- Nov 19, 2001
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Eli Manning making a name for himself
Giants QB stepping from the shadow of older brother Peyton
Everybody knows Peyton Manning: Colts quarterback, owner of the NFL season record for touchdown passes, two-time league MVP, son of former Pro Bowl QB Archie. He is the guy flailing his arms, dropping into the shotgun, yelling to his teammates, calling audibles and sticking in the pocket to make the play. He is the priceless pitchman asking the grocery store clerk to autograph a melon, then asking him to sign a loaf of bread for his little brother.
Ah, the little brother, fan of the shelf stocker and fast becoming an NFL Manning in his own right. He is worthy of his own fans, his own accolades and criticisms, his own full-length feature story. But he never will be measured against himself. He never breaks free from the constant comparisons to his big-time big brother. Irritating?
Eli looks down at the locker room floor and laughs for a few seconds. It seems, for an instant, as though Easy, the Manning who isn?t bothered by anything, might break down and say, Yes, enough already. I?m my own man. I love Peyton. He?s great. But when do I get to grow up and escape his shadow? What can I do to make people see me and not another Manning?
It seems that way. For a moment. But then the laughing stops, the smile disappears. Eli looks up and says basically what is expected.
?For the most part, if I?m being compared to Peyton, I consider that a compliment,? says Eli, 24. ?He?s at the top of his game, and I?m not anywhere near his level right now. But that?s the goal, to play at a high level, and he?s the guy playing at the highest in the league. ... I?m not trying to be like Peyton; I?m trying to do it the way I know how.?
The comparisons were inevitable: They were star quarterbacks at the same high school. They both played in the Southeastern Conference. Both were No. 1 overall draft picks after their dad was a No. 2. Eli couldn?t escape the family name if he wanted to. But the comparisons shifted into high gear at the midway point of this season, when the Giants were 6-2, Peyton?s Colts were undefeated and talk of a Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl began. Such talk has cooled a bit in recent weeks as the Giants have slipped to 7-4, but it?s still great fun to explore the similarities and differences between two amazing brothers.
49ers defensive coordinator Billy Davis, who got a good look at Eli as the Giants? linebackers coach last season, says sometimes when he?s watching film, coaches and players who walk by will ask whether it?s Peyton or Eli on the screen. That makes sense. They have similar styles because they were raised and taught together. The brothers are similar in size -- Peyton (6-5, 230) is slightly bigger than Eli (6-4, 218). They are pocket passers. Both have grounded personalities, though Peyton is extroverted and Eli isn?t. They are intense competitors who hate to lose.
But they are not clones. Eli is more athletic and has a slightly stronger arm. Peyton, 29, is more accurate, more vocal and better at making decisions. And, of course, Peyton is more successful individually and from a team standpoint. He has everything the extra six years of NFL experience should offer. He is past the point of potential.
?I just believe that right now, at this time in their careers, that Peyton is the more physical quarterback,? says former Giants quarterback and current CBS analyst Phil Simms. ?For lack of better terms, Eli is the quiet leader, and Peyton is the in-your-face, out-front, flag-waving, in-charge captain of the team. When Peyton Manning walks into a room, he takes it over, man. That?s what he is. And Eli will come in and subtly just learn to work the room in a different way. But there?s a lot of ways to get it done as a starting quarterback in the NFL. The most important thing is you do it the way that fits you the best. That?s why I commend them both. They?re true to themselves.?
Where they are most alike is inside their helmets. ?They are both very, very smart quarterbacks,? says Vikings coach Mike Tice. ?They know where to go with the ball and where to go with the run. They do an excellent job of managing the line of scrimmage.?
Such knowledge is the result of years and years of study, perhaps the greatest key to the Mannings? success.
Educating Eli
Peyton Manning is what Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi calls ?the gold standard? when it comes to film work. Eli, like everyone else, pales in comparison to his brother, who helped teach his little brother how to break down film before he went to college. Peyton may be the only player Eli can?t measure up to in the film room.
David Cutcliffe, who coached both quarterbacks in college -- as Eli?s head coach at Ole Miss and Peyton?s position coach at Tennessee -- remembers Eli?s tape routine. Immediately after practice, while other players were heading home, Eli was picking up the tape of his practice for a self-analysis. That armed him with questions for his coaches before they got a chance to look at the tape themselves. The university equipped him with his own room to watch film, and he would spend four and five hours at a time there, watching himself and the defenses of upcoming opponents.
Eli remains as studious as ever. Last spring, before official minicamps and voluntary workouts and without being told to do it, Eli went to Giants Stadium and watched every one of the 474 passes thrown by Giants quarterbacks last season (Kurt Warner?s 277 and Manning?s 197). He reviewed them all.
?I was looking at the decision making,? says Eli. ?Seeing the plays we like to run against certain types of defense and in every circumstance. It helps mentally when you?re running the plays?you have a better idea of what to do with the ball.?
Eli and Peyton are thinkers. Much of the thinking is done before games and between series, but the work never stops.
?They have great work habits and work ethic,? says Giants quarterbacks coach Kevin Gilbride. ?They roll up their sleeves and go to work very quietly. (Eli)?s always working and watching film and asking more questions, like ?What about this, or what about that???
