119 passing yards (fifth on the SEC career list), 81 touchdown passes (third on the SEC career list), and a passer rating of 137.7 (tied for sixth on the SEC career list). He led the Rebels to a 10-3 record and a 31-28 SBC Cotton Bowl Classic victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys in 2003. He was invited to play in the 2004 Senior Bowl, but chose not to play.
As his senior year came to a close, Manning won many awards including the Maxwell Award as the nation’s best all-around player, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award, the Sporting News Radio Socrates Award, and the SEC Most Valuable Player Award. He was also a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, finishing third in the voting after winning quarterback Jason White of the University of Oklahoma and University of Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Manning graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in marketing and a GPA of 3.44.
Awards
- 2001, 2003 Conerly Trophy
- 2002 Independence Bowl MVP
- 2003 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
- 2003 Maxwell Award
- 2003 National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete
- 2003 Sporting News Radio Socrates Award
- 2003 Southeastern Conference Football MVP
- 2004 Cotton Bowl Classic Offensive MVP
Statistics
Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Season | Team | GP | Rating | Att | Comp | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
2000 | Ole Miss Rebels | 6 | 117.4 | 53 | 28 | 52.8 | 337 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 0.6 | 0 |
2001 | Ole Miss Rebels | 11 | 144.8 | 408 | 259 | 63.5 | 2,948 | 31 | 9 | 31 | 9 | 0.3 | 0 |
2002 | Ole Miss Rebels | 13 | 125.6 | 481 | 279 | 58.0 | 3,401 | 21 | 15 | 39 | -120 | −3.0 | 2 |
2003 | Ole Miss Rebels | 13 | 148.1 | 441 | 275 | 62.4 | 3,600 | 29 | 10 | 48 | -28 | -0.6 | 3 |
Career | 43 | 138.1 | 1383 | 841 | 60.8 | 10,286 | 84 | 36 | 125 | -135 | −1.1 | 5 |
Professional career
2004 NFL Draft
The San Diego Chargers originally held the rights to the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft due to their 4-12 record in 2003. With Manning being the most coveted player in the draft, it appeared that the Chargers' intentions were to draft him first overall. However, Manning (echoed by his father) stated publicly that he would refuse to play for the Chargers if drafted by them. The Chargers selected him with the first pick overall nonetheless as the team had a deal in place with the New York Giants, whereby the Giants would draft and then trade Philip Rivers and draft picks (used to select Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding) to the Chargers for Manning.
Quarterback class of 2004
Manning was one of four quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft along with Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, and J.P. Losman. Manning, Roethlisberger, and Rivers have all been voted to the Pro Bowl since becoming starters. Until 2013, Roethlisberger and Manning had not produced a season with a losing record (although each had an 8-8 season), and Roethlisberger and Manning have each won two Super Bowls. They have been compared favorably to the Quarterback class of 1983, which included Hall of Fame quarterbacks Dan Marino, John Elway, and Jim Kelly.
2004 season
Manning made his first career regular season start against the Atlanta Falcons at Giants Stadium on November 21, 2004. In his fourth start, against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 12, 2004, he ended the day with a 0.0 passer rating and was benched in the second half in favor of Kurt Warner, but remained the Giants starter through the end of the season.
2005 season: NFC East champions
See also: 2005 New York Giants seasonFollowing 2004, Warner left the Giants, and Eli was named the starter for 2005. Manning led the Giants to a 2-0 record with victories against the Cardinals and Saints, before traveling to the West Coast for a test in San Diego. Chargers fans did not forget the snub, and on September 25, 2005 when Manning and the Giants made their first trip to San Diego for a game since that draft day, the crowd booed Manning loudly every time he touched the ball. San Diego defeated the Giants, 45-23, but Eli displayed what may have been his most impressive performance of his young career, going 24-41 for 352 yards and two touchdowns.
Following his performance at San Diego, Manning returned home to throw for almost 300 yards and a career high four touchdowns against the St. Louis Rams at Giants Stadium in a 44-24 romp. Two games later, he led a last-minute drive against the Denver Broncos to secure a 24-23 victory for the Giants. The drive culminated in a two-yard touchdown to Amani Toomer with five seconds remaining. Two weeks later, Manning overcame a weak first half at San Francisco to help his team secure their first official road victory of the season, 24-6. Despite a poor performance at home against the Minnesota Vikings, throwing four interceptions, he again led his team back to tie the game in the final minutes before the Vikings won on a late field goal.
Manning finished among the top five quarterbacks in both passing yards and touchdown passes, while leading an offense that finished third in the NFL in scoring with a total of 422 points. It was the most points the Giants scored in a single season since 1963. The Giants won the NFC East with an 11-5 record and advanced to the postseason.
2006 season
See also: 2006 New York Giants seasonManning's second full season was reminiscent of his 2005 season. He started off playing well and completed over 65 percent of his passes through the first four games. However, he struggled in the second half of the season and his production diminished towards the end of the regular season. After losing a tough game to his brother Peyton and the Colts on opening day, Eli and the Giants rebounded from a 24-7 4th-quarter deficit en route to a 30-24 overtime victory over the division rival Eagles in week two. Manning threw for a career high 371 yards in the win with three touchdowns including a game-winning pass to Plaxico Burress in overtime. Following a poor performance against Seattle the next week, Manning and the Giants responded by winning five straight games including wins over the Redskins, Cowboys and Falcons to push their record to 6-2.
Following this winning streak, key injuries including one to receiver Amani Toomer pushed Manning and the Giants into a downward slide. Playing against the Chicago Bears, Manning started well, but the Giants' offense was derailed by the loss of left tackle Luke Petitgout to a broken leg. Manning was held to only 141 yards passing with two interceptions. Petigout's loss left a gaping hole at the crucial left tackle position, and Manning was unable to repeat his first half success. Manning struggled the next week at Jacksonville and the week after that, a costly interception helped to culminate a huge collapse at Tennessee, with the Giants seeing a 21-point fourth quarter lead simply evaporate. Manning improved the following week, throwing for 270 yards and two touchdowns, but the Giants lost again. Finally regaining momentum, Manning threw three touchdowns in a win at Carolina, but then he stumbled badly in the final three games. He threw two interceptions against the Eagles and tallied only 73 passing yards in a game against the Saints. Although the Giants battled back to 8-8 the following week at Washington, Manning completed only 12 of 26 passes for 101 yards and one touchdown. The Giants qualified for the postseason and met the Eagles. Although he did significantly better in this game than the 2005 playoff game vs. the Carolina Panthers, completing 16 of 27 passes and two touchdowns, the Giants lost on a last-second field goal by the Eagles.
For the year, Manning threw for 3,244 yards, 24 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He completed 57.7 percent of his passes, a five-point improvement from 2005, but he again struggled badly in the second half of the season. Manning finished the season with a quarterback efficiency rating of 77.0 (18th in the league) with 6.2 yards per attempt.
2007 season: Super Bowl Champions
See also: 2007 New York Giants seasonPreparation for 2007
Manning trained in the Meadowlands with offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride and new quarterbacks coach Chris Palmer. For the first time ever, Plaxico Burress and Jeremy Shockey practiced in the off-season with Manning to perfect their timing and chemistry rather than training alone in Miami as they did in previous years.
Regular season
Manning opened the 2007 season with an outstanding personal performance against the Dallas Cowboys, completing 28 of 41 passing attempts for 312 yards, 4 touchdowns, and an interception, but suffered a shoulder sprain and was removed from the game late in the second half. Although he did play against Green Bay in week 2 while throwing for 211 yards with one touchdown, the Giants defense performed poorly again and the team dropped to 0-2 with Green Bay winning, 35-13. In week 3 Manning got a come-from-behind victory as the Giants defense improved, pitching a shutout in the second half and stopping the Washington Redskins on a fourth and goal situation, winning the game 24-17. The Giants defense then shut down the Philadelphia Eagles with an NFL record-tying 12 sacks, holding the Eagles offense to one field goal. The Giants won with a score of 16-3. The following week, Manning overcame a dismal first half to throw for two second-half scores in a 35-24 win over their in-city rivals, the New York Jets.
Following two straight home victories, Manning and the Giants obtained their fourth consecutive victory with a 31-10 defeat of the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome on Monday Night Football. Manning performed well, completing 27 of 39 passes for 303 yards along with a pair of touchdowns while giving away two interceptions. Behind a dominant defensive effort, the Giants improved to 5-2 the next week with a 33-15 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Manning played well again, throwing for two touchdowns in the effort. In week eight of the season, the Giants played a road game against the Miami Dolphins on October 28, 2007, in London's Wembley Stadium. Manning only threw for 59 yards in the rain and mud, but he scored the Giants' only touchdown on a 10-yard run. This touchdown was the first in an NFL regular season game that was played outside of North America. The Giants defeated the Dolphins, 13-10, bringing the Giants to a 6-2 record at the mid-way point of the 2007 season. After losing to their division rivals the Dallas Cowboys in week 9, New York Giants co-owner John Mara publicly questioned Manning's ability to lead the New York Giants in 2007 but more importantly in the future:
“ | The only thing we evaluate is 'Can we win with this guy?' That's the one thing. When we talk about any player at the end of the season, the No.1 question is 'Will he help us win?' And to take it one step further, 'Can we win a championship with this guy?' | ” |
After a week of criticism in the New York media and being outplayed by Tony Romo, Manning had a bounce-back victory versus their conference wildcard competitors the Detroit Lions. Manning managed to throw for 283 yards and 1 touchdown but most importantly, no interceptions in a critical road game.