With knowledge comes confidence, which Eli lacked somewhat during his rookie season, when he compiled a passer rating of 55.4 in nine games, including seven starts. The talent around him also was lacking -- but not this year.
Arming Eli
Peyton has had Marvin Harrison from the get-go. Eli?s wideouts as a rookie were Ike Hilliard and an injured (but active) Amani Toomer. But in his second year Eli also has Plaxico Burress, the kind of receiver who can rein in a wayward pass and make a good quarterback great.
?They?ve got a go-to guy now,? says Rams defensive lineman Tyoka Jackson. ?He?s an explosive receiver, and they haven?t been known for explosive plays. The guy is still open in tight coverage because of his size. That big-play ability is something they lacked in the past.?
Eli is excited about continuing to build his chemistry with Burress over the next few years in the same way Peyton and Harrison did to become a Montana-to-Rice-like duo.
The Colts have an outstanding offense that goes beyond Peyton and Harrison -- including running back Edgerrin James, a great line, tight end Dallas Clark and receivers Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley.
The Giants are assembling an offense that looks similar. Toomer and Jeremy Shockey are healthy, unlike last season, and Shockey finally is playing like the tight end who created such a buzz his rookie season. And the Giants have Tiki Barber to handle the running game.
The line is much improved. The Giants picked up right tackle Kareem McKenzie in the offseason, which has allowed David Diehl to move to a more comfortable spot at left guard. Right guard Chris Snee, a rookie last year, brings a season of experience, and the team added depth, which was a problem last season.
It?s all coming together. Now it?s up to Eli to use all of those pieces to his advantage.
Assessing Eli
There?s no doubt Eli is ahead of the curve for the average young quarterback. No, he hasn?t been a consistent success.
At times, he has misread coverages and made bad decisions. In his worst performance of the season, against the Vikings in Week 10, the Giants were on the Minnesota 11. He saw Burress cut inside with a cornerback covering behind him. What Manning didn?t see was free safety Darren Sharper in zone coverage near the goal line. Sharper read the play perfectly, picked off the pass and returned it for a touchdown.
Sometimes, it?s not a matter of misreading the defense but simply missing the target. Accuracy has been a problem all season. Eli has had a lot of balls tipped at the line -- Vikings tackle Kevin Williams batted down three -- and his completion percentage of 52.5 would be worse if not for some athletic receptions by Burress, Shockey and Toomer. Eli has had a tough time checking down to his other options when his primary deep receivers are covered.
But Eli, who has 26 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and a passer rating of 72.6 in 18 career starts, has shown no signs of being adversely affected by his mistakes or the pressure to lead his team in his first full season as a starter. He has been frustrated but never rattled -- not by being hit, not by throwing an interception, not by missing a receiver. He has shown a knack for late-game heroics, leading fourth quarter drives against the Cowboys, Broncos, Vikings and Seahawks that put his team back in games (though the Giants won only one).
?There?s an inner toughness about him,? says Gilbride. ?There?s a resolve or resiliency that isn?t immediately recognizable that allows him to get through some of the tough times, to keep battling and keep working.?
Even on Eli?s toughest afternoon, after four interceptions and countless reasons to call it a day in front of an increasingly frustrated home crowd, Manning did not pack it in. With the Vikings? ineptitude helping the Giants stay close, Manning got one more chance and took advantage of it, leading the team down the field to tie the game with 1:21 remaining. But the Giants still lost when the defense allowed the Vikings to get in position to make the game-winning field goal. Still, in the development of Eli Manning, the loss was secondary to what he displayed.
?To be able to reverse the personality of a game is the rarest of qualities,? says Accorsi, who admits even he finds himself shaking his head when his young quarterback bounces back from early mistakes to work some final-minutes magic. For Accorsi, it conjures up a memory of Johnny Unitas? throwing three interceptions early as the Colts dug a hole for themselves, only to pull the game out in the end. It is the ultimate honor for Accorsi to compare anyone to Johnny U., even if only when referring to the ability to rise with the game on the line.
?He?s got great vision, great sense of anticipation and accuracy, and in those situations, that?s what it?s going to take,? says Cutcliffe. ?When people know you?re throwing it and you?re in those situations going down the field, you have to anticipate where receivers are going to be. They?re going to force you to be extremely accurate, and they?re going to force you to make good decisions, and he has all the tools to do that.?
Though late-game rallies and his veteran calm cause the comparisons to mount, few around the league -- including Eli -- are ready to put him at Peyton?s level right now.
?He looks like a young Peyton -- a good quarterback and a good student of the game,? says Cardinals pro personnel executive Rodd Newhouse. ?Peyton is in a whole other class. He runs that offense. I might be cautious in giving the keys to Eli just yet, but the (head) coach will know when he?s ready.?
He?ll be ready -- and soon. Will he be Peyton II? No. He?ll be Eli -- leading in his own quiet but effective way, able to run a little and make more plays when flushed out of the pocket, prepared for anything the defense throws at him and calmly, methodically, confidently leading fourth-quarter drives. With the right supporting cast, he?ll put the Giants in contention season after season. In a couple of years that Manning vs. Manning Super Bowl hype could be legitimate, and -- who knows? -- maybe Eli will end up asking a grocery store clerk to sign a loaf of bread for his brother.
© 2005 The Sporting News
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