The following week in a 41-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Manning threw four interceptions and had three of them returned for touchdowns. He continued to struggle until the last game of the season, against the 15-0 New England Patriots. With a playoff spot secured, the Giants could have rested their starters for the playoffs, but they instead chose to keep in the regulars and attempt to stop New England's quest for an undefeated regular season. The Giants lost 38-35, with Manning completing 22 of 32 passes for 252 yards, with four touchdowns and one interception.
2007 playoffs
See also: NFL playoffs, 2007-08On January 6, 2008, Manning went 20-of-27 for 185 yards playing on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The underdog Giants won 24-14, and Manning had two touchdown passes.
On January 13, 2008, Manning led the Giants to an upset victory over the heavily favored Dallas Cowboys, the number one seed in the NFC. For the third straight game, Manning played well, completing 12 of 18 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. The Giants were the first team to beat an NFC number one seed in the divisional round since the start of the 12-team format in 1990. This victory secured an NFC Championship berth against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, January 20, 2008. In the championship game, the Giants beat the Packers in overtime, with a score of 23-20. The dramatic victory secured Manning and the Giants a trip to Super Bowl XLII. This was the first Super Bowl appearance for the New York Giants since Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, and their first Super Bowl victory since Super Bowl XXV.
Super Bowl XLII
Main article: Super Bowl XLIIIn front of a record-setting American television audience and on the strength of a late fourth-quarter drive led by Manning, the Giants beat the 12.5 point-favored, undefeated New England Patriots 17-14.
“ | Manning takes the snap, back to throw, under pressure, avoids the rush and he's gonna...fight out of it, still fights out of it, now throws it deep down field, wide open Tyree who... MAKES THE CATCH! AT THE 24-YARD LINE! What a play by Manning! | ” |
— Bob Papa calling Manning's completion to David Tyree, |
Trailing 14-10 with 2:42 remaining, Manning led the Giants 83 yards on a game-winning touchdown drive. On a crucial third-and-5 at the Giants' 44-yard line, Manning connected with David Tyree on a play in which he avoided several near-sacks and Tyree caught the ball off his helmet for a large gain. Four plays later, Plaxico Burress caught a 13-yard touchdown pass with just 35 seconds remaining for the winning margin. Manning became only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw two go-ahead fourth-quarter touchdowns in a Super Bowl (Joe Montana being the first). Manning also became the first quarterback to throw a last-minute, championship-winning touchdown in the NFL title game (including the pre-Super Bowl era) when a field goal would not at least tie the game. Following the Giants' monumental victory, Manning and the coaching staff spoke briefly with President George W. Bush.
Manning was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLII. He and his brother Peyton are the only brother combination to play at quarterback in the Super Bowl and the only set of brothers to win Super Bowl MVP, doing so in successive years.
For winning Super Bowl MVP he was given his choice of any 2008 model Cadillac, and Manning chose an Escalade Hybrid. The Wednesday following the Super Bowl he appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.
2008 season: NFC East champions
See also: 2008 New York Giants seasonManning and the Giants opened the 2008 season with a win over their division rivals, the Washington Redskins, 16-7. "It was a great opening to the season," said Manning, who completed 19 passes of 35 for 216 yards, and had one rushing touchdown and one interception. "There was a lot of emotion, a lot of excitement. You could feel it in the crowd." In the Giants' second game of the year against the St. Louis Rams, they won again, 41-13, behind a stellar Manning performance. Manning finished the game with 20 completions, 260 yards passing and threw three touchdowns to three different receivers. The victory also marked the team's fourth straight victory over the Rams. The following week, Manning rallied the Giants to more fourth quarter magic, overcoming a late deficit to throw the go-ahead touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss, and then in overtime, throwing a clutch 31-yard pass to Amani Toomer in the Giants' 26-23 win over Cincinnati. The fourth week of the season saw the Giants score on each of their first six possessions and dominate the Seattle Seahawks, 44-6. Manning threw for two touchdowns, completing 19 of 25 passes for 267 yards as the Giants totaled 523 yards on offense, their most since 2002.
Following a poor team performance in a 35-14 at Cleveland, Manning and the Giants responded with a 29-17 win over the 49ers and battled to a hard earned 21-14 win over the Steelers at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field. Manning completed 19 of 32 passes for 199 yards and one touchdown in the crucial win, which pushed the Giants to a 6-1 record. The following week, the Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys at home 35-14 to get to 7-1 at the midway point of the regular season. Manning threw three touchdowns in the game. New York improved to 8-1 with a 36-31 win at Philadelphia. Manning threw two touchdowns in the victory, but the crucial play occurred in the third quarter. With the Giants trailing by four, Manning appeared to make an illegal forward pass to tight end Boss. After review, it was determined that the pass was legal. The Giants scored a touchdown two plays later. Week 9 pitted the Giants in a battle with the visiting Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens had come into the game with the league's third-ranked defense; nevertheless, Manning led the Giants to a decisive 30-10 victory, improving to 9-1, which included a 200-yard rushing effort by running backs Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw. Two weeks later, the Giants faced the Redskins at Washington in their second encounter in the season. Manning threw his first 300-yard game of the season going 21/34 with an INT and a 40-yard touchdown pass to Toomer. The Giants beat the Redskins 23-7. In November, Manning was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month. For the month, Manning threw for 1,036 yards and 10 touchdowns, and compiled a 94.9 passer rating while leading the Giants to a perfect 5-0 record.
Manning was named to his first Pro Bowl on December 16, making him the first Giants quarterback to earn the honor since Phil Simms in 1993. In week 15, Manning and the Giants visited Texas Stadium, where Tony Romo battled through a lower back contusion and connected with nine different receivers, finishing 20-of-30 for 244 yards and two touchdowns leading the Dallas Cowboys to a 20-8 victory. In week 16 against the Carolina Panthers with NFC homefield advantage on the line, Manning had a passing day of 17 of 27 for 181 yards and no interceptions. Manning led the Giants back from deficits of 21-10 and 28-20 to tie the game with just over three minutes left, including a bullet pass to Domenik Hixon for a key two-point conversion to tie the game at 28. The game was played in freezing conditions.
After becoming the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Giants had a first playoff round bye week and home field advantage through the rest of the playoffs. In the divisional round, they faced their arch rival Philadelphia Eagles at Giants Stadium with its signature windy conditions. Philadelphia went on to win the game 23-11. Manning completed 15 out of 29 passes for 169 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
2009 season
See also: 2009 New York Giants seasonManning and the Giants opened the 2009 season with a win over their division rivals the Washington Redskins, 23-16. Manning played well completing 20 of 29 passing attempts for 256, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Manning and the Giants traveled to Dallas to play the Cowboys in the opening of their new Cowboys Stadium on Sunday Night Football. Manning played outstanding completing 25 of 38 passing attempts for 330 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions which resulted in a 33-31 win for the Giants on a last second field goal. In week 3 Manning and the Giants played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he completed 14 of 24 passes for 161 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions and as the Giants had a big lead he was taken from the game at the start of the second quarter, the Giants ended up winning 24-0.
In week 4, the Giants played the Kansas City Chiefs. Manning was playing well up until the start of the fourth quarter when on a play action fake Manning injured his heel while passing downfield to Steve Smith. He stayed in for the next play completing a 54-yard touchdown to Hakeem Nicks. It was discovered that Manning had plantar fasciitis (inflammation of connective tissue within the soles of the feet) and there was speculation he would not play against the Oakland Raiders in week 5. However, in week 5 Manning played well, completing 8 of 10 passes for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns with the Giants winning 44-7. This was the first time in his career that Manning had a posted a perfect passer rating.
After this five-game winning streak, the Giants fell to a four-game losing streak, losing to the New Orleans Saints, the Arizona Cardinals, the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Diego Chargers before winning again after a bye week on week 11 when they played the Atlanta Falcons, winning 34-31 in overtime. Against the Falcons, Manning posted a career high 384 passing yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.
On Thanksgiving the Giants traveled to Denver to play the Denver Broncos where they lost 26-6. Manning completed 24 of 40 passes for 230 yards, with no touchdowns and an interception. In week 14 they played their divisional rivals, the Eagles, and lost 45-38, where it was a close game from the start. Manning passed for a career high 391 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions but was not able to win the game. Next week, on Monday Night Football, Manning and the Giants dominated the Redskins, winning the game 45-12.
The next week, in the final game in Giants Stadium, Manning and the Giants embarrassed themselves, losing 41-9 against the Carolina Panthers and repeated that feat the next week on the road against the Minnesota Vikings in the final regular season game, losing 44-7 while down 38 points in the 4th quarter. After the games Manning apologized to the fans for their performance.
Manning ended the 2009 season with career highs including 4,021 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, a 62.3 completion percentage rating and a passer rating of 93.1.
2010 season
See also: 2010 New York Giants seasonOn August 16 during a preseason game against the New York Jets, Manning was hit by Brandon Jacobs, then by Calvin Pace, which knocked off his helmet, then went face first into Jim Leonhard's face mask. As a result, Manning had a large gash that needed 12 stitches. Manning left the game.
The Giants ended the season 2010 NFL Season 10-6 with losses coming against the Indianapolis Colts, the Tennessee Titans, the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers. Eli Manning led the Giants to a 17-14 win in the last game of the season against the Washington Redskins, however, because of Green Bay Packers 10-3 win over the Chicago Bears, the Giants did not make the Playoffs. The Packers went on to win Super Bowl XLV. He ended the season with 4,002 yards, another 4,000-yard season, a career high 31 touchdowns, but also a career high 25 interceptions, which marked the most by a quarterback in the 2010 season, finishing with a 62.5 completion percentage.
2011 season: Second Super Bowl Championship
See also: 2011 New York Giants seasonPreseason
In August 2011, Manning generated mild controversy in the sports media during a radio interview on The Michael Kay Show. When asked by host Michael Kay whether he was an elite "Top 10, Top 5" quarterback in the same class as Tom Brady, he responded:
“ | I consider myself in that class. Tom Brady is a great quarterback... I think now he's grown up and gotten better every year and that's what I'm trying to do. I kind of hope these next seven years of my quarterback days are my best. | ” |
Manning received criticism for the quote for trying to inflate his own status and skills, with critics pointing out his past inconsistent stats, including his 25 interceptions in the previous season, as evidence contradicting his claims. However, Manning also received support for his comments from Giants coach Tom Coughlin and teammates such as receiver Hakeem Nicks. Later in the season, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan commented on the quote, agreeing with Manning that he was an elite quarterback "for sure."
Regular season
The Giants opened the 2011 season with a slow start, losing to the rival Washington Redskins 14-28 in an emotional game for both fanbases on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Manning completed 18 of 32 passes for 268 yards but threw a costly interception in the 3rd quarter to Ryan Kerrigan, who returned it for a touchdown and swung the momentum of the game. However, the Giants would recover and win their next three games, including over the arch-rival Philadelphia Eagles. During this streak, Manning improved, throwing for 8 touchdowns and 1 interception.
After a 6-2 start, including a 24-20 last-minute comeback by Manning over the New England Patriots that evoked comparisons to Super Bowl XLII, the Giants entered a tough stretch of their schedule, facing off against the San Francisco 49ers, the New Orleans Saints, and the Green Bay Packers, the respective eventual NFC West, South, and North champions. The Giants would lose all three games as well as falling to the Philadelphia Eagles at home, leading them into a 4-game skid and once again putting their postseason hopes in jeopardy. However, unlike the previous three seasons, the Giants would finish strong, winning 3 of their last 4 games. This included a key win over their crosstown rival New York Jets as well as a sweep of their fellow division rival Dallas Cowboys. In the final regular season game against the Cowboys, Manning threw for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns, giving the Giants the win, the NFC East title and a playoff berth for the first time in 3 years.
2011 playoffs
See also: NFL playoffs, 2011-12The Giants entered the 2011 postseason as underdogs, with the lowest winning record of any NFC team. However, Manning and his team would once again demonstrate their endurance and durability late in the year. The Giants first easily routed the Atlanta Falcons 24-2 in the Wild Card round and then stunned the defending Super Bowl champions and top-seeded Green Bay Packers to advance to the NFC Championship Game. In the win, Manning completed 21 out of 33 attempts and threw 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. The following week, the Giants would also avenge their regular season loss to the San Francisco 49ers with a dramatic 20-17 overtime win in the NFC Championship Game. This victory secured Manning and the Giants a second trip in five years to the Super Bowl, setting up a highly anticipated rematch against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. The Giants also made history on being the first ever team to have been outscored by their opponents in the regular season (394 points scored, 400 points allowed) and then reached the Super Bowl.
Super Bowl XLVI
Main article: Super Bowl XLVIIn the most-watched program in the history of United States television, Manning once again led the Giants to an upset victory over the 2½ point favored Patriots 21-17, his second Super Bowl win and the fourth overall for the franchise.
“ | "I was yelling to, 'Don't score, don't score'", Manning said. "He tried to stop, but he fell into the end zone." | ” |
— Eli Manning recalling the game-winning touchdown by Ahmad Bradshaw, |
While trailing the Patriots 15-17 in the final minutes, Manning led the Giants 88 yards down the field to a touchdown that many observers described as "accidental.". With just over a minute of time left in the game, the Giants called a running play and Manning handed off the ball to Ahmad Bradshaw with the hopes of stopping short of the goal line and forcing the Patriots to use their final time out, thus allowing the Giants to run out the clock. The Patriots, in turn, did not attempt to tackle Bradshaw in his run, and he then fell over the goal line despite making an attempt to stop. However, the remaining time was not enough for Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to lead a comeback and the Giants held onto the lead to win. Manning was again named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLVI, becoming the third quarterback in a row to win the award. The Giants also became the first team ever with fewer than 10 wins in a 16-game regular season to win the Super Bowl. Manning also became the first quarterback to throw for 4,900+ yards and win a Super Bowl in the same season. The Giants were the first team with a running game ranked last (32nd) and a defense ranked as low as 27th to win a Super Bowl.
For winning the Super Bowl, Manning and the Giants received a victory parade in Manhattan and were honored with symbolic keys to the city by mayor Michael Bloomberg.
2012 season
See also: 2012 New York Giants seasonIn the final game of the 2012 season, Manning threw a career-high five touchdown passes while completing 13 of 21 pass attempts and passing for 208 yards with no interceptions, in a 42-7 Giants win over the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished the season with 26 touchdown passes, 15 interceptions, and 3,948 passing yards. Although the Giants did not qualify for the playoffs, Manning was selected to his third Pro Bowl as a second alternate.
2013 season
See also: 2013 New York Giants seasonManning led the Giants to start off the season with an 0-6 record, the worst regular season start since 1976. He threw 12 interceptions in his first 5 games. Manning fell to 0-3 against big brother Peyton in Week 3's 41-23 loss to Denver. He was 28 of 39 for 362 yards, but was picked off four times. Manning's four interceptions tied his career high and was the fourth time he threw four picks in a game. In Week 15, Manning threw a career high 5 interceptions in a 23-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Manning ended the season with a career high 27 interceptions. The Giants finished the season 7-9, their first losing record since Manning's rookie year.
Manning passed Phil Simms to become the franchise's all-time leader in yards passing. Simms, who played 14 seasons with the Giants, finished his career with 33,462 yards in the air.
2014 season
See also: 2014 New York Giants seasonAfter an 0-2 start, the Giants won 3 straight games but subsequently lost their next 7 games including a 16-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in a game where Manning threw 5 interceptions that tied his career high. The Giants won 3 of their last 4 games to end the season. Manning finished the season with 30 touchdown passes, 14 interceptions, and 4,410 passing yards.
2015 season
See also: 2015 New York Giants seasonA few days before the Giants' regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Manning signed a four-year, $84 million extension with the Giants. Through six games, he led the Giants to a 3-3 record and a tie for first place in the NFC East. In week 8, Manning threw a career high 6 touchdowns and 350 yards, but the Giants lost to the New Orleans Saints, 52-49. After starting the season 5-5, Giants fell to 1-5 the rest of the way to finish 6-10 for the second straight season.
Manning finished the season with career highs in touchdown passes (35), completions (387), attempts (618), and passer rating (93.6). His 35 touchdowns was one shy of tying Y.A. Tittle for most in a single-season in franchise history. Manning also threw 4,432 yards in 2015, second most in his career. On January 22, 2016, Manning was selected to his fourth career Pro Bowl, replacing Ben Roethlisberger. Manning's fourth Pro Bowl berth ties Fran Tarkenton for most Pro Bowl selections by a New York Giants quarterback in franchise history.
Statistics
Regular season
Year | Team | G | GS | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Att | Comp | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Sack | YdsL | Fum | FumL | ||||
2004 | NYG | 9 | 7 | 197 | 95 | 48.2 | 1043 | 5.3 | 6 | 9 | 55.4 | 6 | 35 | 5.8 | 0 | 13 | 83 | 3 | 1 |
2005 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 557 | 294 | 52.8 | 3762 | 6.8 | 24 | 17 | 75.9 | 29 | 80 | 2.8 | 1 | 28 | 184 | 9 | 2 |
2006 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 522 | 301 | 57.7 | 3244 | 6.2 | 24 | 18 | 77.0 | 25 | 21 | 0.8 | 0 | 25 | 186 | 9 | 2 |
2007 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 529 | 297 | 56.1 | 3336 | 6.3 | 23 | 20 | 73.9 | 29 | 69 | 2.4 | 1 | 27 | 217 | 13 | 7 |
2008 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 479 | 289 | 60.3 | 3238 | 6.8 | 21 | 10 | 86.4 | 20 | 10 | 0.5 | 1 | 27 | 174 | 5 | 2 |
2009 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 509 | 317 | 62.3 | 4021 | 7.9 | 27 | 14 | 93.1 | 17 | 65 | 3.8 | 0 | 30 | 216 | 13 | 8 |
2010 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 539 | 339 | 62.9 | 4002 | 7.4 | 31 | 25 | 85.3 | 32 | 70 | 2.2 | 0 | 16 | 117 | 7 | 5 |
2011 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 589 | 359 | 61.0 | 4933 | 8.4 | 29 | 16 | 92.9 | 35 | 15 | 0.4 | 1 | 28 | 199 | 8 | 4 |
2012 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 536 | 321 | 59.9 | 3948 | 7.37 | 26 | 15 | 87.2 | 20 | 30 | 1.5 | 0 | 19 | 136 | 4 | 1 |
2013 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 551 | 317 | 57.5 | 3818 | 6.9 | 18 | 27 | 69.4 | 18 | 36 | 2.0 | 0 | 39 | 281 | 7 | 2 |
2014 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 601 | 379 | 63.1 | 4410 | 7.3 | 30 | 14 | 92.1 | 12 | 31 | 2.6 | 1 | 28 | 187 | 7 | 4 |
2015 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 618 | 387 | 62.6 | 4436 | 7.2 | 35 | 14 | 93.6 | 20 | 61 | 3.1 | 0 | 27 | 157 | 11 | 4 |
Total | 185 | 183 | 6,227 | 3,695 | 59.3 | 44,191 | 7.1 | 294 | 199 | 83.5 | 263 | 523 | 2.0 | 5 | 307 | 2,137 | 97 | 42 |
Postseason
Year | Team | G | GS | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Att | Comp | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||||
2005 | NYG | 1 | 1 | 18 | 10 | 55.6 | 113 | 6.3 | 0 | 3 | 35.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2006 | NYG | 1 | 1 | 27 | 16 | 59.3 | 161 | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 88.7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
2007 | NYG | 4 | 4 | 119 | 72 | 61.3 | 854 | 7.2 | 6 | 1 | 95.7 | 8 | 10 | 1.3 | 0 |
2008 | NYG | 1 | 1 | 29 | 15 | 51.7 | 169 | 5.8 | 0 | 2 | 40.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2011 | NYG | 4 | 4 | 163 | 106 | 65.0 | 1219 | 7.5 | 9 | 1 | 103.3 | 8 | 20 | 2.5 | 0 |
Total | 11 | 11 | 356 | 219 | 61.5 | 2516 | 7.1 | 17 | 7 | 89 | 19 | 34 | 1.8 | 0 |
Awards and accolades
College
- 2001: Conerly Trophy - Best College Football Player in Mississippi
- 2001: Davey O'Brien Award (finalist) - Awarded to the Nation's Top Quarterback
- 2001: Honorable Mention All-America - The Football News
- 2002: Second Team All-America - The Associated Press
- 2003: Maxwell Award - Nation's Top Player
- 2003: Conerly Trophy - Best College Football Player in Mississippi
- 2003: SEC Most Valuable Back - Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club
- 2003: Sports Person of the Year in Mississippi - The Clarion-Ledger
- 2003: Mississippi Amateur Athlete of the Year - Jackson Touchdown Club
- 2003: National Scholar-Athlete Class - Division I-A QB
- 2003: Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award - Awarded to the Nation's Top Quarterback
- 2003: SEC Offensive Player of the Year - The Associated Press and the SEC Coaches
- 2004: SBC Cotton Bowl Classic Offensive Player of the Game
- Colonel Earl (Red) Blaik Leadership Award - All-America Football Foundation
- USA Today Player of the Year in Louisiana
- First Team All-America - The All-America Foundation
- Southeastern Conference Player of the Year
- SEC Player of the Year - The Commercial Appeal and the SEC Coaches
- First Team All-SEC - The Associated Press
- SouthEast's Top Offensive Back - Touchdown Club of Atlanta Wally Butts Award
Professional
- 2011: Super Bowl XLVI Most Valuable Player
- 2007: Super Bowl XLII Most Valuable Player
- 2008: November NFC Offensive Player of the Month
- 2008/2011/2012: 3× Pro Bowl Selection
- 2011: NFL Record most 4th-quarter touchdown passes in a season (15)
- 2011: Tied NFL Record for longest pass completion and touchdown (99 yards)
- Most passing yards in a single postseason (1219 yards, 2011)
- Super Bowl XLVI: Most consecutive completions to begin a Super Bowl (9)
- Active leader for most consecutive starts by a National Football League quarterback (178, 3rd all-time)
NFL records
- Most 4th-quarter touchdown passes in a season (15 in 2011)
- Tied NFL Record longest pass completion and touchdown (99 yards in 2011)
- Tied NFL Record most game-winning drives in a season (8 in 2011)
- Most road wins in a single regular season and postseason by a starting quarterback (10)
- Most passing yards in a single postseason (1,219 yards in 2011)
Giants franchise records
- Most passing attempts (season): 618 (2015)
- Most completions (season): 387 (2015)
- Most passing yards (season): 4,933 (2011)
- Most passing yards (career) 44,191 (as of the 2015)
- Longest completed pass: 99 yards (2011)
- Most interceptions thrown (season): 27 (2013)
- Most 4th-quarter touchdown passes, season: 15 (NFL record)
- Most consecutive starts by a quarterback: 194 (183 regular season + 11 playoff games)
- Most consecutive pass completions, game: 21 (2011)
- Most comeback wins in the 4th quarter (season): 5 (2007, 2011), tied
- Most game-winning drives in the 4th quarter/overtime (season): 6 (2007, 2011)
- Most touchdown passes: 294 (As of 2015)
Manning in popular culture
- Eli, his brothers Peyton and Cooper, and their parents Archie and Olivia all appeared in an ESPN This is SportsCenter ad from 2006.
- In a 2006 commercial for NFL Sunday Ticket, he and Peyton came home to find their father Archie giving tips to Matt Leinart, confessing he "always wanted a lefty".
- Eli, Peyton and Cooper made a cameo appearance in an episode of The Simpsons where Bart dreams about the fun of having brothers.
- He co-starred with Peyton for NFLShop.com and Oreo.
- He is a spokesman for Citizen Watch Co., Toyota of New Jersey, and Reebok. He reportedly received several more endorsement offers after reaching Super Bowl XLII.
- Manning appeared on stage with Conan O'Brien at Radio City Music Hall for the former Tonight Show host's Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour on June 2, 2010.
- Eli Manning hosted the May 5, 2012 episode of Saturday Night Live. Peyton had appeared on the show in March 2007, after winning Super Bowl XLI.
Eli and Peyton Manning have played against each other a few times in their professional careers. These encounters have been colloquially named The Manning Bowl. The first Manning Bowl was held on September 10, 2006 and Peyton's Colts defeated Eli's Giants by a score of 26-21. The second Manning Bowl was held on September 19, 2010 and Peyton and his team bested Eli's team again by a score of 38-14. The third Manning Bowl took place on September 15, 2013 and Peyton went 3-0 against Eli, as Peyton's Broncos blew out Eli's Giants by a score of 41-23.
Personal life
Elisha Nelson "Eli" Manning was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the youngest of three boys for Olivia (née Williams) and NFL quarterback Elisha Archibald "Archie" Manning, III, both natives of Mississippi. He is a member of Sigma Nu fraternity as was his father and the boy was named Sigma Nu Athlete of the Year in 2001 and 2003.
In 2007, he proposed to Abby McGrew of Nashville, Tennessee. McGrew studies fashion in New York City, and has been with Manning since their days at the University of Mississippi. The couple wed in a private ceremony held in San José del Cabo, Mexico on April 19, 2008. Eli and Abby have three daughters, Ava Frances born March 26, 2011, Lucy Thomas born June 17, 2013, and Caroline Olivia born January 29, 2015. They reside during the season in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Eli and Peyton Manning volunteered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Mannings assisted in the delivery of 30,000 pounds (14,000 kg) of water, Gatorade, baby formula, pumice, and pillows to the people of New Orleans. After touring the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, he undertook a 5-year campaign in 2007 to raise $2.5 million for the construction of "The Eli Manning Children's Clinics" at the children's hospital. Manning said in 2007, "I am humbled by the work they do and am honored to make this five-year commitment to help raise funds to build this state-of-the-art clinic that will serve Mississippi families for years to come." His father, Archie, has also raised funds for Katrina relief efforts.
In 2009, Eli, Peyton, and Archie co-authored a children's book entitled Family Huddle, which describes in simple text and pictures how the three Manning brothers played football as young boys (Scholastic Press; illustrations by Jim Madsen). In 2010, due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Manning appeared in a commercial to raise awareness for the spill.
Since 2008, Manning has been the host of Guiding Eyes for the Blind's Golf Classic, the oldest and largest charity golf event in Westchester County, New York. Guiding Eyes is a nonprofit guide dog school serving the blind and visually impaired from around the world, as well as children on the autism spectrum. The Golf Classic raises more than $500,000 annually. He is a former member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Charities
Eli Manning supports the following charitable cause: Red Cross.